Monday’s meeting of Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami with Prime Minister Narendra Modi has revived the talk in political circles of an electoral alliance between the AIADMK and the BJP for the Lok Sabha polls. But it may be early to conclude anything, as the BJP has been, in the recent past, sending conflicting signs about its political plans for Tamil Nadu.
Certain actions of the national party have also given the impression that it may be open to an alliance with the DMK.
The speculation about a possible alliance between the BJP and the AIADMK was reinforced by reports coming from New Delhi that Mr. Modi and Mr. Palaniswami had a one-to-one meeting for 15 minutes.
Even though the BJP and the AIADMK have been generally maintaining cordial ties with each other ever since the former captured power at the Centre in May 2014, the talk of the two forming a coalition gained momentum after the death of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in December 2016.
Mr. Palaniswami has been defending his government’s policy of cooperation with the Centre on the ground that the State had to get approvals and funds for various development projects.
During the no-confidence motion in July and the election for Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha in August, the BJP was supported by the AIADMK.
But, in the last one year, on a few occasions, the national party kept the DMK in good humour when Mr. Modi called on DMK chief Karunanidhi here in November 2017 and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari attending the condolence meeting for Karunanidhi.
Moments of discomfort
There were also moments of discomfort for the AIADMK when there were searches by the Central Bureau of Investigation on the premises of Health Minister C. Vijaya Baskar and Director General of Police T.K. Rajendran in September and by the Income Tax against a highway contractor, perceived to be close to Mr. Palaniswami, who is holding the Highways portfolio since 2011.
After the CBI’s operations, M. Thambi Durai, the party’s propaganda secretary, claimed that there was a nexus between the DMK and the BJP. He also said the AIADMK was preparing itself to face the parliamentary elections on its own.
Mr. Palaniswami, who told a meeting in Salem a few weeks ago that there was no tie-up between his party and the BJP, replied to a question from the media in New Delhi on Monday saying the issue of alliance would be addressed only at the time of the elections.
However, a cross-section of parliamentarians, when contacted by The Hindu , said that it was “premature” to talk of any alliance between the two parties, as the BJP was now keen on fine-tuning its strategy for the upcoming Assembly elections in three northern States.
The AIADMK had aligned with the BJP in the 2004 Lok Sabha polls, and had not forgotten the “severe defeat” it endured then, the parliamentarians added.
