Palaniswami shatters BJP's hope for AIADMK’s NDA return; says no alliance with saffron party in Tamil Nadu

Chennai: AIADMK is believed to have conveyed to emissaries of the BJP that it was not willing to reconsider its decision to snap ties with the saffron party, which will now stitch a Third Front in Tamil Nadu to face the ensuing Lok Sabha polls. 

BJP established contact with the AIADMK through former Union Shipping Minister G K Vasan and a couple of other political leaders in the state to convince the regional party to join hands for the Lok Sabha after it quit the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in September 2023. 

“Edappadi K Palaniswami, the general secretary of AIADMK, made it clear that he won’t ally with the BJP,” a source in the know told DH.

He asked the emissaries to tell the BJP high command that the decision to snap ties with the saffron party was taken by senior leaders of the AIADMK and that there was no need to change the stand. 

The development comes two weeks after Union Home Minister Amit Shah told leading Tamil newspaper, Daily Thanthi, that the BJP’s doors for an alliance with AIADMK was “open”, leading to intense speculation of the two parties coming together. 

Leaders like Vasan, who heads Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC), felt AIADMK being part of the BJP alliance would help put up a “strong fight” against the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) in the state.

“But, EPS was categorical in not reviving the ties,” another source said, adding that the AIADMK feels that contesting alone in 2024 will help the party gain confidence among people and potential alliance partners. 

 AIADMK had on September 25, walked out of the NDA blaming Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai’s consistent attack on Dravidian legends and AIADMK’s core ideology. However, as the election season approached, the BJP felt the need for a “strong alliance” in Tamil Nadu and hence touched base with the AIADMK. 

It is believed that AIADMK was even given an option of discussing the alliance terms with a “coordination committee” instead of engaging with Annamalai. “However, this proposal also didn’t cut ice with the AIADMK,” the second source added.

Even as the back-channel talks with AIADMK was on, the BJP reach out to Paatali Makkal Katchi (PMK), Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) of actor Vijayakanth, Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) headed by T T V Dhinakaran, and expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam asking them to be part of the alliance. 

“Now that there is a clarity on AIADMK, we just hope PMK and DMDK come to us so that we can form a grand alliance. We expect a clear picture on the alliance issue when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Tiruppur on February 27,” a BJP leader said. 

BJP has been contesting elections alone in Tamil Nadu since 2006 except for 2014 Lok Sabha polls when it cobbled up a coalition with PMK and DMDK, 2019 and 2021 polls when it aligned with the AIADMK.