Annamalai acting against interest of alliance, says Jayakumar

CHENNAI: Senior AIADMK leader D Jayakumar and expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam on Monday came out swinging at BJP's state president K Annamalai for his controversial remark against late chief minister J Jayalalithaa.

Jayakumar stated that Annamalai's approach hints that he is unwilling to see Narendra Modi to become the Prime Minister for the third time. He called Annamalai "unfit" for the position he holds now and exuded confidence that the national leadership of the saffron party would take suitable action against him.

Joining the issue, OPS called the former IPS officer as an "immature politician" with zero knowledge about state politics. He said Jayalalithaa's regime was a golden period in the history of Tamil Nadu politics and cautioned that the BJP state leader should mind his language.

Without taking the name of Jayalaithaa, Annamalai, in an interview to a newspaper, said that the former CM was convicted in a corruption case.

Seething in anger, former minister Jayakumar said, "The approach and intention of criticising the alliance party and its leaders clearly shows that he does not want Narendra Modi to become the Prime Minister (for the third time)."

Exuding confidence that Union Home Minister Amit Shah and National BJP president J P Nadda would take suitable action against Annamalai for his disparage against the late AIADMK supremo, Jayakumar said Annamalai's remarks infuriated the party cadres who are questioning the need for continuing the alliance with the BJP. "When the BJP's national leadership wants an alliance with the AIADMK, Annamalai is against it, " he noted.

Equating AIADMK as a massive political force like "banyan tree" in the state and calling the BJP's TN unit a sapling beneath the shadow of the banyan tree. "If he continues to speak like this, our party leadership will have to reconsider their alliance with the BJP," he said.

Jayakumar dubbed Annamalai as "novice" and catalogued public statements to point out that the three year-old politician should know his limit. Instead of criticising the opposition camp, he is inflicting injurious to the alliance partners. It is against the alliance dharma and condemnable. "If he continues to do this, we know how to respond to it, " he cautioned.

Reacting to Annamalai's remark on Jayalalithaa, OPS said, "He is speaking without knowing the history. It is strongly condemnable. It shows Annamalai's political immaturity, "He summoned an adage equating Annamalai for a donkey and said how it would know the fragrance of a camphor.

PM Modi, his predecessors Rajiv Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Narasimha Rao, and several seasoned politicians and statesmen have great respect for Jayalalithaa, OPS said and warned Annamalai to refrain from speaking ill about their leader.