BJP chief announces alliance with AIADMK for Tamil Nadu polls

Chennai, Jan 30: The BJP and the AIADMK will fight Tamil Nadu election together, announced party chief JP Nadda at a public rally in Madurai.

"I would like to share with you and declare here that the BJP has decided that in the coming times, BJP along with AIADMK & other like-minded parties will contest the elections," Nadda made the formal announcement in the run up to the Assembly elections expected in April or early May.

The BJP president, who is here on a one day visit, earlier in the day, chaired a core committee meeting of the party.

Assembly elections in the state are expected in April or early May and the two parties had faced the 2019 Lok Sabha elections as allies, with the DMDK and PMK besides others being the other constituents of the coalition.

The AIADMK has "regional aspirations" and at the same time, the Tamil Nadu's ruling party stood for assimilation with national aspirations. Be it under the leadership of AIADMK founder M G Ramachandran or the late party supremo, "Amma Jayalalithaa ji," the AIADMK had all along batted for regional aspirations and the party also was for assimilation with national aspirations, he noted.

"Tamil Nadu needs (national) mainstreaming and it is possible only with the BJP," he said adding the issues facing the state could be addressed with the support of his party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. Seeking people's political and social support, he said protection of Tamil culture is possible only with the saffron party alongside 'mainstreaming.'

"Take care of Kamalam (lotus, the BJP symbol) and Kamalam is going to take care of development of Tamil Nadu."

Hailing Tamil as the world's oldest language, Nadda, who is here on a one day visit, said when the right person assumed the right place, it led to right decisions.

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed the top office, a 'safe destiny' was assured for the nation and Tamil Nadu as well, he said. Be it projects like the defence corridor or allocation of funds for Tamil Nadu, the situation changed only after the BJP came to power at the Centre, he said.

Nadda recalled that Modi had quoted a couplet from 'Tirukkural' to soldiers at Ladakh and also cited the Prime Minister's 'Yaadum Oorey' reference of Tamil poet Kaniyan Poongundranar in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in 2019.

Dwelling on Tamil, he said the Tamil people had a unique combination of entrepreneurship, economic and cultural ethos.

The BJP top leader's Tamil pitch assumes significance as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had some days back alleged that the saffron party had no respect for south Indian language and culture.

The top leader in the core panel meet deliberated on constituencies in Tamil Nadu with winning chances and asked the state leadership to focus more on such segments.

He also addressed social media volunteers and interacted with noted personalities who joined the party recently. On Sunday, the BJP chief would visit Puducherry.

Former public works minister and ex-Congress leader from the union territory, A Namasivayam, had joined the saffron party days ago in Delhi.