Hours after BJP legislature party leader Nainar Nagendran on Wednesday said V.K. Sasikala, the aide of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, was welcome to join the national party, its State president K. Annamalai said the party’s parliamentary board and senior leaders would take a call on that.
Mr. Annamalai said it was Mr. Nagendran’s personal opinion that Ms. Sasikala was welcome to join the BJP. Anyone could join the BJP. However, in the case of certain individuals, only the parliamentary board and senior leaders would take a decision at an appropriate time, he said.
However, Ms. Sasikala, a former convict in a disproportionate assets case, has not showed any inclination to join any party, including the BJP, and has only been talking about retrieving the AIADMK, of which she was the interim general secretary for a few months after Jayalalithaa’s death.
On senior AIADMK leader C. Ponnaiyan’s criticism that the BJP was trying to grow at the expense of the AIADMK, Mr. Annamalai said that was his (Mr. Ponnaiyan’s) opinion. “They (the AIADMK) could have been the Number One party. But the BJP would continue its growth agenda,” he said, adding that it was quite common for a party to aspire to attain the Number One status.
As far as the BJP was concerned, he said he had been given the assignment of developing the party, which had been highlighting the core issues concerning the interests of the State. The party had made its stand very clear on the Mullaperiyar, Mekedatu and Cauvery issues. It had not taken any stand against the wishes of the people. The criticisms targeting the BJP showed that it was growing fast in the State, he said.
The BJP leader alleged that there had been a spurt in murders, robberies and gang violence in the State. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s statement that law and order was good in the State was amusing, he said.
