Exiting BJP alliance is party cadre’s decision, says Palaniswami

AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami announced the decision of the "two crore AIADMK cadre" to exit the BJP-led NDA & urged minorities to support his party. He said the AIADMK would form a grand alliance for the upcoming parliamentary election & that it would protect the State's rights. He also accused the DMK of making false promises & betraying the people. He urged the booth committee members to work for the victory of the party & its alliance. He said there was sufficient water in the Mettur dam & that the Meteorological Department had predicted adequate rainfall.

Days after exiting the BJP-led NDA, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Monday said it was the decision of the “two crore AIADMK cadre”. He also urged the minorities to support his party.

Addressing members of the party’s booth committee at Suramangalam in Salem, he said the AIADMK would form a grand alliance for the upcoming parliamentary election. “Understanding the feelings of two crore AIADMK cadre, we severed ties with the BJP and came out of the NDA. This is not the decision of the general secretary; this is the decision of the cadre. I want to put an end to the claim being made in television debates that I am maintaining silence on this issue,” he said.

Alluding to the assertion that it would be difficult for the AIADMK to face the Lok Sabha election without projecting a prime ministerial candidate, he said political parties in Odisha, West Bengal, Kerala, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh were facing elections without announcing a PM candidate.

“The AIADMK will fight the parliamentary election to protect the State’s rights. Sometimes, we have alliances for the benefit of the people. We will reflect the people’s demands in Parliament,” Mr. Palaniswami said.

Earlier, addressing the Salem urban and district booth committee members at a wedding hall near Hasthampatti, Mr. Palaniswami said the AIADMK was protecting people belonging to minority communities. He alleged that the DMK had come to power by making false promises, and that it had betrayed the people in the name of the “Dravidian model” of governance.

He urged the booth committee members to work for the victory of the party and the candidates of its [proposed] alliance. “The booth committee is the base for a political party. Its members should explain to the people why the DMK’s policies are wrong,” he said.

According to him, the DMK had fulfilled only 10% of its election promises, but “Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has claimed that 95% of election promises have been fulfilled”. The details of the unfulfilled promises would be provided to AIADMK booth committee members, he said. “The upcoming parliamentary election is not an ordinary election. It will be a tough contest. For the AIADMK alliance to win, its members should work hard,” Mr. Palaniswami added.