Goyal urges AIADMK leaders to rope in Captain

According to the AIADMK sources, Goyal held talks with AIADMK leaders for close to 30 minutes and gave them clear instructions to pull the DMDK into the alliance at any cost. In the meeting it was decided to commence another round of fresh talks with the DMDK for alliance.

The BJP was one of the first parties to commence alliance talks with the DMDK. Since Vijayakant was with the BJP in 2014 Parliament elections it was thought that the DMDK will seal the alliance with the BJP. But as the AIADMK refused to allot sufficient number of seats to the DMDK there is a deadlock in the alliance talks.

Meanwhile, DMK president MK Stalin and senior Congress leader, Su Thirunavukkarasar met DMDK founder Vijayakant and held alliance talks with him. Both the meetings were a jolt to the BJP as the meetings were unexpected and after these meetings, the DMDK is showing signs of aligning with the DMK.

Goyal, who was in the city to launch the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Yojana, held meeting with Palaniswami and Panneerselvam on the sidelines of the function. According to sources, Goyal himself will be part of second round of talks with the DMDK and he will visit again in the coming week.

He had also insisted the AIADMK leaders show interest in welcoming the DMDK to the alliance as their presence will further strengthen their front.

However, sources said that there was debate in the alliance on whether the AIADMK heads the alliance in the state in which BJP is part of or the AIADMK part of NDA alliance that was formed across the country. Initially, on the day of formation of alliance, Goyal announced that AIADMK will officially head the alliance in the state but the talks of BJP president Amit Shah with Panneerselvam in Madurai Airport had created a doubt whether the AIADMK was heading the alliance.

In a video, Amit Shah was seen issuing orders to Panneerselvam that all the Ministers, including him and Palaniswami, should be present on the stage when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is campaigning in Tamil Nadu. As Panneerselvam did not oppose the orders of Amit Shah the question where AIADMK was the head of the alliance had arisen among the party cadre.