The BJP has promptly made it up with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa after having virtually dumped her after the drubbing in the Lok Sabha elections.BJP president Venkaiah Naidu who called off the alliance on Sunday, saying that the tie-up was only for the elections, assured her on Monday that the BJP would like to continue its ‘‘friendship’’ with her.It was Naidu who had reportedly said at Chennai on Sunday that the BJP had forged an alliance with AIADMK only for the Lok Sabha polls. ‘‘We will talk of alliances when elections are held,’’ he had said. A day later, Naidu told the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister he had been misquoted by the media.Jayalalithaa faces opposition from several state BJP leaders, especially former Union minister S. Thirunavukkarsar, who were forced to stay out of the polls because Jayalalithaa refused to give up seats for the BJP. The defeat of the alliance had emboldened the leaders to make a case for a break-off between the two parties. Sources attributed Naidu’s remarks to the mood seen by him at the state executive meeting the same day. State BJP chief C.P.Radhakrishnan, a staunch supporter of the alliance, apparently failed to argue his case in the face of widespread dissent.Sources said the BJP high command saw no wisdom in dropping a formidable ally like the AIADMK chief when it had failed to get a foothold in the state, hence Naidu’s damage control — the two parties continued to share a ‘‘working relationship’’.On the other hand, Jayalalithaa, who had to contend with a consolidated DMK, would wish to hold on to BJP. She, too, did her bit for the alliance today. While refusing to comment on the remarks made by BJP leaders about the AIADMK-BJP rout in the polls, she said L.K. Advani had called her over telephone soon after the results were out. She said Naidu had also called her to clarify that his remarks had been twisted by the media.
