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AIADMK-BJP to face assembly polls 2021 together: EPS and OPS announce

The Chief Minister and the deputy Chief Minister made the announcement on Saturday in the presence of union Home Minister Amit Shah who is visiting Chennai.

The AIADMK, on Saturday, announced that the parliamentary electoral alliance with the BJP will continue for the assembly elections in 2021 as well. Both Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam said that the party will continue to ally with the BJP for the upcoming Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu. They were speaking at the Kalaivanar Arangam in Chennai in the presence of union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah. It was speculated that the AIADMK which had recently taken on the BJP and disallowed the controversial Vel Yatra, may choose to stay away from an alliance with the BJP, however these speculations were put to rest on Saturday.

Amit Shah arrived at Chennai on Saturday afternoon and took part in events involving the foundation stones and opening of several infrastructure projects across Tamil Nadu, through video conferencing. Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief MInister O Panneerselvam and a slew of other ministers were at the airport to receive Amit Shah. They then went to the Kalaivanar Arangam, where an event was arranged to facilitate the inauguration ceremonies, where Palaniswami and Panneerselvam reiterated the alliance decision.

Speaking first, O Panneerselvam heaped praises on Amit Shah and highlighted that the projects initiated today are a mix of projects funded solely by the union government, state government and joint ventures.

“As a modern day ‘Chanakya’ with unflinching loyalty, he has been instrumental in maintaining internal peace and order and played a vital role in several historical achievements of the union government,” Panneerselvam said. Adding that the event signified how a constructive relationship between the union government and the state government can reap rich dividends for the people, Panneerselvam said, “I am duty-bound to announce that in the future elections, the alliance between AIADMK and BJP will continue.”

Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and joint coordinator of the AIADMK Edappadi K Palaniswami spoke next and praised both the PM and the Home Minister. He then said, “In the upcoming assembly polls in 2021, our alliance will win a majority of seats and AIADMK government will be formed in the state. I wish to announce that our alliance will continue.”

The announcements made by the Chief Minister and the deputy Chief Minister are significant because of rumours of a rift between the two parties in recent times. The state government not only refused permission for the BJP’s Vel Yatra that was scheduled from November 6 to December 6 citing the pandemic as the reason, but had also condemned the BJP’s alleged appropriation of former Chief Minister (and AIADMK Founder) MG Ramachandran’s visuals in their publicity videos. 

Watch Cheif Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami’s speech here:

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Source: The News Minute