We stand by our decision to quit NDA: EPS

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday suggested that his party was not willing to reconsider the decision to sever ties with the BJP and asserted that it will stitch a “formidable alliance” under its leadership to face the 2024 Lok Sabha and 2026 assembly elections.

Palaniswami also said it was the “events in Tamil Nadu” – an oblique reference to state BJP chief K Annamalai’s outbursts against Dravidian legends -- that prompted the party to out of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and there was no “pressure” from Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Union Home Minister Amit Shah to allot more seats for their party.

The former chief minister also said the AIADMK never demanded the ouster of Annamalai as Tamil Nadu BJP chief, while making it clear that the decision to quit NDA was final and was taken only to honour and respect the sentiments of the party cadre.

“It may be his wish. What can I say about his remarks? Our stand is clear. We walked out of the alliance as per the wish of our cadres,” Palaniswami said when asked to comment on BJP vice-president V P Duraisamy’s remarks that talks were on to work out a compromise between the two parties.

However, Palaniswami refused to comment on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement that state governments in South India keep temples under their control and they are being looted through a conspiracy. To a question, he also said there was no pressure from the BJP top brass – Modi, Shah, and J P Nadda, BJP President, to allot “more number” of seats to the party in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

“There was no pressure from anyone. There are several rumours that they (BJP) asked for 20 seats, 15 seats and so on. Nothing is true. There was no such demand. Also, we never demanded action against the state BJP chief. We merely followed the wishes of our cadres who were upset with events that unfolded in Tamil Nadu,” Palaniswami said.

Annamalai’s recent outbursts against Dravidian legend C N Annadurai, BJP’s insistence on rehabilitating AIADMK rebels T T V Dhinakaran, V K Sasikala, and O Panneerselvam as allies in the NDA, public proclamation that the party was aiming for the 2026 assembly elections, and the demand for over 10 seats in LS polls are some of the reasons that forced the situation.