"AIADMK Has Completely Withdrawn From BJP Alliance": E Palaniswami

Clarifying on breaking ties with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Tamil Nadu, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami said on Sunday that the party has completely withdrawn from the alliance.

While addressing a public event of the party in Salem, the AIADMK general secretary said, "AIADMK has completely withdrawn from the BJP alliance. I have made this clear."

The AIADMK leader had earlier clarified that there was no pressure from anyone to leave the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Tamil Nadu.

"We are strong with our decision to break ties with the BJP. No one can put any pressure on us to make this decision. A few incidents hurt our cadres," Edappadi Palaniswami said while speaking to reporters in Salem earlier this month.

The party had passed a resolution unanimously to leave the BJP-led NDA on October 2, 2023.

Further, launching a scathing attack against the ruling party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Palaniswami alleged that the law and order in the state had been broken down under the DMK regime.

"But people were better under the AIADMK rule, now the law and order have been broken down under the DMK rule. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin had said that measures would be taken to control drugs, but he did not implement them properly," he said.

He further said, "It is people from DMK who are selling it (drugs). How can it be controlled when it is like this? Moreover, there is no security for women in the state."

Palaniswami said that the people are the masters, and AIADMK will always raise their voices for them.

Daring state minister and DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin, Palaniswami said, "If there are guts, DMK should first fulfil its poll promises."

Edappadi Palaniswami also hit out at the ruling party DMK regarding the ongoing National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test (NEET) examination issue in the state.

He alleged that DMK has been cheating people by promising to ban NEET in the state.

"The current Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu MK Stalin had said that when DMK comes to power they will ban NEET in the state and it has been 2.5 years. TN medical students expected a lot but many students lost their lives," Palaniswami said while speaking at a party event in Salem.

The AIADMK leader also criticised state minister Udhayanidhi Stalin over his 'signature campaign' against NEET exam.

"TN Sports Minister Udayanidhi Stalin said that he is going to collect 50 lakh signatures across the state against NEET examination and urged people to protest like the state did for Jallikattu," he said.

He further said, "Jallikatu is a state issue, but NEET is across India; it's an issue with the Centre; even the Supreme Court has given directions regarding this. DMK is cheating people by saying the NEET exam will be banned in TN. The only thing the DMK regime & MK Stalin did was make his son a minister."

The AIADMK general secretary also informed that more than 200 people joined the party under the administration of AIADMK Coimbatore district Youth Council executives.

Earlier on Saturday, October 21, 2021, during the signature campaign, Udhayanidhi Stalin said that the party plans to get lakhs of signatures in 50 days against the NEET examination adding that after getting signatures in this campaign, CM Stalin will write to the President explaining once again our stand against NEET.

"So far 22 lives have been lost due to NEET. Not only in Tamil Nadu, (but) in India (cases of) suicides are continuing. We have to put a full stop to this. So only (for this) we have started this signature campaign," Stalin junior said while speaking on occasion.

The exemption of NEET from the state has been a long-pending demand of Tamil Nadu.

CM Stalin had earlier written to the Chief Ministers' of 12 states seeking the shifting of education to the state list from the current concurrent list in order to bring an end to the NEET examination.

In February last year, the Tamil Nadu Assembly adopted the anti-NEET bill for the second time after the Governor returned it earlier.

Moreover, later, the state Governor RN Ravi, referred the bill to the President for approval.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)