NEW DELHI: AIADMK and BJP seem to be exploring the possibility of reviving their tie-up ahead of next year’s assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, with home minister Amit Shah and leader of the TN outfit Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) holding an important round of talks.
Palaniswami was accompanied by ex-ministers S P Velumani and K P Munusamy, MPs M Thambidurai and C V Shanmugam in the meeting at Shah’s residence.
Although the two parties did not comment on the development, Shah’s assertion in Rajya Sabha earlier in the day that “NDA will stop liquor scams in Tamil Nadu after it takes office in 2026” only added to the speculation.
The development is significant because of next year’s polls and the assessment in many quarters that a split in opposition votes will help the incumbent DMK, like in the Lok Sabha polls when it swept the state.
Also, it comes during DMK’s offensive against the Modi govt over issues of language and delimitation: something which shows that EPS would not have taken the risk of being attacked for being the Centre’s proxy if his visit to Shah was for reasons to do with sheer courtesy.
The interaction had looked improbable after BJP’s state chief K Annamalai’s high-pitch campaign against AIADMK sank the possibility of a partnership for LS polls.
TN chief minister M K Stalin broke the news of Palaniswami’s visit to the capital in the state assembly on Tuesday morning: “We have information that the leader of opposition has gone to Delhi. He is going to meet someone. He should emphasise this (two language policy) when he meets him.”
Palaniswami told reporters in Delhi that he was in the capital to visit the newly-inaugurated party office.