A day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressed confidence in the NDA forming the government in Tamil Nadu, AIADMK chief Edappadi K. Palaniswami contradicted his statement saying that his party will form a majority government on its own.
Shah who was on a two-day trip to Tamil Nadu was addressing the BJP cadres at the concluding meeting of the ‘Tamilagam Thalai Nimira Tamilanin Payanam’ yatra in Pudukottai, led by Tamil Nadu BJP president Nainar Nagenthran. Shah’s statement came in at a time when the party had already begun the seat sharing talks with the AIADMK.
Palaniswami did not call on Shah citing prior engagements. The two different statements and Palansiwami skipping a personal meeting with Shah brings to fore the growing differences within the NDA which is already struggling to expand the alliance. NDA’s earlier partners like Dr. S. Ramadoss’s PMK and late Vijayakanth’s DMDK have also not confirmed about continuing in the NDA.
Interestingly Palaiswami’s close aide and AIADMK’s second-in-command S.P. Velumani called on Shah at Tiruchirapalli twice. While sources say that Velumani discussed the current political situation and also about taking forward the party's goal of defeating the DMK in the Assembly election this year, the meeting was to resolve a deadlock on the seat sharing. Velumani’s meeting with Shah is looked at as a crucial development as he was also part of the six-member committee, which insisted Palaniswami bring back the rebel leaders. And one of the six members, K.A. Sengottaiyan, had already switched to Vijay’s TVK. Velumani’s meeting with Shah comes in the backdrop of the AIADMK being firm on its stance on contesting from at least 170 constituencies so that it can win in a single majority. During the first round of talks with Union minister Piyush Goyal, sources say, that Palaniswami was willing for any negotiation and insisted that the AIADMK will contest in 170 constituencies and will allocate only 64 constituencies to the alliance partners.
“The BJP wants share in power. Our leader will never agree to this,” a former AIADMK minister told THE WEEK. Sources say that the BJP is insisting on securing more seats so that it can accommodate the AIADMK rebels like O. Panneerselvam and T.T.V. Dhinakaran.
Just 50 kms away from Tiruchirappalli, where Amit Shah was celebrating Pongal with his party cadres, T.T.V. Dhinakaran was addressing his party cadres only to drop several hints on his AMMK joining an alliance stitched by actor politician Vijay. Sources say that Panneerselvam also opted for an alliance with Vijay. Both Dhinakaran and Panneerselvam are opposed to Palaniswami leading the alliance. The two quit the NDA, saying that they cannot accept Palaniswami as the chief minister candidate.
Dhinakaran and OPS moving towards TVK will hurt the NDA, which depends largely on the two for the Thevar vote bank in south Tamil Nadu. Sources in the BJP said that Shah was unhappy with the local BJP leadership for making OPS and Dhinakaran walk out of the alliance. “They have made up their mind to go with Vijay,” said a senior BJP leader.
However, the BJP is in no mood to give up its demand of share in power which has already upset the alliance equations in the state.
