This is an archive article published on September 26, 2023
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The AIADMK-BJP breakup in Tamil Nadu in a nutshell

The end of the alliance was not completely unexpected. There has been trouble brewing within the alliance for some time now, with leadership constantly at odds over a range of issues —the latest being a purported remark by BJP state chief K Annamalai on former chief minister CN Annadurai.

PalaniswmaiPrime Minister Narendra Modi being welcomed by Edappadi K. Palaniswami, on his arrival in Chennai
Written by: Rahel Philipose
2 min readNew DelhiSep 26, 2023 02:05 PM IST First published on: Sep 26, 2023 at 02:05 PM IST

In a move that significantly alters the Tamil Nadu political landscape ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the AIADMK Monday announced it is snapping ties with the BJP-led NDA alliance. After a resolution was passed unanimously at a recent party meeting in Chennai, the AIADMK announced that it would lead a separate front during the upcoming elections.

“AIADMK is breaking all ties with BJP and NDA from today. State leadership of BJP has been making unnecessary remarks about our former leaders for the past year,”  AIADMK Deputy General Secretary KP Munusamy announced.

Now, the end of the alliance was not completely unexpected. It’s also not the first time the two parties have decided to part ways. There has been trouble brewing within the alliance for some time now, with leadership constantly at odds over a range of issues — the latest being a purported remark by BJP state chief K Annamalai on former chief minister CN Annadurai.

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The AIADMK is the fourth big party to quit the NDA since 2019.

Here is everything you need to know about the breakup, in a nutshell:

A rocky relationship
The AIADMK-BJP relationship has faced many a hurdle along the way. They first joined hands during the 1998 general election, when they managed to win 30 out of 39 seats in Tamil Nadu. But the coalition collapsed merely a year later due to disagreements between the parties’ top leaders.

The two parties formed an alliance once again for the 2004 Lok Sabha polls, but failed to win any seat in the state. The AIADMK also refrained from rejoining the NDA when the BJP returned to power at the Centre in 2014. It was only after the AIADMK supremo and former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s death in 2016, that the party started to mend its ties with the BJP.

The party then formed an alliance with the BJP during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and 2021 Assembly polls.
What went wrong this time?
The ties between the two parties broke down irrevocably following Annamalai’s comments about Annadurai, in Madurai two weeks ago. What did he say? Referencing a 1956 speech by Annadurai that criticised the Hindu faith, Annamalai sought to make a point that freedom fighter Muthuramalinga Thevar condemned Annadurai. The remarks were seen as an insult to the AIADMK’s legacy as Thevar is widely projected as an icon of the OBC Thevar community. The situation became tense when AIADMK’s spokesperson D Jayakumar said the alliance with the BJP was non-existent and compared Annamalai to a “destructive pest”.

The AIADMK then discretely met with BJP President JP Nadda in New Delhi, demanding an apology for Annamalai’s alleged unfavourable remarks. But sources said the Delhi trip did not yield any positive result, with the AIADMK’s calls for the BJP national leadership’s intervention unanswered.
Why Annamalai’s remark mattered
Like the ruling DMK, the AIADMK, too, is a Dravidian party. However, its alliance with the BJP came at a time when the AIADMK is facing a shrinking space in Dravidian politics. Therefore, it was essential for the party to stand up for DMK founder Annadurai.
Are there other issues?
Yes. The two parties have been at loggerheads over a range of issues. The major one is the BJP demanding 15 seats — a three-fold increase from the earlier arrangement in which the national party had got 5 seats — for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Has the BJP responded?
Well, not exactly. On Monday, Annamalai said the party’s national leadership would comment. “To answer this in one sentence—our national leadership will comment on this. This is an all-India party and we have national leaders. This has come to their notice and they will speak about this,” said Annamalai.
So, what’s next for the AIADMK?
The AIADMK announced that it would lead a separate front during the upcoming elections.
How have other parties reacted?
Addressing a meeting on Tuesday, DMK leader and Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin’s son said the two parties were likely to get together again as “one is a robber and the other is a thief”.

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal, too, took a swipe at the BJP, saying that another ally has left them and those still with them are "opportunistic alliances with no ideological glue”.

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