Tamil Nadu: How the Jaya-Modi bonhomie is turning sour

Despite being in the opposite camps, the AIADMK and the BJP appeared to have some kind of a truce from the time of the Lok Sabha elections, but the forthcoming local body by-elections seem to have frayed their unusual bonhomie. During the Lok Sabha elections, Jayalalithaa more or less avoided criticising the BJP and she was among the first when a new BJP president was appointed in the state. In a letter to the new state president of the party, Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan, she wrote: “I congratulate you on your appointment as President of BJP Tamil Nadu unit.” However, since the campaign for the local body elections, the relationship seems to have soured. The flashpoint was the defection of the BJP’s mayoral nominee GPR Vellaiammal in the southern district of Tirunelveli withdrawing from the contest and joining the AIADMK. She met with Jayalalithaa and accepted the AIADMK membership card. Her withdrawal from the fray allowed the unopposed election f the AIADMK candidate. Reportedly, sensing her possible defection, the BJP had kept her away from Tirunelveli; however, as soon as she returned, she left the party. Similarly, the party’s state executive member and a councillor-nominee in Chennai also joined the AIADMK. The AIADMK candidate for the post of the chairman of the Sankarankovil municipality, M. Rajalakshmi, was also elected unopposed as other candidates withdrew. The tun of events have shocked both the BJP and its allies such as the DMDK. [caption id=“attachment_1713017” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Narendra Modi and Jayalalithaa. Agencies.[/caption] Besides the withdrawals and shifting of loyalties, what turned heads is also Jayalalithaa’s unusual broadside against the BJP. She said the party adopted a double standard on the issue of the Tamil Nadu fishermen who came under attack and arrests from the Sri Lankan forces. She said, the BJP had two views on the issues - one in Delhi and another in Tamil Nadu. In an apparent reference to BJP leader Subramanian Swamy’s claims that were against the interests of the Tamil fishermen, she said: “in fact, the senior leader was proud of his role in preventing the release of boats seized by the Sri Lankan Navy. But the BJP’s State unit did not condemn such an attitude, and the Centre, too, maintained silence despite growing condemnation from many.” In the recent past, either during or after the Lok Sabha elections, Jayalalithaa hasn’t been this upfront regarding her opposition to the BJP. She, by and large, spared the party during the elections and maintained a friendly relationship with its national leadership, particularly Narendra Modi, even after a landslide victory. Reportedly, the new party president in the state Tamilisai also enjoyed her blessings. Things have turned really sour now. BJP state leader and the union minister of state for heavy industries and public Enterprises Pon. Radhakrishnan said the local bodies by-polls should be postponed because of “large-scale irregularities”. “When democracy has become a laughing stock, how can elections be conducted in a fair manner? The party will submit a formal complaint to the State Election Commission… I do not think anything will come out of it,” he reportedly said. It’s hard to tell if this is going to be a temporary attrition or things will get worse in the coming months. What’s clear, however, is that it’s difficult to maintain a friendly attitude towards a party that is in the rival camp. The BJP, under Amit Shah, wants to create an UP style victory in the state in the next assembly elections. “By increasing grassroots membership and attacking the ruling AIADMK’s anti-people policies, the BJP plans to become the only alternative to Dravidian parties in the state. The time is short to target the state elections in 2016, but we have begun,” Tamilisai told the Economic Times early this month. To a question on Jayalalithaa’s good relations with the Centre, she said: “That is governance, wherein the centre is very keen on having good relations with every state in a federal set up.” In the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP-alliance had polled 19 per cent of the votes and had even won two seats. Compared to 2009, the BJP itself had more than doubled its voteshare. The state and national leaderships of the party are upbeat about Tamil Nadu and feel that it’s on the threshold of tipping the balance in its favour. Reportedly, both Narendra Modi and Amit Shah are slated to visit the state to energise its cadres. In such a situation, Jayalalithaa will have to take a confrontationist stand. Her friendly relationship with Modi is widely acknowledged, but she cannot concede her domain to the BJP for the sake of friendship. The local body elections obvious are a harbinger of things to come, particularly in view of the BJP betting big time on the assembly elections in two years from now.