AIADMK will never form alliance with BJP, says D Jayakumar

CHENNAI: A day after AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami gave an evasive reply to a question about the possibility of a poll alliance with former allies BJP and PMK, party spokesperson and senior leader D Jayakumar explicitly stated that the party leadership stands by its decision and “will never form an alliance with the BJP.”

Jayakumar stressed that there are “no direct or hidden ties with the BJP," and reinforced the sentiment by saying, “I am saying this from Puratchi Thalaivar MGR Maligai (the headquarters of the AIADMK).”

Continuing in the same vein, the AIADMK leader blamed the media for allegedly manipulating Palaniswami's remarks to confuse the people of the state. "It is being done intentionally to discredit the AIADMK," Jayakumar said.

During a media interaction at the Tiruchy airport on Sunday, when asked about the possibility of former allies — the BJP and the PMK — rejoining the AIADMK, Palaniswami dismissed it as a "hypothetical question." Until then, the former Chief Minister had consistently responded with a firm “no” to such questions.

The inconclusive answer and Palaniswami's seemingly softened tone towards the national party have sparked speculation about a potential shift in the AIADMK's stance about electoral alliances.

Following the Lok Sabha poll debacle, there was significant discussion and debate within the opposition party about reviving its alliance with the saffron party, however, Palaniswami reaffirmed the AIADMK's September 25, 2023 decision to officially sever ties with the BJP.

Meanwhile, the AIADMK chief on Sunday had also remarked that it was too early to take a call on electoral alliance and that it would be taken according to the political situation prevailing at the time.

Earlier in the day, Jayakumar and other senior leaders of the AIADMK's field inspection committee had attended a meeting headed by Palaniswami. The 10-member committee was instructed to split into five teams to tour across the state to assess party activities at the branch, ward, and divisional levels, as well as in the other wings across the 82 district units. They would evaluate the situation and submit a report to Palaniswami by December 7.