Chennai:
Barely a month after AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa fancied a national role for her party in Lok Sabha polls due in 2014, BJP leader LK Advani today described her as a "natural ally," fuelling speculation that both parties could come together ahead of the polls.
"We see in Jayalalithaa a natural ally," Advani said at the 42nd anniversary celebrations of Tamil weekly 'Thuglaq,' edited by noted political commentator Cho S Ramaswamy.
Reaching out to the AIADMK supremo, the BJP veteran said Jayalalithaa and her party have been "functioning as a natural ally," of his party.
"Although AIADMK is not formally a part of the National Democratic Alliance yet, our informal co-operation with Jayalalithaa's party and especially floor co-ordination with it in Parliament has been growing," Advani said in the presence of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi who is known to be close to the AIADMK leader.
Showering praise on Jayalalithaa, Advani said he saw an "atmosphere of rapid change and soaring confidence in Tamil Nadu" after she had won the April 13 assembly elections.
"Today, our country needs more and more transformational leaders like Jayalalithaa and Modi," he said.
Advani's remarks assume significance as only recently Jayalalalithaa had said that time was ripe for her party to strengthen its position in national politics and "become a power to decide the next Prime Minister".
Addressing partymen at AIADMK's top decision-making body General Council in December last, she had recalled the installation of NDA government headed by A B Vajpayee in 1998 and said "Our contribution in that is immeasurable."
The two parties had last faced the 2004 Lok Sabha polls as allies but drew a blank in the 39 Lok Sabha constituencies.
"There is no political expedience when I say that Jayalalithaa and her party are our natural allies," Advani said, adding there were several important issues on which both BJP and AIADMK hold convergent views.
Citing the example of Centre-State relations, he said the country needed a strong Centre but the "Centre cannot become strong unless the State becomes strong".
Charging Congress' approach to this issue has been "diametrically opposite," he said "whenever there was one-party rule by Congress at the Centre, it used to brazenly dismiss elected governments in states and impose the President's rule".
"Unfortunately, the basic mentality of the Congress leadership has not changed," he said, adding "all those who believe in democracy and healthy Centre-State relations must come together to defeat this arrogant mindset".
There was speculation that Advani and Modi might meet Jayalalithaa but it did not materialise.
The BJP leader thanked Jayalalithaa for the timely action by the state police in averting a pipe-bomb explosion in October last when he had kicked off the final leg of his Jan Chetna Yatra from Madurai.
He also expressed his gratitude for her gesture to depute party's senior leader and Lok Sabha MP, Thambidurai, for the concluding rally of the Yatra at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan in November last year.