Jayalalitha keeps support to NDA issue hanging

New Delhi: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK chief J. Jayalalithaa on Tuesday kept alive the suspense on whether her party would bail out the Narendra Modi government in the Rajya Sabha, where it does not have a majority, saying she “will see when the situation arises”.

The meeting between  Mr Modi and Ms Jayalalithaa, keenly watched in political ci-rcles especially since it was the first after Mr Modi assumed office as the PM, went on for 50 minutes.

Ms Jayalalithaa had skipped the swearing-in ceremony of Mr Modi on May 26 in protest against Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s presence at the function.

“There is no such talk (about support to the BJP in the Lok Sabha). The NDA has an independent majority and, for that matter, the BJP itself has an independent majority. They don’t need any other support.” the Tamil Nadu CM said after the meeting

This ended the speculation that the AIADMK would be a part of the “grand NDA” and that her party would provide outside support to the NDA government.

It was also speculated that Mr Modi would seek the support of Ms Jayalalithaa during the meeting.

Asked whether her party, which has 10 MPs in the Rajya Sabha, would support the BJP, she said, “Will see when the situation arises.” Her comments kept alive the suspense on whether the AIADMK would bail- out the BJP government on crucial Bills in the Rajya Sabha.

While BJP alone has an absolute majority in the Lok Sabha, it lacks crucial numbers in the Rajya Sabha and may have to seek the support of smaller regional parties in the upper house to get certain crucial legislations passed.

The AIADMK is the third-largest party in the Lok Sabha with 37 MPs, after the Congress which has 44 MPs.

She presented a 65-page memorandum which inc-luded demands for additional allocation of reso-urces for Tamil Nadu and expediting formation of a sub-committee for the Mullaperiyar Dam after the SC order to raise its water level to 142 feet.