BJP central team fails to rope in PMK, DMDK
The saffron party conducted multiple rounds of talks with PMK and DMDK, but due to their impassable high demands, the talks were unsuccessful.
Ramadoss, Premalatha Vijayakanth
CHENNAI: While the team of BJP Union ministers was expected to end the deadlock in stitching together a formidable alliance in Tamil Nadu for the coming Lok Sabha polls, the stalemate in the talks continues as the former allies of the saffron party, DMDK and PMK, are refusing to fall in line.
According to Kamalalayam sources, Union Ministers VK Singh and G Kishan Reddy were in the city till Monday evening but the DMDK and PMK refused to heed the attempts initiated by the BJP high command.
If the sources are to be believed, the saffron party conducted multiple rounds of talks with PMK and DMDK, but due to their impassable high demands, the talks were unsuccessful.
“Our high command had open alliance talks with PMK and DMDK. But since it was about a front without one of the Dravidian majors, AIADMK, both the parties (PMK and DMDK) made demands for seats in double digits plus Rajya Sabha seats and cabinet portfolio. As their demands were impractical, the talks did not proceed. Since they were talking about an alliance with AIADMK also, we get a feeling that their coming for negotiations with us could be to increase their bargaining power with AIADMK. Hence, the alliance talks with those parties were discarded,” sources close to state BJP president Annamalai told DT Next.
Meanwhile, the saffron party has succeeded in clinching a deal with TTV Dhinakaran’s AMMK.
On Monday, AMMK general secretary Dhinakaran announced that his party has formally joined the BJP-led NDA alliance for the coming Lok Sabha polls and that his party has extended unconditional support to the saffron party.
Other former members of the NDA, R Sarath Kumar’s All India Samathuva Makkal Katchi, TR Paarivendhar’s Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi, AC Shanmugham’s New Justice Party, GK Vasan’s Tamil Maanila Congress (M) and B John Pandian’s Tamizhaga Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam also signed alliance deals with the saffron party and submitted their wishlist of LS constituencies to the saffron party. However, DMDK general secretary Premalatha Vijayakant on Monday clarified that her party did not hold any talks with the BJP and has not allotted time for talks so far. Earlier in the day, former AIADMK MLA of Mylapore Assembly constituency R Rajalakshmi joined the BJP in the presence of Union Ministers VK Singh and G Kishan Reddy at Kamalalayam.