No patch-up with BJP, will form own poll alliance: AIADMK
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) deputy general secretary and former Tamil Nadu minister KP Munusamy said on Wednesday that the party will form its own alliance for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and 2026 state assembly polls. He said the AIADMK's decision to quit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is final. Munusamy also attacked BJP Tamil Nadu chief K Annamalai, saying that he continued to disparage AIADMK's icons despite the party's resolution against him.
Why does this story matter?
The AIADMK parted ways with the BJP reportedly over Annamalai's alleged insulting remarks over Tamil Nadu's first Chief Minister, CN Annadurai, on whose principles the party was formed. Meanwhile, leaders of Tamil Nadu's ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), from which the AIADMK broke away in 1972, said that the AIADMK's exit from the NDA was just a "drama" and it would backpedal on its decision before the elections.
DMK's remark shows its anxiety: Munusamy
Munusamy made it clear that there's no chance of the AIADMK rejoining the NDA. Responding to the DMK's remark calling the party's decision a "drama," Munusamy said it shows the ruling party's anxiety. The AIADMK is the chief opposition party in the state, while the DMK is part of the nationwide opposition bloc, the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). As for its prime ministerial nominee, Munusamy said even the INDIA bloc has not yet selected its candidate.
'AIADMK to focus on Tamil representation, state development'
Munusamy further stressed that the AIADMK, like other political parties in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, will focus on representing Tamils in Parliament and securing necessary funds for Tamil Nadu's growth. When asked whether the party urged the BJP's high command to remove Annamalai as its state unit chief, he brushed it off, calling it childish speculation, and emphasized the party's dedication to its principles.
