AIADMK leaves NDA, BJP's fourth major ally to do so since 2019

The All-India The largest ally of the BJP in southern India, Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), has left the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at a time when the central government's ruling party is attempting to increase its influence there and shake the label of "Hindi heartland party."

The split in the lead-up to the general election is thought to be the result of the BJP's perceived attempts to snatch away the political space of its allies after gaining a foothold, a self-righteous attempt to portray itself as morally superior, and a latent partiality to the Brahminical order that surfaced during the Sanatan Dharma controversy.

Alarm bells started ringing in the AIADMK following a recent speech by Union home minister Amit Shah, who set a goal of capturing at least 25 of the state's 39 seats in 2024. The declaration was taken as an indication that the BJP intended to run for more seats, demoting the AIADMK to a junior partner in the coalition. Both the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and the 2021 Assembly elections saw the AIADMK leading the NDA in Tamil Nadu.

The BJP and its mascot Narendra Modi were the targets of Jayalalithaa's one-liner attack during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, which gave the AIADMK heartburn. Jayalalithaa said, "This lady is better than Modi."

In a landslide victory, the AIADMK won 38 out of the 39 Lok Sabha seats. The AIADMK could only win one seat in 2019 because to minorities leaving it after the BJP and it formed an alliance. This time, it seems as though the BJP and the AIADMK are battling it out to be the state's leading opposition party.

Following in the footsteps of the Janata Dal (United), Akali Dal, and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray), the AIADMK has become the BJP's fourth significant ally to leave the party since 2019.

With the exception of a few regional and subregional organizations, the BJP currently lacks a significant NDA partner.

During a meeting on Monday in Chennai, which was presided over by former chief minister and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami, it was agreed to break ties with the BJP and the NDA "respecting the sentiments of two crore party cadres and in deference to their wishes."

The announcement puts an end to the post-Jayalalithaa amity between the BJP and AIADMK that exploded in 2017.

The BJP referred to the AIADMK's choice to cut relations with the saffron party as "very unfortunate". BJP state president Annamalai, whose unkind comments were perceived as reflecting the schism, chose not to directly respond, indicating that the party's national leadership would do so.

The AIADMK's cadres have been extremely aggrieved by the BJP state leadership's on-going bombardment of insulting statements and abusive attacks, according to former minister K.P. Munusamy, who spoke to media here. In the general election, the AIADMK would be the head of its own alliance, according to Munusamy.

The opposition is represented by the coalition of the Congress, the Left, and the ruling DMK. The DMK has been aggressively opposing the BJP under the leadership of chief minister M.K. Stalin.

The decision by the state BJP president Annamalai to adopt an aggressive stance and drop clues that his party would replace the AIADMK as the primary Opposition in Tamil Nadu appears to have worsened the divides, which had already begun to show over the previous year.

The flashpoint occurred last week when Annamalai said contentious things about C.N. Annadurai, a leading figure in the Dravidian movement and a former chief minister.

The state BJP president, who is now traveling around Tamil Nadu, mentioned an incident that allegedly occurred at the Meenakshi Temple in 1956 during a rally in Madurai while making reference to the Sanatan Dharma discussion. He said that Annadurai had been warned against making rationalist statements by the late Forward Bloc leader Pasumponn Muthuramalinga Thevar. Following that altercation, Annamalai stated "Annadurai ran away from Madurai," which infuriated the state.

Some experts detected a BJP effort to push Annadurai's backers against Thevar's legacy, a significant OBC leader.

Annamalai's comments further infuriated the AIADMK. The AIADMK is named after Annadurai despite being formed by politician-turned-actor M.G. Ramachandran (MGR). In AIADMK, the "Anna" refers to the late Annadurai.

In reference to Jayalalithaa being found guilty in the assets case, Annamalai recently said that the AIADMK was "equally corrupt as the DMK." Her remarks drew a stern rebuke from her party.

The conflict between Annamalai and the AIADMK has gotten worse because of his unrelenting verbal criticism and attacks on "front-ranking leaders" of the Dravidian Movement, as well as his attempts to discredit other founder-leaders of the movement, such Periyar Ramaswamy.

The AIADMK was also concerned that by maintaining its relations with the BJP, it would further alienate the minority' support.