Palaniswami’s praise for Budget renews talk of tie-up with BJP

Senior figures evasive, say it is a matter for the leadership

Edappadi K. Palaniswami.

The prompt appreciation of the Union Budget by Chief Minister and AIADMK co-coordinator Edappadi K. Palaniswami has rekindled the debate in political circles whether the AIADMK is inching closer to an alliance with the BJP.

Even last year, the CM welcomed the Budget. “Merely on this count, one cannot conclude that our party will have a tie-up with the BJP,” a senior member of the AIADMK said.

Acknowledging that the Budget had some popular features, M. Thambi Durai, Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker and AIADMK propaganda secretary, who has been critical of the BJP, felt that some of the measures, like providing full rebate on income tax for those with an annual taxable income of up to ₹5 lakh, could have been implemented much earlier. The ceiling could have been fixed at ₹8 lakh — the threshold used to determine the eligibility for the 10% quota for the economically weaker sections under the general category.

Terming the budget an “election manifesto” of the BJP, he was, however, evasive on the question of the budget paving the way for closer ties between the BJP and the AIADMK. “It is for the party leadership to decide on the issue of alliance,” he said.

Recalling Mr. Palaniswami’s observation that his party would align itself with “those who do good to the people of Tamil Nadu”, he said it was for the Central government to act on issues like Mekedatu and Mullaperiyar, where it had, according to him, acted against the interest of the State.

Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar said that while the State government would always welcome schemes and projects of the Central government that were favourable to the State, it would oppose those measures of the Centre “which are against us. Let there be no doubt on this score”.

BJP State president Tamilisai Soundararajan, for her part, was optimistic about the impact of the Budget. “The Budget, which has been prepared keeping the welfare of the people of the entire country in mind, will also benefit Tamil Nadu. I hope it would bring other political forces nearer to us,” she added.