Chennai: Accusing the ruling AIADMK of yielding to the “pressure tactics” of the BJP-led government at the Centre through the IT raids, DMK working president M. K. Stalin on Saturday said AIADMK’s “betrayal” for not voting in favour of the no-confidence motion, cannot be “forgiven.”
Claiming that the ruling party in Tamil Nadu supported the NDA as a “quid pro quo” despite the Centre working against the interests of the state on several issues, Mr. Stalin alleged that AIADMK’s opposition to the NCM (moved by the Telugu Desam Party, a former ally of the BJP) in the Lok Sabha on Friday showed there was a “tacit alliance” between that party and the BJP.
In a statement here on Saturday, he called the AIADMK “spineless” for supporting the NDA, and claimed the Modi-led government had “totally ignored” the state on numerous issues including NEET, devolution of taxes in the GST era, by proposing to replace the UGC and trying to enact a legislation on dam safety. “The BJP government is going against democracy, social justice and regional autonomy and the chief minister (Edappadi K. Palaniswami) and the AIADMK MPs are ‘spineless’ in not opposing these,” he said.
Though the ruling AIADMK was often claiming that it had only government to government relations with the BJP at the Centre, its support to the saffron party on NCM proved there was a tacit alliance between the two parties, he said and added that the pressure exerted on the ruling party through IT raids had forced the AIADMK to make the decision.
Earlier on Friday night, Mr. Stalin, whose party has no representation in the Lower House of Parliament, had tweeted: “support for Modi Govt in #NoConfidence despite NEET, 15th Finance Commission, GST, Hindi imposition and communal politics is further proof of the quid pro quo arrangement between ADMK and BJP.”
He said the AIADMK’s support to the BJP came just days after BJP national chief, Amit Shah, spoke about corruption in Tamil Nadu.
