Ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the AIADMK is likely to tie-up with the BJP in an electoral deal today. On Monday, the Shiv Sena also sealed its alliance with the ruling party for the national election and the subsequent assembly elections, after three years of unrestrained attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP.
Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Monday ripped into Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remark that the opposition alliance is "adulterated" and contended that the BJP's choice of allies is far more questionable. "Narendra Modi's alliance with Nitish Kumar after the mandate of Bihar citizens - is that a holy alliance?" Mr Kumaraswamy said. The BJP's efforts to strike a deal with the AIADMK is also equally questionable, he added.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj today. He is in his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to launch various projects. PM Modi will also visit Tamil Nadu where he will address a rally and inaugurate a four-lane national highway in Kanyakumari.
Here are the LIVE Updates from election campaigning:
"The AIADMK-PMK alliance has been formed without a thought for the country or the people...They have forged an alliance only for money", he alleged.
Recalling that PMK founder S Ramadoss had slammed AIADMK leaders in public and through statements, he told reporters that Ramadoss had even penned a book on alleged irregularities of (Chief Minister) K Palaniswami and late AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa.
"Today he is sharing the dais with such people (Palaniswami). Don't you have any shame?" he asked.
Mr Stalin pointed out that the AIADMK-PMK alliance had contested seven seats in the 2009 assembly elections and two in the Lok Sabha polls.
The PMK had lost in all the seats they contested.
"I had stated at that time that the PMK would lose all seven seats and the results proved it," he said.
"Now they have been allotted one Rajya Sabha seat. Lets wait and see what is going to happen", he said.
The state congress also slammed the alliance, with TNCC President K S Alagiri saying he did not expect the PMK, which has always prided itself in fighting for the rights of the Most Backward Classes, to forge an alliance with BJP," a party working for the forward communities."
"It is unfortunate that PMK has formed an alliance with AIADMK. It is not acceptable. PMK has committed a historic blunder", he told reporters.
Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) leader Thol Thirumavalavan termed the AIADMK-PMK alliance as an "illusion".
Piyush Goyal: I am extremely delighted that AIADMK and BJP has concluded very fruitful discussion to contest elections in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry and by polls to 21 assembly seats in alliance with other friendly partners. The other alliance has been announced in the morning with PMK's Ramadoss. We have agreed to contest elections under leadership of OPS and EPS in Tamil Nadu and at the centre under the visionary leadership of PM Modi.
In the ruling AIADMK, 18 party MLAs were disqualified for anti-party activities. Recently Sports Minister P Balakrishna Reddy lost his membership of the House after being convicted by a court in a case of alleged rioting.
Tiruvarur (M Karunanidhi, DMK) and Tiruparankundram (A K Bose, AIADMK) seats fell vacant following the deaths of the sitting MLAs last year.
"I affirm that PMK will never give up people's welfare and Tamil Nadu''s rights under any circumstances," he said.
Though about Rs 150 crore was allotted for the Madurai project, "construction work was not taken up by the then DMK government and the fund was squandered," he alleged.
After PMK nominee Velu walked out of the UPA cabinet,the railway projects for Tamil Nadu were abandoned, he claimed.
On why it decided to not go with the DMK, Ramadoss said that during PMK's stint in the UPA-I regime at the Centre, many projects were implemented for the welfare of Tamil Nadu.
Explaining the rationale for the alliance, he said though AIADMK was not free of criticism, "the AIADMK government had accepted and implemented several demands and ideas of the PMK," including those on educational reforms.
DMK's efforts to rope in PMK into the alliance did not fructify.
The BJP, which also contested the same number, won from Kanyakumari.
For the AIADMK, the deal with the PMK, which has a significant clout in several northern and western pockets of Tamil Nadu, is seen as a shot in the arm.
The AIADMK is expected to soon formalise a poll deal with the BJP.
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- Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) February 19, 2019