Former Rajya Sabha member V. Maitreyan, who was expelled from the AIADMK last year, rejoined the BJP on Friday, in the presence of party general secretaries C.T. Ravi (in charge of Tamil Nadu) and Arun Singh.
Dr. Maitreyan who had been with the BJP prior to 2000, joining the AIADMK thereafter expressed confidence that the “lotus” (BJP’s electoral symbol) will bloom in Tamil Nadu in 2024 and 2026, when Lok Sabha and assembly polls are due respectively.
While in the AIADMK, Dr. Maitreyan had been considered close to late chief minister of Tamil Nadu, J. Jayalalithaa, and was a member of the Rajya Sabha thrice while in that party.
After Jayalalithaa’s death however, Dr. Maitreyan fell foul of the new leadership and shared uneasy equations with former chief minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, who expelled him for “anti-party activities” last year.
Speaking at the press conference to announce his joining the BJP, Dr. Maitreyan heaped praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s stating that the latter was not merely a name but the “mission and vision” of a resurgent India which was making rapid strides in different fields.
“The ‘lotus’ (BJP’s poll symbol) will bloom in Tamil Nadu in 2024 and 2026,” he said.
He is joining the BJP not just at a time when the party is looking to project itself in Tamil Nadu in a serious way, but also when its ties with the AIADMK seem to be far from smooth.
This was reflected in what Dr. Ravi said at the presser, that it was the BJP with just four MLAs, rather than any other party that had been playing the role of a real opposition and fighting the DMK government over people’s issues in the state.
In the last few months, the BJP and AIADMK, despite being in an alliance, also clashed over mutual poaching of party personnel.
