The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), Tamil Nadu’s principal opposition party, has officially cut its ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Monday, September 25.
The party’s official resolution comes just months ahead of the state elections.
“A unanimous decision has been taken by AIADMK cadre led by the party’s general secretary and former chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, that the party will withdraw from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) from today, respecting the opinion and wishes of 2 crore volunteers. We will form a new alliance and face the upcoming Parliamentary elections,” the party said in a statement.
The party’s workers burst crackers in Chennai after the party announced the breaking of all ties with BJP and NDA.
Elaborating on the decision, AIADMK deputy coordinator and former minister K P Munusamy said that the decision was taken due to the BJP state leadership’s ‘unnecessary remarks about AIADMK’s former leaders, Palaniswami, and its cadre for the past year.
The resolution said the BJP’s state leadership has been of late defaming Dravidian stalwart, the late CN Annadurai, and late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, besides criticising its policies.
It was obvious the Dravidian party was miffed with BJP state president K Annamalai, whose comments about Annadurai had created a rift between the two erstwhile allies.
Such slanderous, wanton criticism aimed at the AIADMK has been going on for the past about one year and it led to deep resentment and outrage among the cadres and office-bearers, the resolution said.
Top party office-bearers, district secretaries MLAs, and MPs took part in the AIADMK meet.
While the AIADMK cadres celebrated the decision with bursting of crackers, the official party handle and supporters posted messages on X with the hashtag “#Nandri_Meendum Varatheergal (Thank you please do not come again),” seen as a snub to the BJP.
Incidentally, senior leader D Jayakumar had last week called off the alliance with BJP , saying he was conveying the party’s stand.
‘Just acting’ claims Stalin on BJP-AIADMK split
Responding to AIADMK’s quit from NDA, DMK president and Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin alleged they were pretending to be fighting with each other but were on good terms.
“They are pretending to be fighting. Inside they are on friendly terms. Why this acting? By supporting the AIADMK, the BJP has to take responsibility for their corruption. By supporting the BJP, the AIADMK has to aid in its communalism.” he said, indicating therefore such a stand by the two.
He asked what was the reason behind AIADMK chief K Palaniswami’s recent meeting with Union home minister Amit Shah, even as the two parties were sparring in Tamil Nadu.
Referring to an AIADMK delegation meeting BJP leaders in Delhi two days ago, he said the members of the group flew to the national capital from Kochi and not Chennai and asked “what is the politics behind these mysterious meetings.”
He claimed the AIADMK’s support for the Centre’s proposed ‘One Nation One Poll’ will backfire on Palaniswami and his party.
Training his guns against Modi, Stalin wondered if the PM had implemented any of the promises he had made earlier, like employment generation, retrieving black money stashed in foreign havens, among others.
(With excerpts from PTI)
