Chennai, Oct 1 (BPNS)
The central leadership of the BJP is for a truce between deposed leader of the AIADMK, O. Panneerselvam (OPS), and party interim general secretary, Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS). Sources in the BJP told IANS that the party does not want any differences that affect the 2024 general elections and want a grand alliance between OPS, EPS, Sasikala, and TTV Dhinakaran so that NDA gains ground in the state.
OPS and Sasikala have met many leaders of the party at the behest of the BJP central leadership and sources told BPNS that recently EPS was also in New Delhi and the BJP national leadership has categorically told him to sort out differences and forge unity.
The powerful Thevar community to which both Sasikala and OPS belong to has also come in support of the duo. The Thevars have been the traditional supporters of the AIADMK and the community has high prominence in South Tamil Nadu that can tilt votes in favour of the party.
With both Sasikala and OPS, the most prominent faces of the Thevar community being out of reckoning in the AIADMK, the community elders had met and decided to throw their weight behind the duo.
In another development, EPS informed the Supreme Court of India on Friday that there won’t be any elections for the post of AIADMK general secretary post until the case is heard by the apex court. It may be noted that OPS has filed a petition in Supreme Court challenging the Madras High Court division bench order ruling against OPS.
With the Supreme Court to hear the case on the ousting of OPS from the party in its general council meeting on November 21, the Sasikala and OPS have upped their ante to bring a favourable decision before the case is heard.
While Edappadi K. Palaniswami is having a brute majority in the party general council, the intervention of the central leadership of the BJP will come as the support base for O. Panneerselvam and V.K. Sasikala. The duo is also banking on the support of the grass root cadres who are antagonized at the failure of the party leadership in countering the DMK government and its failures.
OPS, according to party sources had recently met TTV Dhinakaran, the Chairman of the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK), and nephew of V.K. Sasikala, and devised strategy to take over the AIADMK.
With only a short time remaining for the 2024 Lok sabha polls, the BJP national leadership does not want a rift in the AIADMK and hence trying to forge unity between the warring factions.
