Sep 26 – The AIADMK said on Monday that it was breaking relations with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and would lead a “alliance of like-minded parties” in the Lok Sabha polls, signalling a fundamental shift in Tamil Nadu politics.
The collapse of an AIADMK delegation’s talks with the BJP national leadership in Delhi on Friday signalled the end of the alliance. Senior BJP leaders were believed to be unwilling to rein in Tamil Nadu BJP chairman K Annamalai, whose remarks had deepened the breach between the two parties. The alliance ended at a time when the AIADMK was confronting a decreasing space in Dravidian politics as well as the loss of minority votes in the elections.
Following a high-level meeting in Chennai on Monday, AIADMK deputy general secretary K P Munusamy told the media that the decision was made unanimously in reaction to the BJP’s “sustained attacks” on the party and its leaders over the previous year. In its statement on social media, the party used the “#Nandri_meendumvaraatheergal (Thank you, never come back again)” hashtag.
“Under the leadership of the respected party General Secretary, ‘Revolutionary Tamilar’, Edappadi K Palaniswami, the meeting of the main party executives, district party executives, party parliamentary committee, legislative members, who reflected the sentiments and thoughts of 2 crore party followers, it has been unanimously decided that AIADMK will exit from the NDA starting from today,” read the statement.
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A senior AIADMK leader who attended the Chennai meeting said, “Following the lack of support from the BJP’s national leadership, and continuing attacks from Annamalai, Palaniswami and top leaders found themselves in a precarious position. The party’s leadership and cadres felt humiliated, which led to a unanimous decision to exit the alliance.”
