Both EPS, OPS remain in alliance, Nainar’s talk raises fresh questions

MADURAI: BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran on Friday said in Madurai that AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, and expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam both remain in the BJP-led NDA, kindling more speculations about equations within the saffron front led by the Dravidian major in the State.

The AIADMK former strong man tried to put to rest such issues and said that it is paramount for all the alliance partners to stay united to dethrone the DMK government. However, he left a window open saying that the election is still one year away and a final call on alliance constituents would be made later on.

Nainar’s rejoinder has added more questions to the vexing issue of what will happen to O Panneerselvam and TTV Dhinakaran, already part of the NDA, after AIADMK rejoined the front. Panneerselvam had earlier met his supporters on Thursday and told reporters that he was upset over not being invited to the BJP leader Amit Shah’s press meet to announce the alliance revival with the AIADMK. He had lamented that the Union Home Minister did not call him for talks during his visit to Tamil Nadu. Nainar tried to play it down claiming that Amit Shah’s visit to the State for other purposes (not fully related to politics), so he could not meet Panneerselvam.

One has to wait and see how AIADMK chief Edappadi Palaniswami, the leader of the NDA in the State, is going to react to Nainar Nagenthran’s claim that his bete noire, whom he had expelled and denied any chance to rejoin, still remains in the NDA.