No place for national parties in TN says Thambidurai

Karur, July 25: Days after BJP chief Amit Shah said his party would grow as a force to reckon with in Tamil Nadu, senior AIADMK leader M Thambidurai said there is no place for any national party in the state.

"There is no place for any national party in Tamil Nadu, whether it is the BJP, Congress or Communist party," said Thambidurai, who is also the Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker.

Such a trend did not emerge today, he told reporters here, adding, this was the case in Tamil Nadu for a very long time.

Addressing cadres here on July 9, the BJP chief exuded confidence that his party would emerge as a force to reckon with in the state in the next Lok Sabha polls.

In 1967, DMK captured power from the Congress in Tamil Nadu and since then the state has been governed either by the DMK or the AIADMK.

During his vist, Shah said, without naming the DMK, that it had started a "disinformation campaign" on the issue of "Tamil pride."

"Those who are raising the issue of Tamil pride are engaging in disinformation against us. No party is as committed to preserving Tamil pride and Tamil language as the BJP and its Tamil Nadu unit," he said.