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Annamalai is the reason my party severed ties with BJP: AIADMK’s SP Velumani

Leaders such as Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan and L Murugan never insulted the AIADMK leaders when they headed the saffron party, he said.

ByPTI

Published Jun 06, 2024 | 10:42 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 06, 2024 | 10:42 PM

Velumani and Annamalai (Wikimedia Commons)

AIADMK leader and former minister SP Velumani on Thursday, 6 June blamed BJP state chief K Annamalai for the split in AIADMK-BJP ties ahead of the Lok Sabha elections and claimed that had the poll alliance remained intact, the combine would have won 30-35 seats.

However, Annamalai questioned his rationale and wondered how this could be accepted when the AIADMK on its own failed to win a single seat.

Asserting that the AIADMK had honoured alliance dharma, Velumani told reporters that Annamalai had needlessly criticised AIADMK leaders including CN Annadurai, J Jayalalithaa and even Edappadi K Palaniswami.

“It was Annamalai who spoke too much, not us. He was the reason for withdrawing from the alliance,” Velumani said, adding that he believed, “If the BJP had been in alliance with us, the combine could have won 30-35 seats.”

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Leaders such as Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan and L Murugan never insulted the AIADMK leaders when they headed the saffron party, he said. At least now, Annamalai should stop criticising the AIADMK and take steps to fulfil the promises he made to the people during the elections, he added.

Also, Velumani claimed that Annamalai got fewer votes than BJP leader C P Radhakrishnan who had contested in the past.

“We have learnt a lesson. We will strive hard and ensure a victory for the AIADMK in the 2026 assembly election,” Velumani said.

Reacting to his comments, Annamalai merely told reporters at the airport in Coimbatore that Velumani got the facts wrong.

June with the Dravidian party and its allies winning all of Tamil Nadu’s 39 segments and in the lone Puducherry seat.

In the recently held Lok Sabha elections, DMK won 22 seats, its ally Congress won nine seats while allies including VCK, CPI and CPI(M) won the seven remaining seats.

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