chennai:

Tamil Nadu’s ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Monday dismissed talk of a “silent alliance” with rival AIADMK to exclude the BJP from the state . DMK spokesperson Dr SAS Hafeezullah told NDTV that “the ideology of the BJP is enough to keep (voters) away from Tamil Nadu”.

Dr Hafeezullah this morning was responding to Union Minister Anurag Thakur’s assertion that the DMK and AIADMK were working together to oppose the BJP, which had won less than 100% in the state in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. 3.7% of the vote and less than 3% of the vote in the Indian parliamentary elections. Assembly polls 2021.

“The ideology of the BJP is enough to keep (voters) away from Tamil Nadu… There is no need to forge any ‘tactical alliance’ with the AIADMK,” she said, rejecting the suggestion that the BJP was the “main opposition party”.

“AIADMK is the main opposition in Tamil Nadu…BJP is going nowhere,” she said.

In 2019, the BJP, in alliance with the AIADMK, won zero Lok Sabha seats; the AIADMK won one.

In the assembly elections two years later, the BJP (still with the AIADMK) contested 20 of the 234 seats and won 4 seats. AIADMK won 66 of 191 contests and S Ramadoss’ Pattali Makkal Katchi won five of 21 contests.

The AIADMK and the BJP parted ways in September after two consecutive defeats in major elections, with the latter’s state unit chief K Annamalai taking a dig at the former’s iconic leader.

After the breakup, the saffron party tried to mend the rift but failed. Both sides are now expected to contest the April 19 election alone, with only local parties as allies.

DMK will contest this election with Congress as its ally; it is part of the India Bloc.

Hours earlier, Mr Thakur told New Delhi TV that the AIADMK-BJP split was “not a setback”.

Mr Thakur also attacked the DMK and AIADMK for “letting down” the people of Tamil Nadu.

“People see hope in the BJP…” he claimed, “the Center has extended all help to Tamil Nadu (and is willing to help in future). There is a fixed formula for the Centre’s packages. Sensationalism is Not helpful.”

The Tamil Nadu government, angry at what it and the opposition Indian bloc say is discrimination by the BJP in a state it does not rule, has moved the Supreme Court seeking a unilateral order from the center to protect Tamil Nadu victims. Rs 2,000 crore in relief package distributed in the ravaged areas of the state. Floods occurred in December.

The state has accused the Center of disparate treatment in disbursing such funds, saying it amounts to discrimination and violates people’s fundamental rights. A similar claim has been made by Karnataka, which approached the Supreme Court seeking drought funds from the Centre.

On the topic, DMK’s Dr Hafizullah lashed out at the BJP, claiming “Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi allocated Rs 1,000 crore to Gujarat immediately after the cyclone… but the Center only provided Tamil relief after the floods Nadu makes verbal commitment”. said, pointing out that Rs 900 crore is “mandatory”.

The debate over releasing funds to southern states – either for disaster relief or as part of dues under tax devolution – also entered Parliament in February, with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and the Congress Congressman Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was at loggerheads over the issue. Alleging that non-BJP state governments were “deprived of (financial) dues” and allocations.

An angry Ms Sitharaman hit back saying, “Tax devolution (i.e. sharing of funds between the Center and states)… is being done as per the recommendations of the Finance Commission”.

On this issue, the Supreme Court today called on the Center and states to cooperate instead of competing with each other.