Despite skipping the swearing-in of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa may be keen on maintaining her personal rapport with him, sources in the AIADMK said.
She was keenly watching developments, and there was a possibility that she would catch up with Mr. Modi in course of time, the sources said here on Monday.
According to AIADMK leaders, Ms. Jayalalithaa’s sole discontent was the invitation extended to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa for the swearing-in. “She had no other option but to avoid the event as her participation in the event, in which Mr. Rajapaksa was present, will go against the cause of Sri Lankan Tamils,” a senior leader said.
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“We were earlier confident that the Lok Sabha elections would take us to a vantage position in the Centre. When that did not happen, we drew satisfaction from the fact that we have a friend as Prime Minister. Mr. Modi’s prompt personal assurance to Amma on heightened cooperation to ensure the State’s development brought us joy. But the invitation to Mr. Rajapaksa has undone all the positives,” another party senior contended.
The AIADMK leaders also said that if the BJP took a different line on the Sri Lanka issue contrary to that of the AIADMK, the Modi-Jayalalithaa rapport could come under strain. Besides, solutions to important issues such as the Cauvery dispute, the power crisis and attacks on Tamil fishermen hinged on cordial Centre-State relations, they pointed out.
Ms. Jayalalithaa was aware of these hurdles and keen on dealing with such issues in a calibrated manner. The “sober tenor” of her May 22 statement, in which she termed the invitation to Mr. Rajapaksa “ill advised,” reflected her intention to engage Mr. Modi in future. A similar act by a Congress government would have invited her wrath and not merely a rebuke. “There is a subtle difference,” a senior said.
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