Alliance move to reciprocate 'respect' shown by other parties towards AIADMK: Jayakumar

The AIADMK continued to enjoy the same level of clout among the people as it had under the leadership of late chief minister Jayalalithaa, senior party leader and Minister D Jayakumar told reporters here.

He was responding to a question on the party's intention to form an alliance this time though it had faced the 2014 Lok Sabha elections on its own.

The K Palaniswami government's performance was based on the directions laid down by Jayalalithaa. It had addressed issues such as drought while welfare schemes were being implemented for the poor, he said.

"AIADMK is now enjoying the same clout that it had when Amma was alive. It has not gone down even a bit," Jayakumar, state Fisheries Minister, said.

"But, even if we are strong, we accommodate other parties respecting them as they come to us out of respect (for an alliance)," he said.

AIADMK Coordinator and deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam has recently said the party was holding talks with regional, national and friendly parties and the permutation of the alliance would be made known after a clear picture emerged.

The ruling party had won 37 of the 39 seats in the 2014 Parliamentary polls under Jayalalithaa and its leaders have been repeatedly asserting that AIADMK will put up a similar show this time also.

Jayakumar too expressed confidence of a 'grand victory' in the coming polls.

Asked if the AMMK headed by ousted leader TTV Dhinakaran could make an impact in the polls, Jayakumar said AIADMK doesn't consider it as a party at all.

"As far as we are concerned, DMK is our rival," he said.

Dhinakaran had stunned the ruling party as well as the DMK by his thumping victory in the 2017 RK Nagar assembly constituency bypoll as an independent candidate.

The bypoll was necessitated due to Jayalalithaa's death.