Southern saffron discontent: Uneasy truce with EPS ahead of LS polls

AIADMK is the lone major ally of the BJP after a few other constituents of the NDA have parted company. But, the relationship between the two is not smooth as there is simmering discontent with the local BJP leadership attempting to outsmart the AIADMK, the principal opposition in Tamil Nadu, writes ETV Bharat's MC Rajan.

Chennai:It is a summer of discontent for the BJP in the south as its alliance with the AIADMK appeared to be in tatters. It required the intervention of the saffron party's national leadership – Union Home Minister Amit Shah and party president JP Nadda - to step in and rescue it from falling apart. However, the truce remains uneasy as there is no let-up in the war of words between the two sides in the state.

Even after the meeting of the EPS-led delegation with Shah and Nadda in Delhi last week, irritants still continue as tongues are wagging for the second-rung leaders in both parties, posing a threat to the cohesiveness of the NDA in Tamil Nadu. The meeting, the first one in which Annamalai too joined the AIADMK leaders, has become a tool for SR Sekhar, a senior BJP functionary to taunt the ally.

“None is equal to malai (Annamalai), hence the meeting with six heads. Malai only takes any decision regarding Tamil Nadu and this was made clear to the AIADMK, split into six,” said Sekhar, in a tweet. Continuing further, he said in another tweet, “There will be an alliance only if the BJP gets 25 seats from the AIADMK, split into six and deprived of a charismatic leader. Otherwise, the BJP will lead a front of its own.”

According to him, neither the AIADMK is in a position to give nor the BJP is so dependent to receive what is given. This was unpalatable for the AIADMK and party spokesperson and former minister D Jayakumar demanded an explanation from the saffron leadership. “Sekhar is no ordinary IT wing member. He is the treasurer of the state unit. Our party has the great leadership of Edappadi. Is he not aware of that? Annamalai needs to clarify as to whether these are happening with his blessings,” he fumed.

The AIADMK delegation's meeting with Shah and Nadda comes in the wake of Annamalai's public stand that he would quit the post of state unit president if the BJP continued its alliance with the 'corrupt' AIADMK. However, after the meeting, the ex-IPS officer made a U-Turn maintaining that he is a disciplined soldier of the party, 'obeying the diktat of the national leadership in the national interest'.

For, EPS the audience with the BJP top brass came after he had secured the Election Commission's recognition as General Secretary of the AIADMK. For, the BJP had thus far kept an even-handed approach with both EPS and his rival, O Panneerselvam, ousted from the AIADMK. According to analysts, the trust deficit between the BJP and the AIADMK had surfaced during the assembly by-poll for the Erode (East) constituency.

And coupled with that is the question of leadership for the Kongu region – western Tamil Nadu - between EPS and Annamalai as both hail from the same region and the same dominant OBC Goundar community.

“Primarily, the AIADMK vote is not getting transferred to the BJP, particularly in the LS elections. Instead of coming to the BJP, a large chunk goes to the DMK. Even in constituencies like Coimbatore, where the BJP got more while contesting alone, it polled lesser votes in alliance with the AIADMK. Then, with the Dravidian party having split, EPS could not command the support of voters across the state. Even in the Kongu belt, his ability to garner votes has come down as evidenced in the Erode (East) byelection. Even in Goundar dominant booths, the AIADMK polled less than the Congress, which won by a huge margin,” explains right-wing commentator Raveendran Duraisamy.

On the tussle for turf war in the western districts, Duraisamy said. “EPS is not inclined to accept a leader from raising his community. He has shrunk into a leader of this region alone with no sway elsewhere. The view in the Annamalai camp is that the alliance will benefit EPS more than the BJP and hence it is exploring the possibility of stitching an alternative through social engineering.”

However, other analysts are of the opinion that the continuing war of words is a clever design intended for a better bargain with EPS for the LS polls as otherwise, the wily former Chief Minister might dump constituencies of his choice on the saffron party. Well, it might appear that the saffron leadership is calling the shots by keeping the AIADMK on tenterhooks, but the uneasy truce and the lingering discontent might prove costly for both.