Chennai: The BJP continues to eye the AIADMK with its huge presence of 50 MPs in Parliament, 37 of them in the Lok Sabha alone, making it the third largest party in the lower house. BJP is also hoping to convince Jayalalithaa to join the NDA and actively participate in national development, not just that of Tamil Nadu.
BJP feels AIADMK’s presence in the NDA would give more credence to the alliance as an anti-Congress force. Since AIADMK has been supporting the NDA on the floor of Parliament on almost all issues, the BJP leadership wants a formal alliance with the regional party.
AIADMK, which has 13 MPs in Rajya Sabha — 12 from Tamil Nadu and one from Puducherry — is the third largest party in Lok Sabha with 37 MPs only after the Congress whose strength is 44.
Since the BJP is a minority in Rajya Sabha, it is actively wooing the AIADMK since it feels the 13 members would be part of its bloc if the party formally joins the NDA.
“AIADMK has been extending issue-based support to us. But we want them to be part of the NDA. Since 50 MPs are a huge number, we don’t want to take any chances. Though she has been supporting us all the time, we want to formalise the tie-up,” a senior BJP leader said.
The AIADMK has been supporting crucial bills of the NDA Government in the Upper House and the bonhomie between Ms Jayalalithaa and top leaders of the BJP — be it Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Finance Minister Arun Jaitley or Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu — is well known.
And as reported by the DC on Saturday last, politics would obviously be on the agenda of talks when Ms Jayalalithaa calls on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi later this month.
Ms Jayalalithaa, sources in Chennai said, is likely to undertake a two-day visit to New Delhi for discussions with Mr Modi and other Ministers on issues concerning Tamil Nadu.
