CHENNAI: AIADMK Organising Secretary D Jayakumar on Monday asserted the AIADMK will never have any electoral alliance with the BJP. “This is the party’s firm decision and AIADMK will stand by it,” he said.
Speaking to reporters, Jayakumar explained that the remark made by the party’s general secretary Edappadi K Palnaiswami in Tiruchy was ‘given a twist’ and made a point of debate.
When asked whether the AIADMK was ready to align with the BJP, Palaniswami had told reporters in Tiruchy on Sunday that the party wants to unite like-minded parties to bring down the DMK government and a decision on alliance will be taken closer to the poll in 2026. The comment had triggered speculation about whether the AIADMK is reconsidering its decision to stay off BJP and if EPS is hinting at the possibility of the Dravidian major joining hands with the saffron party.
After reiterating the party’s position on alliance, Jayakumar said there was no need for the AIADMK to have a tacit relationship with the BJP, but the ruling DMK is in fact in a clandestine relationship with the BJP.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Palaniswami held discussions with the 10-member field inspection committee composed of senior leaders to assess the functioning of the grassroots-level units of the party. Sources said Palaniswami had given clear instructions on the issues to be covered by the committee and also asked the committee to give an impartial assessment of the functioning of the party units so that corrective measures and steps for improvement could be taken. The committee has been split into five teams and was asked to submit its report by December 7.
The first team comprising KP Munusamy and B Valarmathi will visit 14 party districts in Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Tirupattur, Krishnagiri, Ranipet, Dharmapuri, Perambalur and Ariyalur revenue districts. The team comprising Dindigul C Sreenivasan and P Thangamani will cover 17 party districts in Salem, Namakkal, Tiruchy, Karur, Thanjavur, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruvarur, Pudukkottai and Dindigul revenue districts.
Similarly, the team comprising Natham R Viswanathan, and S Semmalai will visit 14 party districts in Dindigul, Madurai, Virudhunagar, Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram, Tenkasi, Thoothukudi, Theni, and Virudhunagar revenue districts. The team of SP Velumani and Varahur Arunachalam will meet the functionaries in 14 party districts in Erode, Tiruppur, Coimbatore, the Nilgiris, Tirunelveli, and Kanniyakumari revenue districts. The team comprising D Jayakumar and CVe Shanmugam will visit 14 party districts in Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Tiruvallur, Cuddalore, Villupuram, and Kallakurichi revenue districts.
Govt deployed students instead of staff: EPS
Chennai: AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami has criticised the state government’s decision to deploy agriculture college students, instead of revenue officials, to gather data on farmers, crops and irrigation facilities for the digitalisation of information. He said the task is being carried out following the instructions of the union government and the centre has allocated Rs 1,940 crore for this.