Dhinakaran alleges Nainar plotted AMMK’s exit, terms positioning Palaniswami as CM candidate political suicide

CHENNAI: AMMK general secretary TTV Dhinakaran on Sunday sharpened his attack on state unit BJP president Nainar Nagenthran, accusing him of destabilising the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Tamil Nadu, holding him squarely responsible for his exit from the alliance.

He went on to liken the move to endorse AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami as leader of the alliance and Chief Minister candidate as political hara-kiri, asserting firmly, “We are not ready for that.”

“We are not fools to sacrifice our party for Nagenthran ’s electoral ambitions,” Dhinakaran told journalists at Manamadurai, referring to the state BJP chief’s recent remarks in Tenkasi, where the BJP leader declared that Palaniswami is the leader of the alliance and that his word is final.

“Once he made such a statement, how could we possibly continue in the alliance?” he wondered. He described the statement as a “premeditated act” intended to push the AMMK out of the NDA, alleging that the BJP state leadership had no genuine interest in accommodating his party.

The visibly agitated AMMK leader also recalled the chain of events that led to the departure of expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam from the NDA. “Nagenthran asks why I am speaking for OPS. If not me, who else will? This exposes his mindset and makes it clear that he doesn’t want us in the alliance,” he said.

Training his guns on the present state BJP chief, Dhinakaran criticised Nagenthran’s comments and demeanour, calling them evidence of his “arrogance”. The AMMK leader also rejected attempts by some quarters to attribute blame to former BJP chief K Annamalai for the party’s exit from the NDA and said, “Annamalai asked me to be patient and assured me that the AMMK would be given due respect in the alliance. But I made it very clear: how can we accept EPS as the CM candidate?”

Dhinakaran also reiterated his earlier prediction regarding actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), stating that its potential impact in the forthcoming election could mirror that of the late DMDK leader Vijayakant during his debut electoral performance in 2006.

However, when questioned about the possibility of an alliance with Vijay’s party, Dhinakaran gave an ambiguous response, clarifying that his pragmatic observations should not be misconstrued as overtures for a political tie-up. “Even if it happens, what’s wrong with it?” he quipped, leaving the door open to speculation.