The AIADMK Cadres Rights Retrieval Committee, the group of former Tamil Nadu chief minister O Panneerselvam, severed its links with the BJP-led NDA on Thursday. Panruti S. Ramachandran, a seasoned leader and Committee advisor, made the announcement.
According to the PTI news agency, Ramachandran declared, “Hereafter the Committee will not be a part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA),” while flanked by Panneerselvam and other panel officials. He added that Panneerselvam would be travelling throughout Tamil Nadu on the committee’s behalf. He went on to say that the faction will decide whether to form an alliance in the future based on the situation.
Days before, OPS had denounced the BJP-led Center for allegedly stealing up to ₹2,151 crore from Tamil Nadu as part of the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan. He said that the state government’s rejection to permit the three-language formula required by the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, was the reason the monies were being withheld.
He claimed that this went against “the principle of federalism” and the Right to Education (RTE) Act. … 25% of pupils are unable to enroll in private schools under the RTE due to the Central Government’s pitiful approach, he continued.
OPS was also reportedly upset when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Tamil Nadu from July 26 to July 28 and he was allegedly turned down for a meeting. Nainar Nagendran, the president of the BJP state unit, claimed he was unaware of the former chief minister’s desire to meet with the prime minister.
“I would have definitely set up a meeting for him if I had known,” Nagendran remarked. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, OPS ran as an independent under the NDA banner but lost. According to reports, OPS had been upset over the NDA coalition’s lack of regard for him.
On condition of anonymity, a former AIADMK leader close to the leader stated, “Long ago, some of us had advised him to remain independent and not to join the BJP.”