STATE OF PLAY
The recent spat between the AIADMK and the BJP regarding who the “effective and principal” Opposition party in Tamil Nadu is has again brought to the fore their uneasy relationship. The two parties parted ways in late January over the issue of seat-sharing in the polls to the urban local bodies. Yet, AIADMK coordinator O. Panneerselvam and co-coordinator Edappadi K. Palaniswami have maintained cordial equations with the BJP leadership, which also appears to be favourably disposed towards them. This was evident from the Prime Minister’s demeanour when he interacted with the two leaders during his visit to Chennai on May 26 to inaugurate infrastructure projects. Earlier, the AIADMK was able to get the backing of the BJP as well as the Pattali Makkal Katchi, another erstwhile ally, for the election of its two candidates — C.Ve. Shanmugam and R. Dharmar — to the Rajya Sabha.
When everything appeared to be normal, the AIADMK organisation secretary C. Ponnaiyan’s outburst against the BJP came as a bolt from the blue. Addressing a workshop organised by the party’s Puratchi Thalaivi Peravai for its office-bearers on May 31, Mr. Ponnaiyan, who served under three Chief Ministers and held various portfolios, said even though the BJP was “an ally” of his party, its growth in the State did “not augur well for the AIADMK, Tamil Nadu and Dravidian policies.” He accused the national party of seeking to grow at the expense of his party in the State and indulging in “double-dealing” on inter-State disputes concerning the Cauvery river and the Mullaperiyar dam.
