‘We will be pushed to reconsider alliance’: AIADMK demands action against TN BJP chief Annamalai

“Instead of criticising the corrupt DMK, Annamalai is criticising the AIADMK, which heads the allies in Tamil Nadu,” said Jayakumar.

“Annamalai, who is a beginner in politics, is slinging mud at a deceased leader. No leader in the past who headed the Tamil Nadu BJP — including Tamilisai Soundarajan, Pon Radhakrishnan, or even L Murugan — ever talked ill about late chief minister Jayalalithaa or the AIADMK high command,” he added

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‘Unqualified to be a leader’

“Annamalai is unqualified to be a leader. It seems that Annamalai is not interested in continuing the alliance with the AIADMK, and the BJP cannot win a seat without the AIADMK,” said Jayakumar.

“The BJP will not have an identity [in Tamil Nadu] without the AIADMK. If he is a leader material, he should be amicable with the allies. He is a sapling and we are a giant banyan tree,” he added.

“For the past 20 years, there was not even a single seat for the BJP in the Assembly. Only after having ties with the AIADMK could the BJP manage to win four seats,” said the AIADMK leader.

Jayakumar also pointed out: “Annamalai went to Karnataka for election works. Did the BJP win the elections?”

He continued: “There were allegations that the previous BJP government collected 40 percent commission from contractors of government projects in Karnataka. Even the contractor association issued a statement regarding this. Let Annamalai speak about that corruption.”

Also read: Contractors’ leader accuses BJP govt in Karnataka of graft

‘We expect action’

Jayakumar noted that the national leaders of the BJP — including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and the party’s national president JP Nadda — were amicable with the AIADMK and wanted an alliance with it.

He said: “However, Annamalai is without maturity. Annamalai is pushing us and testing our patience with the allies. If this continues, we will be pushed to reconsider the alliance with the BJP.”

He also stated that both Amit Shah and JP Nadda were answerable when their state unit leader was making unwarranted comments that are against the coalition dharma. Both leaders should condemn Annamalai, he said.

“We are not creating problems for allies. We are not starting it. We never criticised the BJP. There is a limit to everything. We will not tolerate this further. Annamalai should shut his mouth and follow the alliance dharma. If not, we will not be the losers,” Jayakumar stated.

When asked whether the party had taken issue with the notice of the BJP high command, the AIADMK leader said: “Why should we? The comments of Annamalai are in the public domain. The BJP leaders can see it. That’s why we came before the media.”

He also said that Annamalai should stop talking about the AIADMK, and “we are not expecting any apologies from Annamalai”.

He added: “We expect action from Shah and Nadda on Annamalai.”

The interview

On Sunday, the Tamil Nadu BJP president Annamalai, in an interview with the Times of India, raked up corruption charges against the AIADMK and its late supremo Jayalalithaa.

Answering a question on whether the DMK Files would be part of a series of exposes that would include other parties that had governed Tamil Nadu, Annamalai answered in the affirmative, and added: “When we talk about corruption, we are party agnostic.”

Asked whether the AIADMK regimes would be targeted as well, he said that he is not taking any party’s name, but would question any government that swindled the exchequer.

Asked if he thought that the 1991-96 AIADMK regime was among the worst periods in terms of corruption, he said: “Many administrations in Tamil Nadu were corrupt. Former chief ministers have been convicted in courts of law. That is why Tamil Nadu has become one of the most corrupt states. I would say it is number one in corruption.”