Truce on top, but tension simmers

CHENNAI: Days after the BJP’s high command parleyed between AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami and state president of saffron party K Annamalai to set aside their differences to defeat their “common enemy” DMK in the Lok Sabha elections next year, the rift between the state unit of the saffron party and its major ally AIADMK still widened and developed further cracks.

It was evident as the leaders of both the parties displayed their dislikes in the open as the war of words on the social media spilled over to the political spectrum of the Dravidian land.

There was zero cohesiveness between the two parties as the leaders of the two parties often ended up making veiled attacks against each other, leaving the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) without a formidable opposition, according to a cross section of the cadres and leaders of both the parties.

The chain of incidents unfolded after senior leaders of the AIADMK and the BJP undone the effort of Shah-Nadda meeting with the EPS-led delegation in the presence of Annamalai to put an end to their differences and work in tandem to defeat their common enemy.

The rift flared up once again as organising secretary of AIADMK D Jayakumar lashed out state treasurer of saffron party’s TN unit SR Sekar over his post in Twitter that left a bad taste among the top leaders and the rank-and-file of the parties.

Sekar, in his tweet, posted that AIADMK was dismembered into six entities. It was neither in a position to allot seats nor BJP in the position to ask for seats, besides saying ‘1 vs 6’ and hinted that Annamalai was superior to EPS and five other senior leaders.

Jayakumar, on Sunday, set an ultimatum to Annamalai till 1 pm to openly condemn Sekar for his social media post. “If not, we will assume that he (Sekar) posted the Tweet with permission of Annamalai,” he said and added that this shows Annamalai’s inability to control his party functionaries.

The former minister also cautioned that they have disciplined cadre and the IT wing. If they unleash them, they would tear their critics apart.

However, Annamalai did not touch upon the issue. “There is no compromise on corruption. You will see it coming during the padayatra (En Mann En Makkal),” said Annamalai while responding to a question whether he would stick to his commitment to expose the corruption of the political parties that ruled the state ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Meanwhile, he said they would work along with the alliance to win all 40 seats in TN and Puducherry and ensure the return of Modi as the PM for the third consecutive time.

Senior party functionaries in the BJP said Annamalai’s statements against the ally was unwarranted. It would not go down well among the leaders of alliance parties and it would have an adverse impact during the elections.

“The ego clash between EPS and Annamalai is affecting both the parties. They should put an end to their ego and work for the common goal of defeating DMK that leads a strong coalition. The new entrants and supporters of Annamalai, without knowing the ground reality, want to go solo in the coming elections. But, the high command is well aware about the situation here,” said a source close to Annamalai.

“Rat and frog story”

Political observer Kolahala Srenivaas said the BJP-AIADMK alliance was a political necessity to take on their common enemy DMK, while political critic Thaarasu Shyam called the alliance between the two parties like “rat and frog story” as they pull each other in the opposite directions.

“EPS and Annamalai hail from the same community, region and they share the same vote bank that is anti-DMK. Hence, they are not willing to work together,” he said.

Shyam also debunked Annamalai’s strategy of taking corruption as a tool to defeat the DMK. “The top leaders of BJP want the alliance with the AIADMK intact. So, Annamalai’s campaign on corruption will fall flat and selective exposure of corruption targeting DMK will also not work out,” he said and pointed out corruption charges against EPS and CAG report. Another political analyst Raghavendra Aara said AIADMK cadre, second and third rung leaders were totally against the continuation of alliance with the BJP.

They strongly believe that BJP was the reason for their downfall and declining vote share, particularly among minorities. So, the AIADMK leadership itself finds it difficult to convenience their cadre.

“Even if it continues, they would ensure that BJP would lose badly in the Lok Sabha polls to vent their ire,” he added.