Tamil Nadu: Annamalai to kickstart meeting with BJP office bearers today

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tamil Nadu president Annamalai will hold a meeting with office bearers and district presidents of his party in Chennai on Thursday.

The crucial meeting comes after the BJP lost a key ally in the state when the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) broke ties with the BJP and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) last month.

According to sources, Annamalai had a discussion with the Delhi BJP high command over the AIADMK alliance. Annamalai is expected to share his views and those of the BJP’s central leaders with the office-bearers at Thursday’s meeting.

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami on Wednesday made it clear that there is no pressure from anyone to quit the BJP-led NDA in the state.

“We stand strong in our decision to sever ties with the BJP. No one put any pressure on us to make this decision. A few incidents have hurt our cadres,” Edappadi Palaniswami said while talking to reporters in Salem.

Palaniswami further said, “From Prime Minister Modi, Union Minister Amit Shah and BJP President JP Nadda, no one exerted any pressure on us and we decided to sever ties with the BJP, respecting the voice of our cadres.