AIADMK Formally Terminates Alliance With BJP
In a significant political development, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) in Tamil Nadu has officially terminated its alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), mere months before the upcoming national elections. This decision comes amidst a contentious dispute over remarks made by K Annamalai, the BJP’s state leader.
AIADMK’s Deputy General Secretary, KP Munusamy, formally announced the breakup following a unanimous resolution passed during a meeting involving MPs, MLAs, and district leaders at the party’s headquarters in Chennai. The news was met with celebrations from AIADMK party workers, who marked the occasion with firecrackers.
In a last-ditch effort to salvage the strained alliance, a meeting was held in Delhi on Saturday. During this meeting, the AIADMK stood firm on its demand that Mr. Annamalai either issue an apology for his comments regarding the late former Chief Minister CN Annadurai or be replaced with a less controversial leader. It’s worth noting that Mr. Annadurai played a pivotal role as a mentor to MG Ramachandran, the founder of AIADMK.
While a senior AIADMK leader characterized the discussions as “cordial,” remarks from the BJP’s M Chakravarthy presented a different perspective. Chakravarthy suggested that the BJP leadership hesitated to remove Annamalai, as he had played a crucial role in revitalizing the party in Tamil Nadu. He clarified that Annamalai’s comments alluding to Annadurai were made in the context of a controversy surrounding Sanatan Dharma.
The AIADMK’s dissatisfaction with Annamalai’s remarks is not an isolated incident. He had previously criticized the late former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, an iconic figure within the AIADMK. This had led to demands from the AIADMK to rein in the state BJP chief. Annamalai’s comments have fueled speculation that the BJP is attempting to carve out a political foothold in Tamil Nadu, a state where it has struggled to gain electoral traction.
In March, Annamalai openly expressed reservations about aligning with the AIADMK, causing consternation among senior AIADMK leaders. D Jayakumar, a prominent figure within the AIADMK, had remarked that “Annamalai is unfit to be BJP’s state president” and accused him of disparaging late leaders for personal gain.
Historically, the BJP maintained a somewhat distant relationship with the AIADMK. Even during the tenure of the late J Jayalalithaa, the AIADMK leader did not formally forge an alliance with the BJP, believing that it did not align with the state’s political landscape dominated by Dravidian ideologies.
The AIADMK’s decision to break ties with the BJP stems, in part, from past electoral losses. The AIADMK-BJP alliance faced defeats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and the 2021 Assembly polls. These setbacks have led the AIADMK to view the BJP as a liability as they approach the crucial 2024 national election. In the 2021 state election, the AIADMK’s seat tally plummeted from 136 to 75, resulting in its removal from power by the DMK-Congress alliance. Similarly, in the previous national election, the AIADMK saw a substantial decline, going from 37 seats to just one, while the DMK surged from 0 to 39 seats.
