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Journalism of Courage
Marking a significant shift in Tamil Nadu politics, the AIADMK on Monday announced it was severing its ties with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and said it would lead an “alliance of like-minded parties” in the Lok Sabha elections.
The end of the alliance was expected after the failure of an AIADMK delegation’s talks with the BJP national leadership in Delhi on Friday. The BJP’s senior leaders were said to have not shown an inclination to rein in Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai, whose remarks had widened the gap between the two parties. The end of the alliance came at a time when the AIADMK was facing a shrinking space in Dravidian politics and dealing with the loss of minority votes in the last two big elections.
Following a high-level meeting in Chennai on Monday, AIADMK deputy general secretary K P Munusamy told the media that the unanimous decision was a response to the BJP’s “sustained attacks” on the party and its leaders over the past year. In its statement on social media, the party used the “#Nandri_meendumvaraatheergal (Thank you, never come back again)” hashtag.
“Under the leadership of the respected party General Secretary, ‘Revolutionary Tamilar’, Edappadi K Palaniswami, the meeting of the main party executives, district party executives, party parliamentary committee, legislative members, who reflected the sentiments and thoughts of 2 crore party followers, it has been unanimously decided that AIADMK will exit from the NDA starting from today,” read the statement.
A senior AIADMK leader who attended the Chennai meeting said, “Following the lack of support from the BJP’s national leadership, and continuing attacks from Annamalai, Palaniswami and top leaders found themselves in a precarious position. The party’s leadership and cadres felt humiliated, which led to a unanimous decision to exit the alliance.”
The AIADMK is the fourth big party to quit the NDA since 2019. The others are:
Shiv Sena — November 23, 2019: One of the BJP’s oldest allies, the Sena quit the alliance amid an impasse over government formation in Maharashtra. After the BJP refused his rotational chief ministership proposal, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray joined hands with the NCP and Congress to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi. A breakaway Sena group led by Eknath Shinde, subsequently recognised as the Shiv Sena by the Election Commission, joined hands with the BJP on July 1, 2022, to form the government.
Shiromani Akali Dal — September 26, 2020: One of the founding members of NDA, the Akali Dal quit the alliance over the Centre’s decision to push three farm laws through Parliament.
Janata Dal (United) — August 9, 2022: JD(U) leader and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar returned to the Mahagathbandhan saying he was not comfortable in the NDA. The space for Nitish to manoeuvre in the NDA had reduced and his party was reduced to nearly half of the BJP’s tally (43 compared to 74) in the 202 Assembly polls.
The announcement reflects the culmination of a growing frustration within the AIADMK. Munusamy said the BJP had been attacking not only the party’s ideals but also its leaders such as Jayalalithaa and C N Annadurai. The ties between the two sides irrevocably broke down after Annamalai’s comments about Annadurai, the state’s first chief minister, in Madurai two weeks ago. Given that it has already ceded a lot of space in Dravidian politics to the DMK, these remarks were a bridge too far for the AIADMK.
The first signal that the party was thinking about exiting the NDA came last week when its spokesperson D Jayakumar said the alliance between the two parties had ceased to exist.
The resolve to end the alliance hardened as Annamalai said, in response to Jayakumar’s remarks, that while he respects Annadurai’s legacy he would not accept Palaniswami as the leader of the NDA in Tamil Nadu.
The AIADMK’s move will have a substantial impact on the dynamics of Tamil Nadu politics. The party will now have to focus on reconsolidating its position and reconnecting with its base, including minority communities that abandoned it in the 2019 parliamentary elections and the 2021 Assembly polls.
The decision, however, is not without risks. Two AIADMK leaders told The Indian Express on Sunday that almost a dozen former AIADMK ministers and senior leaders were facing FIRs and corruption charges under various probe agencies, including central bodies and the state Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption.
The collapse of the AIADMK-BJP alliance is, however, good news for the M K Stalin-led DMK, the ruling party in the state and a constituent of the INDIA alliance of Opposition parties gearing up to take on the BJP in the general elections. Anti-DMK votes are expected to get split between the AIADMK and the BJP, which may yet see some rebel AIADMK leaders come on board.
