OPS rejects rumours of joining BJP, says will be AIADMK cadre till last breath

Panneerselvam, in a statement, said, “I rose from an ordinary cadre to occupying the Chief Minister’s chair and was identified by the late Chief Minister, J Jayalalithaa. I will be loyal to her and the party, but a section of media with vested interests is spreading a fake message that I will join the BJP. I will never do that in my lifetime.”

Recent media reports claimed that there was friction in the relationship between him and Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami. Panneerselvam was reported to have visited Varanasi to check whether it was the right time to join the BJP. Subsequently, Opposition parties, including the DMK, raised the issue in their election campaign.

Though Panneerselvam rejected the claims during an media interaction in Madurai, rumours persisted in political circle that he might switch over to the BJP after the election results.

Putting an end to such speculations, Panneerselvam said he was maintaining a good relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi because his mentor Jayalalithaa shared the same with him (Modi).

“Though Jayalalithaa opposed the BJP during the elections, she participated in the swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi when he was elected as Gujarat CM for the third time in 2012 and congratulated him for become the Prime Minister. Also, Modi was present during the swearing-in ceremony of Jayalalithaa in 2016,” said Panneerselvam. Justifying the electoral alliance with the BJP for the Lok Sabha election, he said, “A treacherous gang which is not able to tolerate our mega alliance and our victory is trying to pull me down.”