Chennai, Mar 19 (UNI) A day after reportedly openly expressing
that he was against alliance with the Opposition AIADMK in
Tamil Nadu as it would tantamount supporting using money
power in elections and favoured the party going it alone in the
next year's Lok Sabha polls, BJP State President K.Annamalai
today made a u-turn saying he was not empowered to decide
on alliance issues.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of an event, he said he has
no powers to decide on the alliance matters and the BJP National
leadership will take a final decision on the issue.
He also said that his main aim as the State Party Chief was to
ensure that the BJP forms government on its own in the State
and was against using money power in the elections, which both
the Dravidian parties--the ruling DMK and the AIADMK--has been
following.
"Continuing alliance with the AIADMK is akin to supporting money
power in the polls", he contended.
His remarks drew mixed reactions from the BJP leaders with a section
including, Legislature Party Leader Nainar Nagendra stating it as his
personal comment, while others said a final decision on the alliance
will be taken only by the National leadership.
Mr Annamalai in the meeting, in which senior party leaders attended
two days back, had said that he would rather resign from the post as
the State Party Chief and work as an ordinary BJP cadre, if the alliance
with the AIADMK continued.
Speaking against the money-play in politics, Mr Annamalai said TN
politics will improve only when the role of money power was put an
end in the polls.
Mr Annamalai stuck to his opinion saying 50 percent agree with him
and 50 percent won't, but there is no change in my stance.
His comment on alliance with AIADMK, comes in the backdrop of
some differences that surfaced with its senior ally, after he alleged
that the dravidian parties have started poaching BJP functionaries
which has became the talking point in the political firmament in
the State.
Mr Annamalai also said that this (poaching of BJP functionaries)
showed that the BJP has been growing in the state.
If the reports are to be believed, Mr Annamalai is likely to visit the
National Capital to meet the top leaders and make a strong pitch
for the party to contest in the LS polls.
UNI GV 2100