Chennai: Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa has greeted Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi on his “magnificent” victory and told him she was looking forward to “an era of meaningful cooperation” between the Centre and the state government.
Setting at rest all the misplaced speculation that their relations had soured after some angry exchanges during the last stages of electioneering in the state, the AIADMK supremo sent Modi a warm congratulatory message that clearly reiterated their long friendship that stretched beyond narrow political contours and was based on mutual respect.
“I congratulate you on the magnificent victory in the 16th Lok Sabha elections. I wish you and the government under your stewardship the very best and look forward to an era of meaningful cooperation between the Government of India and the Government of Tamil Nadu”, said Jayalalithaa’s message to Modi, copies of which were released to the media here on Saturday.
In fact, the CM had sent the greeting to Modi on Friday itself, coinciding with the counting of votes that established clear majority for the BJP. Her gesture showed once again that the two leaders continued to share cordial relationship, notwithstanding the little sparring in the final leg of the poll campaign. Ms Jayalalithaa had quoted statistics to show that her administration was far better than that Modi and the Gujarat model of development was just a myth. Modi on his part claimed that the BJP-led NDA would be a ‘viable alternative’ to both the DMK and the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu.
Sources in the BJP said that Modi too was preparing a message to be sent to Ms Jayalalithaa warmly congratulating her on her mammoth win, which she had termed ‘historic, unparalleled and unprecedented’—it surely was all that as the AIADMK leader fought the tough battle without allies and came out triumphant.
