Chennai: Launching its campaign for the 2021 Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, the ruling AIADMK on Sunday sought to location its “list of achievements” ahead of the folks to seek a renewed mandate for a third straight term.
While its two prime leaders – celebration co-coordinator and Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and coordinator and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam – steered clear of any controversial declaration a couple of its second line leaders came out with all guns blazing overshadowing the speeches of the two leaders.
The AIADMK’s outspoken deputy coordinator K P Munusamy sent a warning to allies saying that his celebration would not favour a coalition government at any expense. Also, he rejected the claim that the Dravidian parties in Tamil Nadu had failed the State.
“There is no meaning or need for a coalition government. If any national or regional party wants to forge an alliance with the AIADMK, they have to be cognisant of this aspect,” he thundered.
Munusamy hit out at these “calculating” that they could obtain a toehold in Tamil Nadu in the absence of towering Dravidian leaders like M G Ramachandran, Jayalalithaa and M Karunanidhi (DMK). He stated some national parties and opportunists had been attempting to finish off the Dravidian movement but they will fail.
His outbursts ought to be observed against the backdrop of allies playing truant in current months.
Though Palaniswami and Panneerselvam had declared that the AIADMK’s alliance forged with the DMK, PMK, DMDK and a couple of other parties for final year’s Lok Sabha polls was intact, in reality, strains had been visible in the NDA in Tamil Nadu. Despite the two leaders voluntarily declaring in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah final month that their alliance with the BJP will continue, the national celebration has not reciprocated in unequivocal terms. Besides, the PMK and DMDK are playing hardball contending that they will make a decision on their respective positions for the Assembly elections only just after convening internal meetings.
Of late, quite a few State and national BJP leaders have refused to openly endorse Palaniswami as the Chief Ministerial candidate.