COIMBATORE/TIRUVARUR: The rift within the AIADMK-BJP alliance is widening, said CPI state secretary R Mutharasan and CPI (M) state secretary P Shanmugam on Saturday.
The left leaders cited the lack of unanimity among AIADMK and BJP leaders on the goal of forming a coalition government by both the allies in the state after the next Assembly poll.
“Amit Shah states that the AIADMK-BJP alliance will form a coalition government, while Edappadi K Palaniswami asserts that he is the chief ministerial candidate. Cracks are widening daily within the AIADMK-BJP alliance,” Mutharasan said in Coimbatore while referring to the different stands of the BJP leader and AIADMK general secretary.
Mutharasan was in Coimbatore to attend CPI’s district conference.
“Does Palaniswami encourage BJP’s New Education Policy and misuse of investigative agencies such as ED, NIA, etc?” Mutharasan asked while also recalling that former Chief Minister late J Jayalalithaa had vowed the AIADMK would not form an alliance with the BJP henceforth.
Mutharasan hoped Edappadi K Palaniswami would hold a clean campaign in the run-up to the election.
Speaking to reporters in Tiruvarur, CPI(M) state secretary P Shanmugam, meanwhile, accused Palaniswami of supporting all anti-people, -farmer and -state actions of the BJP-led union government.
“Edappadi should apologise to farmers for supporting the anti-farmer laws,” the CPI(M) leader demanded.
Shanmugam claimed the National Democratic Alliance in the state is torn by confusion.
“Like Amit Shah, BJP’s former state leader K Annamalai and others are also asserting there will be a coalition government in Tamil Nadu. But Palaniswami continues to claim that they will form a government with a clear majority. There is confusion within the BJP-AIADMK alliance, and the AIADMK is weakening,” he claimed.
Shanmugam also rebutted Palaniswami’s claim that his party accepted money from the DMK.
“We have already explained this a hundred times. We received money from the DMK for election expenses, but we handed it back exactly as it was received. Not even a single tea was consumed by the Communist Party from that amount,” he added.