BJP plays down Dhinakaran’s decision to exit NDA, says parties opposed to DMK will unite

Chennai: BJP spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathy on Thursday played down the decision of AMMK leader T T V Dhinakaran to exit the NDA and asserted that all democratic parties keen on unseating the DMK from power will unite.

Though differences were common among allies, nothing should be construed as final at this juncture, as the election was still far away, he claimed.

"You will see who are all in the NDA in Tamil Nadu led by the AIADMK at the time of elections. This is not a break-up or end (of alliance)," Thirupathy told reporters here when his attention was drawn to Dhinakaran’s decision on September 3 to walk away from the NDA.

Days after the BJP revived its poll ties with the Edappadi K Palaniswami-led AIADMK and even announced that he would be the Chief Ministerial candidate, former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, an ally of the BJP, walked out of the alliance. And Dhinakaran’s exit too, is a setback to the NDA as it is confronted by thinning of its constituents.

AIADMK’s ally, Premalatha Vijayakanth had already said that her party would announce its stand on alliance at the time of Assembly election next year.

On Dhinakaran’s accusation of "betrayal," when he aimed to bring all of Amma (late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's) cadres together but suddenly realised that this (unification of AIADMK factions) could not materialise, Thirupathy replied "he didn’t mean the BJP. So, I need not comment."

"I am confident that all political parties driven by a common desire to dislodge the DMK from power will unite under the umbrella of NDA," he added.

To a question on former BJP state chief K Annamalai skipping a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on September 3, Thirupathy denied any rift between Annamalai and party high command.

"How can you speculate and arrive at your own conclusions about a meeting in which only the senior leaders of the party attended? Annamalai himself had clarified (that he could not attend the meeting due to prior engagements). I have nothing more to add," he said.