This is despite the fact that the Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS)-lead AIADMK, has reportedly distanced itself from Ravindhranath and even written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on two occasions — in July 2022 and in May this year— not to regard the Theni MP as the party’s representative in the House.
The EPS-led AIADMK had earlier expelled both OPS and Ravindhranath from the party.
While Ravindhranath was the only NDA leader from the state who won in 2019 Lok Sabha polls, his election was nullified by the Madras High Court on 7 July for “hiding assets and giving false information”. He was granted a 30-day stay on the verdict to appeal in the Supreme Court.
Now, his invitation to the NDA floor leaders’ meeting does not seem to have gone down well with the EPS faction, with AIADMK organising secretary D. Jayakumar telling ThePrint that if “he is invited as an AIADMK leader, then it is wrong”.
According to political analyst Sumanth C. Raman, the BJP inviting Ravindhranath, an expelled leader, was a “mistake”.
“The invite to Ravindhranath was a mistake and may create a lack of trust [between the EPS-led AIADMK and the BJP]. At a time when the BJP is dying for alliance partners, this does not set a good example and is not a good idea,” Sumanth added.
The OPS camp meanwhile, though confirming that it had not been invited to the Tuesday meeting, told ThePrintthat it was “closely watching” developments within the NDA.
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EPS vs OPS
The feud between the two AIADMK camps began in July last year when the party general council, attended by 2,460 of the 2,665 members, had unanimously elected EPS as its general secretary. The same day, OPS and his son were expelled from the party along with their supporters. While EPS had moved court against the general council meeting, the Supreme Court had upheld it, paving way for EPS to take charge of the party.
Talking to ThePrint Wednesday, AIADMK organising secretary D. Jayakumar said, “Ravindhranath has no connection with our party and we have given a letter to the speaker twice that he is not part of the AIADMK, if he is invited as an AIADMK leader, then it is wrong”.
He added: “The Parliament should accept the party’s decision and we are hopeful that the speaker will take action on our request soon.”
After former AIADMK chief and Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa’s demise in 2016, a factional feud had erupted in the party. OPS was seen as being close to ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had then brokered a truce between EPS and OPS. OPS had then said that he agreed to join the EPS-led government because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s advice.
After EPS took over the party last year, however, and expelled OPS, the BJP has kept a distance from the latter. The BJP had tried to reconcile the factions before the Erode East bypolls in February, but failed.
During the NDA meeting in Delhi, EPS was reportedly given a seat next to the Prime Minister. “This shows the importance given to the AIADMK; they recognise our strength and have given us the seat next to the PM,” claimed Jayakumar.
The confidence in the alliance was also reflected in EPS’s statement after the NDA meeting, when he told the media in Chennai that the alliance would win 330 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
He also said that all parties in the NDA were working with a consensus and that the BJP was the leader of the alliance at the Centre, while the AIADMK was the leader of the alliance in the state.
Meanwhile, former MLA J.C.D. Prabhakar, a close associate of OPS, told ThePrint that, “the camp is closely watching the developments in the NDA”.
OPS meanwhile has renewed ties with ousted AIADMK leader and founder of Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) T.T.V. Dhinakaran. The two in May announced that they will work together to fight the “evil force” DMK, and betrayers in the AIADMK. They also pledged to “unite” the AIADMK.
According to political analysts, the BJP is unlikely to burn its bridges with OPS and may look at including OPS, Dhinakaran and the latter’s aunt and one-time Jayalalithaa-aide Sasikala into the alliance, to attract the Thevar community vote bank in southern Tamil Nadu. All three leaders are from the Thevar community.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
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