CHENNAI: The AIADMK has made a decisive move to exit the NDA, citing the BJP's state leadership's persistent and deliberate disparagement of their party and its revered figures, including C.N. Annadurai and J. Jayalalithaa. The AIADMK's Golden Jubilee Revival Conference in Madurai on August 20 and their general secretary, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, were also belittled.
During a meeting of office-bearers, headquarters secretaries, district secretaries, MPs, and MLAs at the party headquarters, Deputy General Secretary K.P. Munusamy presented the resolution, which was unanimously adopted. This development has the potential to reshape the political landscape in the state, especially in light of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections less than a year away.
The decision was met with celebration, with party members bursting firecrackers and sharing sweets, reflecting their collective anticipation regarding the future of the AIADMK's alliance with the BJP, which had been strained for nearly a year and had almost broken multiple times.
The rift had been brewing for some time, particularly since the announcement of the by-election to the Erode East Assembly constituency in February. State BJP's attempts to field a candidate against the Congress nominee, E.V.K.S. Elangovan, were thwarted by Palaniswami. This led to resentment, with some factions in both parties eager to break free.
At the meeting on Monday, Palaniswami began by highlighting the alleged mistreatment by the BJP and stressed the necessity of parting ways. The resolution was promptly presented and approved without room for discussion.
Party workers at the headquarters expressed their elation, and the AIADMK's IT wing immediately popularised the hashtag #NandriMeendumVaratheer (Thanks, Please do not come again). However, the BJP state president, K. Annamalai, refrained from commenting on the former ally's decision, deferring to his high command's response.
Annamalai had provoked the ire of AIADMK members by making derogatory remarks about Jayalalithaa, Annadurai, and Periyar during his state-wide yatra in August. He also questioned Chief Ministers in the state who faced corruption allegations, an apparent reference to Jayalalithaa, and sought to diminish the stature of Annadurai, after whom the AIADMK is named.
Furthermore, Annamalai refused to name Palaniswami as the Chief Ministerial candidate for the 2026 Assembly elections, asserting that only his party's high command could make that decision. He also stated his aim to make Narendra Modi the Prime Minister in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Efforts to address these issues with the BJP high command, including calls for a change in BJP State leadership, proved futile. The BJP remained steadfast in retaining Annamalai in his position. Despite attempts by top AIADMK leaders to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, the discord between the two parties escalated when the BJP refused to remove Annamalai, ultimately leading to Palaniswami's decision to withdraw from the alliance.
In contrast to previous situations where national leadership intervened to resolve tensions, this time, the BJP's top brass did not mediate between the State BJP and AIADMK, culminating in Palaniswami's decision to exit the alliance.
