TTV Dhinakaran lauds Annamalai for respecting allies, slams ‘arrogant’ Nainar

MADURAI: AMMK general secretary TTV Dhinakaran asserted that his decision to quit NDA wasn’t a hasty move but a well-considered one and said that the party will be a part of a victorious alliance in the 2026 Assembly polls.

He opened another front, saying that former BJP state unit chief K Annamalai handled BJP’s allies well in a respectful manner, unlike the present chief, Nainar Nagenthran, who “behaved rudely” when expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam sought an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Tamil Nadu visit. “The NDA was managed well by Annamalai, but Nagenthran doesn’t know how to handle an alliance. His arrogant remarks about O Panneerselvam not meeting the Prime Minister created unnecessary tension. Nagenthran’s actions were the reason OPS walked out of the BJP alliance,” he alleged.

Dhinakaran said that his decision to exit the AIADMK-BJP alliance was made with the larger interest of our party cadre in mind. The AMMK chief added that senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s failed efforts to unite diverse factions of AIADMK as one of the reasons for quitting the NDA.

Responding to queries, Dhinakaran said that he is open to realignment with NDA if some stumbling blocks are removed.

He appreciated Sengottaiyan as an old-timer of the AIADMK, loyal to the party almost since its inception, saying that his call for unity in AIADMK was a welcome move. He added that the ball is now in AIADMK’s court, saying that only if the party is united, their dreams of victory will come true. He noted that AMMK’s aim also is to revive Amma’s (Jayalalithaa’s) rule in Tamil Nadu. “We waited four months expecting Edappadi K Palaniswami would change or correct his approach. But it doesn’t seem like he will. Still, in politics, anything can happen. We will make decisions about alliances at the right time. A new front could also be formed,” he added.