Chennai: Despite being allies in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), a war of words in continuing between the AIADMK and the BJP in Tamil Nadu.
AIADMK leader and former Chief Minister K. Palaniswami lashed out against BJP Tamil Nadu unit’s vice president, S. Duraiswamy for saying that it was the four BJP MLAs who were more vocal in the Legislative Assembly than the AIADMK legislators.
This is in continuation to the spat unleashed by AIADMK organizing secretary and former minister, C. Ponnayian that the BJP was trying to dislodge the party and grow on its own in-state.
The AIADMK also said that the BJP doesn’t have Dravidian credentials.
In a statement, Palaniswami said: “The AIADMK is functioning extremely well and we don’t need advice from Duraiswamy. We know how our legislators are functioning in the house.
“I have been in the AIADMK since 1974 and it is 48 years since I am in the party. Our workers are with the AIADMK for the past several years and continued in the party, not like him who has jumped parties.”
The statement of the senior leader is a clear indicator that all is not well in the relationship between the BJP and AIADMK in Tamil Nadu.
It may be noted that in the last Urban local body elections, the BJP had contested alone.
BJP legislative party leader, Nainar Nagendran had also come out against the AIADMK after Ponnayian’s remark and had welcomed the estranged interim general secretary of the AIADMK, V.K. Sasikala into the national party.
This, according to political observers, was a move of the BJP to further antagonize the AIADMK as Sasikala is being totally opposed by a section of the party’s leadership led by Palaniswami.
–IANS