TTV Dhinakaran blames TN BJP chief for AMMK’s exit from NDA

Training his guns on Nainar Nagendran, accusing him of clinging to AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS), Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) leader TTV Dhinakaran on Sunday squarely blamed the Tamil Nadu BJP president for his party deserting the NDA in the state.

“Nainar alone is the reason for AMMK and OPS leaving the NDA. He thinks that EPS alone is enough for the NDA to face the 2026 assembly elections and succeed in dethroning the ruling DMK. Even Amit Shah has not declared EPS as the CM candidate. But he is clinging to him. We launched the party in protest against betrayal of EPS and can’t be expected to be palanquin bears for him to become Chief Minister. And this is the reason for us to walk out of the NDA,” he told reporters in Manamadurai in Sivaganga district.

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Dhinakaran, nephew of Jayalalithaa’s confidant VK Sasikala who kept the AIADMK under her thumb, launched the AMMK following his expulsion from the party in 2018. The AMMK teamed up with the BJP for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and helped the saffron party to enhance its vote share, especially in the southern districts, pushing the AIADMK, which was not in the NDA, to the third place in many constituencies.

“Nainar is a good friend, but his response to rebel AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam (OPS), who has been with the BJP-led NDA, for an audience with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his previous visit to the state, smacks of arrogance. He is asking why I should speak for OPS. It was OPS who gave up the Theni LS constituency for me. If not me, who should speak up for him?” he fumed.

“Till now, Nainar had not wholeheartedly expressed a desire to talk to us for our re-entry into the NDA. As is widely rumoured, Annamalai has not instigated us to walk out of the NDA. He was instrumental in getting the AMMK into the NDA. He is a good friend and is aware of our concerns. But we are not acting at his instance. Nainar’s mindset is that we should not be there in the NDA. We are not foolish enough to ensure Nainar’s victory at our own expense,” he said.

Responding to the outburst of Dhinakaran, BJP state president Nainar stoutly denied that he is responsible for the exit of both OPS and Dhinakaran from the NDA. “I hold him in high esteem and have great respect and love. Even now, he is TTV sir for me and others close to me. In 2001, he had ensured that myself and others were granted recognition and inducted in the cabinet. I’m indebted to this forever. In 2021 itself I had insisted that Dhinakaran and Sasikala have to be accommodated,” he told the media adding, “there is still time for the elections and things could have been sorted out. Some unpalatable and unwanted things could have happened and they could have been addressed in earnest. Our aim being dethroning the DMK from power, we should all remain united. It is the priority for Dhinarakaran sir as well”.