I stand by what I said, can’t speak ill of Jaya: Annamalai

CHENNAI: A day after AIADMK’s hard posturing, K Annamalai, BJP state president on Wednesday playing down the tussle between AIADMK and BJP, said that all is well in the alliance.

“We (AIADMK and BJP) are in the alliance and we respect each other and there is no alternative to it. I stand by what I said. Jayalalithaa is one of the best administrators of the state. I have been repeatedly speaking about Jayalalithaa’s people welfare schemes and good governance. I never speak ill of her and I am not qualified to speak bad about ‘Jayalalithaa amma,” said the BJP state president addressing reporters during a press conference in party headquarters Kamalalayam in Chennai.

“It’s in a public forum. Whatever the AIADMK leaders spoke about me or the party, is all because of a misinterpretation. But, Tamil Nadu can no longer endure corruption. I continue to fight against corruption. The Assembly Secretariat is a seat of power. But, the central agencies have raided Secretariat twice,” he added.

“Home Minister Amit Shah, who recently visited Tamil Nadu, said that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would win 25 seats in Tamil Nadu in the upcoming parliamentary elections. But, I told him that we will win 40 seats, including Puducherry,” he noted.

Dismissing speculations of Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami boycotting Amit Shah meeting, Annamalai said, Palaniswami went for medical treatment at the time and could not meet the Home Minister.

BJP state vice-presidents Karu Nagarajan, Chakkaravarthy and state secretary Karate Thiyagaran were present during the media briefing on Wednesday.

Differences will not affect alliance, says Nainar Nagendran

MADURAI: BJP state vice president and Tirunelveli MLA Nainar Nagendran exuded confidence that the BJP would achieve victory in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in 2024 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi would once again take charge of the country. Talking to reporters in Tirunelveli on Wednesday, Nagendran admitted that there are differences of opinion between the BJP and the AIADMK, but it would not affect the ongoing alliance between these two parties. To further queries, Nagendran denied any verbal attack by the BJP state president K Annamalai against former AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa recently and added that Annamalai did not make any derogatory remark against Jayalalithaa. Both the cadre of BJP and AIADMK are generally believed to celebrate the alliance being formed between these two parties and citing these, he called upon the cadre to work to power the coalition to victory. Further responding to queries, Nagendran said any matter regarding forging alliance would be decided by the BJP high command and senior leaders. He also denied any political vendetta over the arrest of Electricity Minister V Senthilbalaji by the Enforcement Directorate.