AIADMK coordinator, O. Panneerselvam, on Wednesday asserted that his party’s alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would continue, “considering the interests of the nation and also the welfare of Tamil Nadu.”
Pointing out that “there is no second opinion on this [the relationship between the AIADMK and the BJP].” Mr Panneerselvam, in a tweet, said his party had “full faith” in the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He stated this, even as a debate had arisen in the light of the AIADMK’s Villupuram (north) unit secretary and former Law Minister C.Ve. Shanmugam stating on Tuesday night that his party’s ties with the BJP was one of the factors that led to the AIADMK’s defeat in the Assembly elections.
The AIADMK coordinator made this statement barely a few hours before the expansion of the Union Council of Ministers. So far, there is no information on whether any representative of the AIADMK would be inducted into the Council of Ministers. Sources in the AIADMK said the names of former Deputy Speaker and Rajya Sabha MP, M. Thambi Durai and the Theni Lok Sabha MP, P. Ravindhranath, were doing rounds for inclusion even though the leadership had not apparently made any request formally to the BJP.
