The AIADMK, which severed ties with the BJP in late September, has begun to make efforts to win over religious minorities, especially Muslims.
As part of this strategy, the party and its General Secretary, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, demanded a few weeks ago in the Assembly that long-time Muslim prisoners be released. Though the AIADMK was not the only party to raise this issue, its identification with the matter did not go unnoticed. In fact, in his reply to the debate on the issue in the House, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin questioned the “special concern” of Mr. Palaniswami and wondered why the AIADMK, which had been in power for 10 years, had turned a “blind eye” to the plight of Muslim prisoners. However, as far as the AIADMK General Secretary is concerned, the DMK regime “is trembling with fear” that the AIADMK would register a resounding victory in the Lok Sabha election after snapping ties with the BJP. Also, he has claimed that of late, representatives from minority groups have been meeting him and extending their support.
The Dravidian major’s decision to break the alliance with the BJP came in for appreciation from former MLA Thamimum Ansari. This was significant as Mr. Ansari had remained a critic of the AIADMK regime during 2016-2021 after getting elected from the Nagapattinam Assembly constituency on the AIADMK’s symbol of “two leaves.” One of the reasons he turned critical of the Palaniswami government was the friendly approach the the Dravidian major took towards the BJP.
