CHENNAI: AIADMK’s organisation secretary and former MP A Anwhar Raajhaa, the party’s well-known face from the Muslim community, joined DMK in the presence of Chief Minister MK Stalin at party headquarters Anna Arivalayam in Chennai on Monday.
Speaking to reporters after joining DMK, the long-time AIADMK member and former minister accused the opposition party of being caught in the clutches of BJP.
The strongman from Ramanathapuram, who has been critical of AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami ever since the party revived poll ties with BJP, said he was left with no option but to join DMK to protect Tamil Nadu from the threats posed by the BJP-led centre on issues like Hindi imposition.
“BJP’s goal is not to win this Assembly election but to replace AIADMK. BJP would destroy AIADMK as it has done to many of its allies,” he said.
Meanwhile, AIADMK released a statement expelling Raajhaa from the party. It can be recalled that he was expelled from the party in November 2021 for repeatedly airing views contrary to the party, but later returned in August 2023.
Highlighting Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks that the BJP will join the government if the AIADMK-BJP alliance wins the Assembly poll in 2026, Raajhaa said the BJP would install a BJP CM if the alliance wins the poll. “Just look at what happened to Eknath Shinde in Maharashtra. Devendra Fadnavis is now the CM there,” he added.
Raajhaa had held key posts in the AIADMK under late leaders MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa. “When Jayalalithaa formed an alliance, BJP was afraid of the AIADMK. It is not the same AIADMK now. Although Amit Shah said Palaniswami was the head of the NDA alliance in Tamil Nadu, he has not yet declared EPS as the CM candidate,” Raajhaa told reporters.
Arguing that the Tamil people saw BJP as a “negative force,” he said the AIADMK-BJP coalition will be defeated.
He lauded Stalin for intensifying a nationwide opposition to the BJP. “He has been fighting the union government to protect the Tamil language and society. People have placed their trust in him. There is no leader who can be compared to Stalin in AIADMK. Stalin will become the CM again by getting 15% more votes than AIADMK,” he said.
On November 30, 2021, Raajhaa was expelled from the AIADMK for repeated statements criticising the leadership and views contrary to party’s decisions. However, there were speculations that he was expelled for his views in support of VK Sasikala and his vehement opposition to CAA and NRC.
When he rejoined the party, he said that he was a founding member of the party in Ramanathapuram district, and called the expulsion a “slip-up”. Ministers Duraimurugan, RS Raja Kannappan and Ramanathapuram DMK district secretary Katherbatcha Muthuramalingam were present when he joined the DMK.
Reacting to Raajhaa joining DMK, former AIADMK minister C Ponnaiyan accused Raajhaa of being disloyal to Arignar Anna, MG Ramachandran, J Jayalalithaa and Edappadi K Palaniswami.
He remained an opportunistic politician, Ponnaiyan said, and alleged that even when he was in AIADMK, Raajhaa had a secret relationship with DMK.