The ongoing tension in the alliance between the AIADMK and the BJP refuses to die down with the latest trigger for escalation being the reinstatement of a BJP’s district-level functionary, who protested against AIADMK’s interim general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami.
On Wednesday, Dinesh Rodi, the youth wing president of Thoothukudi North district unit of the BJP, was relieved from his party posts for six months. The announcement was made by Venkatesan Chennakesavan, president, Madurai North district. He said Mr. Rodi had acted autonomously in violation of party’s stand.
A week ago, he and few others had burnt the images of Mr. Palaniswami as a mark of protest against the backdrop of “poaching” of BJP’s Information Technology wing president C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar. However, on Thursday, Pon V. Balaganapathy, State general secretary of the BJP, issued a statement cancelling Mr. Chennakesavan’s announcement.
Taking exception to this withdrawal of disciplinary action, the AIADMK’s organising secretary D. Jayakumar said if his party was made to feel upset, the repercussions would be “severe”.
On Monday, the BJP took strong exception to the statements of Kadambur Raju, former Minister of the AIADMK, for his “politically indecent” criticism of BJP State president K. Annamalai.
