New Delhi/Chennai:
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) on Thursday said his party’s alliance with the BJP is on and asserted that the saffron outfit has no problem with Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai.
The AIADMK chief’s comments come in the backdrop of alleged differences between the two parties, which fought the 2019 parliamentary elections and the 2021 assembly polls as allies.
The AIADMK leader was addressing reporters in Chennai, a day after meeting BJP veteran and Union Home Minister Amit Shah along with party chief JP Nadda in the national capital.
He said, “We had tied up with the BJP for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and it continued during the 2021 (Tamil Nadu) assembly polls, as well as in the Erode bypolls (earlier this year). This (alliance) will continue “
Asked whether the issue of his “difference” with Annamalai figured in the meeting with Shah on Wednesday night, the EPS termed the question “misconceived”. Palaniswami alleged, “We have no problem with Annamalai. Had it been so, would he have campaigned during the (recent) Erode East bypoll. Only the media is asking such questions to create a rift.”
Be it AIADMK or BJP, everyone will focus on ensuring the development of their party. “We have parties in our alliance that work independently, unlike the DMK-led alliance… Everyone has their own ideology and will work accordingly. As an alliance, we will work unitedly and AIADMK Its policy is to ensure the victory of the coalition parties.” candidates,” he said.
Incidentally, Annamalai late on Wednesday had tweeted a picture of the EPS meeting with Shah and Nadda, which was also attended by the Tamil Nadu BJP president.
During the meeting with BJP leaders, Palaniswami was accompanied by senior party leaders and former ministers SP Velumani, CV Shanmugam, P Thangamani, KP Munusamy and D Jayakumar.
Responding to a question on his rival and ousted party leader O Panneerselvam, the EPS alleged that the former was working as the “B-team” of the ruling DMK.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)