AMMK's Dhinakaran justifies exit from NDA, regrets that Panneerselvam was not treated well

Madurai (Tamil Nadu), Sep 6 (PTI) AMMK general secretary T T V Dhinakaran on Saturday said his decision to part ways with the NDA in Tamil Nadu was "well considered, and not hasty," and that it respected the feelings of the party cadres.

Also, he flayed the TN BJP leadership for not "properly handling allies," especially former Chief Minister O Pannerselvam, who was forced to quit the NDA.

"Our decision to exit the NDA was well considered, not hasty, and it reflected the feelings of my party men," Dhinakaran told reporters here, justifying the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam's announcement on September 3.

He had joined NDA to strengthen Prime Minister Narendra Modi's hands, and former state chief K Annamalai was instrumental in bringing him onboard, Dhinakaran claimed.

Though the present BJP state chief Nainar Nagenthiran was his friend, the latter could not handle allies the way his predecessor (Annamalai) had done, he alleged, and endorsed Panneerselvam's accusation that "persistent neglect, and the functioning of state leadership," had forced Panneerselvam to quit the NDA.

"The way Nainar had treated Panneerselvam, who wanted to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 26 during his visit to Tuticorin, in particular, was disheartening. Panneerselvam and I need not bow down to his (Nainar Nagenthiran) arrogance. He doesn't know how to handle allies," Dhinakaran alleged.

Panneerselvam had then claimed that he was denied an opportunity to meet the PM despite requesting Nagenthiran.

But the latter denied, saying had Panneerselvam expressed his desire to meet the Prime Minister, he would have arranged the meeting between them.

Meanwhile, reacting to the accusations, Nagenthiran told reporters in Coimbatore that he could not take responsibility for all the baseless allegations levelled against him.

To a question, Dhinakaran said his party would join the "winning" alliance that would form the government in 2026. PTI JSP ROH