CHENNAI: Senior CPM leader Brinda Karat on Friday criticised the AIADMK, alleging that it had effectively become an extension of the BJP, and remarked that the “A” in AIADMK now stood for Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Karat alleged that the BJP was attempting to expand its footprint in Tamil Nadu through its association with the AIADMK. She said such alliances posed a threat to the State’s long-standing commitment to social justice and federal values.
She accused the BJP and its ideological affiliates of undermining the Constitution, social justice, and the principles advocated by BR Ambedkar for the annihilation of caste. The BJP, she said, continued to promote caste hierarchies and “Manuvad”, which she argued ran counter to the social reform movements historically associated with Tamil Nadu.
Karat also criticised campaigns such as “Ghar Vapsi”, questioning whether such initiatives genuinely addressed caste inequalities. She said such efforts reinforced entrenched hierarchies rather than dismantling them.
Calling for a united response, she urged voters to defeat the BJP, the RSS and their allies in every constituency. She emphasised the need to strengthen Left parties, particularly the CPM, to counter what she described as communal politics and economic policies affecting working people.
She said the Left would work with all secular parties in Tamil Nadu to build a broad alliance to defeat the BJP. Expressing confidence ahead of the elections, Karat said Tamil Nadu would remain a bastion of secularism and that a strong Left presence was essential to upholding democracy, social justice, and constitutional values.