CHENNAI: Veteran politician and advisor to former CM O Panneerselvam's "AIADMK Cadres Rights Retrieval Committee", Panruti S Ramachandran, on Monday said that it is high time that the leader disassociated himself from the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance that has openly ignored him of late.
Ramachandran's opinion gathered significance with the expelled AIADMK leader holding a conference of his outfit in September in Madurai. Sources closer to him said that during a recent meeting in Chennai, 60 out of the 82 district secretaries urged him to join hands with actor Vijay's TVK.
Talking to TNIE, Ramachandran pointed out that both Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during his past two visits, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his recent visit to the state, did not give an audience to Panneerselvam, a former CM.
Maintaining that it was the leader's decision whether to leave the NDA, Ramachandran said the former CM had no place at all in the alliance. "When all others got some recognition, he did not get that. Naturally, Panneerselvam is disillusioned with the NDA."
Ramachandran said Panneerselvam, who had been cordial with the BJP even when he was CM and later became fully dependent on the national party, did not seek a one-on-one meeting. He wrote a letter seeking his presence to welcome the PM at the airport and later see him off, but was ignored. "It was a source of embarrassment not only to him but also to his followers," he said.
The veteran leader emphasised that floating a new party at this juncture is not an option for Panneerselvam since his case contesting AIADMK's leadership is pending before the court. "If he launches a new political party, the court will dismiss that case."