In New Delhi and Chennai, March 20 The AIADMK will finalize seat-sharing arrangements with the BJP and other NDA constituents for the April 23 Assembly elections and formally announce the constituencies allocated to them in four days, said the party's general secretary, Edappadi K Palaniswami, on Friday.
Palaniswami denied any difficulties in the negotiations, stating that the talks were smooth and would be amicably resolved. He had met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah at his residence on Thursday night.
The AIADMK leads the multi-party National Democratic Alliance, which includes the BJP, AMMK, and PMK.
"You will know everything in four days. We will finalize and announce the constituencies that have been allocated. The talks here are different from the DMK alliance. They will be smooth and perfect here. Our objective is to allocate these seats to our allies where they have a good chance of winning," Palaniswami told reporters in the national capital before leaving for Chennai.
He said that BJP Tamil Nadu in-charge Piyush Goyal would visit the state on Saturday to continue the negotiations.
His meeting with Shah on Thursday night was cordial, and they discussed the political situation in Tamil Nadu, Palaniswami said.
Palaniswami dismissed alliance talks with the Vijay-led TVK as "media speculation," saying, "As the general secretary of the AIADMK, I have insisted that we have not held talks with TVK. Why do you keep raising this issue?"
Regarding whether any other party would join the NDA, Palaniswami said that this was unlikely, as the alliance was already sealed.
Regarding the controversial remarks made by AIADMK Rajya Sabha MP C Ve Shanmugam, criticizing actress Nayanthara while commenting on one of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin's schemes, Palaniswami said, "He has apologized after realizing his mistake. Therefore, further discussion on this is inappropriate."
To a question, Palaniswami said that his party's election manifesto would be released in a week. He had already made some promises, including providing one-time financial assistance of Rs 10,000 to people to help them overcome the "economic hardship" caused by the DMK regime.
Asked about the NDA's prospects at the polls, Palaniswami said that the election battle was primarily between the AIADMK-led NDA, which wanted to promote development in Tamil Nadu, and the "corrupt" DMK.
"The DMK government's only achievement is corruption and deterioration in law and order. They have not introduced any new schemes for the state," the Tamil Nadu Leader of the Opposition claimed.
Meanwhile, AMMK general secretary T T V Dhinakaran criticized Chief Minister M K Stalin for his remarks earlier in the day, mocking Palaniswami's visit to Delhi to meet Shah, and questioning whether the AIADMK chief had gone to secure funds for Tamil Nadu.
"Does the chief minister not know that the Centre cannot allocate funds to the state after announcing elections? People are aware that no matter how much funds are devolved to Tamil Nadu, the amount is siphoned off by the ruling regime, and therefore people are waiting for a change in government," Dhinakaran told reporters at the Chennai airport before leaving for Delhi.
The April 23 election is a contest between the NDA and the DMK alliance. While Palaniswami headed the NDA in the state, the BJP continued to lead the alliance at the national level. Stalin was "scared" whenever the NDA leaders met with BJP leaders in Delhi, Dhinakaran claimed.
To another query, he said that he had received an invitation to meet Shah four days ago, and his meeting with the Home Minister on Friday was to discuss the state political situation.
BJP state chief Nainar Nagenthran justified the NDA leaders meeting Shah and said there was nothing wrong in it.
"What is wrong in Mr Palaniswami or Mr Dhinakaran meeting the Home Minister? Does the Chief Minister know why they called on the BJP leader?" Nagenthran asked, sarcastically remarking that Stalin was unaware of many things, including crimes against women and the sexual assault and murder of a Plus Two girl student in Tuticorin district's Vilathikulam.
"I think the Chief Minister is getting scared every time the NDA leaders meet the Home Minister," Nagenthran told reporters in Chennai.
In a related development, the opposition AIADMK reminded the CM that late Chief Minister M Karunanidhi had visited the national capital in 2011 and called on Congress leaders to firm up the alliance with the grand old party.
"Chief Minister says we are talking about alliance in Delhi. Did not DMK-Congress seat sharing talks conclude after Congress leader P Chidambaram called on Stalin? Did not your father and late Chief Minister M Karunanidhi visit Delhi for an alliance with Congress for the 2011 assembly elections?" the AIADMK asked in a post on the social media platform 'X.'
The party wondered whether Stalin had forgotten Amit Shah's visit to Palaniswami's (Greenways) residence in Chennai and the alliance talks held there.