In a significant development, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) on Monday formally announced its decision to exit the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Tamil Nadu and at the Centre. KP Munusamy, AIADMK Deputy Coordinator, has announced that the AIADMK has unanimously passed a resolution to break all ties with the BJP and the NDA, effective immediately.
Munusamy cited ongoing issues with the state leadership of the BJP, particularly their continuous and unwarranted remarks directed at AIADMK's former leaders, their General Secretary EPS, and their party cadres over the past year as a primary reason for this decision.
"AIADMK unanimously passed a resolution in the meeting. AIADMK is breaking all ties with the BJP and NDA alliance from today. The state leadership of the BJP has been continuously making unnecessary remarks about our former leaders, our general secretary EPS and our cadres for the past one year," said Munusamy.
Meanwhile, celebrations erupted outside AIADMK headquarters in Chennai after the party ended its alliance with the BJP.
Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai said, "I will speak to you later, I don't speak during Yatra. I will speak later."
In the wake of a recent controversy surrounding remarks made by BJP state chief K Annamalai about late Dravidian stalwart CN Annadurai, a senior AIADMK leader, Jayakumar, called off the alliance between the two parties on September 18. Jayakumar stated that he was conveying the AIADMK's official stance on the issue.
To address the matter, a delegation from the AIADMK met with BJP president JP Nadda and Union Minister Piyush Goyal, who is responsible for Tamil Nadu affairs. The AIADMK delegation sought the intervention of the BJP leadership to secure an apology from Annamalai for his remarks.
The BJP and the AIADMK alliance secured only the Theni constituency in the 2019 Lok Sabha Election. Several other parties including the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), Puthiya Tamilagam (PT), Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) and Puthiya Neethi Katchi (PNK) were the other constituents of the alliance.
The BJP and the AIADMK till now fought three Lok Sabha elections together in 1998, 2004 and 2019. The alliance swept the 1998 Lok Sabha Election in the state under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Jayalalithaa. However, the alliance couldn't last long and Vajpayee's government lost power by just 1 vote in 1999 after Jayalalithaa's withdrawal of support. The parties again forged the alliance in 2004 but both of them failed to open their account.
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