Senior AIADMK leader D. Jayakumar made scathing remarks against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday, asserting that unlike the BJP, the AIADMK wasn’t engaged in poaching members from other parties. Jayakumar’s comments come amidst a growing war of words between the two parties over the alleged recruitment of cadre from each other’s ranks.Speaking to reporters, Jayakumar dismissed BJP’s tactics, ridiculing BJP state president K. Annamalai as a “merchant” who had set up a shop with no business. He emphasized that the AIADMK’s growth was organic, attracting cadre and functionaries from various political parties without resorting to poaching.
Responding to questions regarding reports of BJP MLAs planning to join AIADMK, Jayakumar expressed ignorance about such developments, stating, “I was unaware about such news.” This assertion further underlines AIADMK’s stance of not actively soliciting members from other parties, contrasting sharply with the BJP’s alleged poaching strategies.
The verbal exchange between AIADMK and BJP reflects the escalating tensions between the two parties, once allies, now locked in a battle for political dominance in Tamil Nadu. While AIADMK seeks to consolidate its base and maintain its integrity as a party rooted in Tamil Nadu’s political landscape, BJP’s aggressive expansion efforts have drawn criticism from its former ally.