In what could be a covert move to counter the BJP’s growth in Tamil Nadu, both the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) have devised a secret strategy, states Dinamalar. Despite strong opposition from former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi Palaniswami appointed former minister Udayakumar as the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, a position the party had been vying for over a year.
Panneerselvam, on the other hand, was designated the seat of Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly. The sudden allocation of the position of opposition vice-president to Udayakumar the following day, with Chief Minister Stalin citing the consideration of ADMK’s request, has raised eyebrows in political circles.
Since the passing of Jayalalitha, DMK and its allies, including Congress, Communist Party, and VC, have openly discussed the BJP’s attempts to fill the void left by ADMK.
Tensions between ADMK and BJP escalated after Annamalai assumed the presidency of Tamil Nadu BJP in 2021, leading to the BJP contesting alone in the urban local body elections held in February 2022.
Former Minister KP Munusamy emphasised in the assembly that the ADMK should not criticise the government beyond a certain level, advocating a partnership between the ruling and opposition parties while preventing external forces from gaining ground.
Sengottaiyan, another former minister, echoed this sentiment, stating in the assembly that either DMK or ADMK should govern Tamil Nadu, with no room for others. In this “collaborative effort” to thwart BJP’s ascent to the second position in Tamil Nadu politics, Palaniswami and ADMK seem to have slowed down on pursuing corruption cases against former ministers, Kodanad murder, and robbery cases, the report states.
— Dinamalar (@dinamalarweb) February 15, 2024
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