Annamalai refuses to comment on AIADMK breaking its alliance with BJP
Sep 25, 2023
Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) [India], September 25 : Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai on Monday refused to comment on the AIADMK resolution that declared the breaking of its alliance with BJP just a few months before the Lok Sabha election.
"I will speak to you later. I don't speak during Yatra. I will speak later," Annamalai told ANI when asked about the development during his ‘En Mann En Makkal’ (My Land My People) Yatra which is currently in Coimbatore.
AIADMK passed the resolution in its meeting of headquarters functionaries, district secretaries, MPs and MLAs at its headquarters in Chennai.
"The state leadership of the BJP has been continuously making unnecessary remarks about our former leaders, our general secretary EPS (K Palaniswami) and our cadres for the past year. In today's meeting, this resolution was passed unanimously that AIADMK will break all ties with BJP and NDA alliance," AIADMK leader KP Munuswamy said while announcing the decision to reporters.
Annamalai was blamed by the AIADMK leadership in the past for the rift in the alliance. His statement against top leaders of Dravidian movement like CN Annadurai irked them so much that they reportedly asked the BJP's central leadership to remove him from the post of state BJP president.
Munuswamy alleged that the state BJP has been intentionally attacking former Chief Minister Jayalalitha and Annadurai.
"The state leadership of BJP in the NDA alliance has been purposely attacking the AIADMK Party, former CM and leaders Annadurai and Jayalalitha. BJP State leadership also criticised AIADMK conference which was held at Madurai on August 20. This hurt cadres of AIADMK," Munuswamy said.
The relationship between the AIADMK and the BJP had hit a low during the last few months.
On September 18, AIADMK announced that the BJP is no longer their ally alleging that BJP State President Annamalai was crossing the "alliance dharma" lines. AIADMK leaders also heavily criticised Annamalai for his remarks on Annadurai and Periyar.
Both the AIADMK and the BJP frequently engaged in war of words with one another on social media. Leaders from both parties refused to comment on the alliance in public.
On September 22, AIADMK top leaders C V Shanmugam, Thambidurai, SP Velumani, Thangamani, KP Munusamy, Natham Viswanathan met BJP leaders at Delhi.
Both parties refused to comment on the developments of the meeting. However, sources suggested that the AIADMK meeting in Delhi was not fruitful.
