The BJP has ruled out an alliance with the ruling AIADMK or the DMK for the 2016 Tamil Nadu Assembly polls, party National Executive member Ela Ganesan told Covai Post in an exclusive interview.

On the other hand, the BJP is working on building a formidable NDA front in Tamil Nadu which will provide a credible alternative to AIADMK or DMK rule, Ganesan said, adding that the people were looking forward to good governance, which the BJP-led NDA alone can provide.

Ganesan said, “Talks are still on with various parties and leaders. All I can say is that NDA would be stronger and more parties may join the alliance”.

“There is no question of going in for an alliance with the AIADMK or the DMK in Tamil Nadu. We will provide a clear, third alternative”, Ganesan said, rejecting speculation that the BJP was merely posturing and that it would try for an alliance with the AIADMK.

“The BJP wants to provide a corruption-free government in Tamil Nadu. Both the AIADMK and the DMK are stuck with the corruption tag. We cannot say AIADMK is corrupt and then go with DMK which is also steeped in corruption. The BJP is free from corruption charges. We are going to the people with the promise of a corruption-free government, and the people are ready to support us”, Ganesan said.

Asked if the BJP felt there was an anti-incumbency factor against the ruling AIADMK, Ganesan said there is certainly an anti-incumbency situation against the AIADMK. People are convinced that the AIADMK government should not continue but they are also thinking about who will provide a good alternative.

“In the past, people would vote out the AIADMK but would bring in the main opposition party, the DMK, and vice versa. It was a kind of negative voting. Now, we want people not just to vote out the ruling party, we want them to bring in a good government which would deliver”, Ganesan said, when asked about the BJP strategy for the Assembly elections.

Ganesan cited a situation In the Ramayana where Lord Rama chose to support Sugriva rather than Vali (though Vali was known to have defeated Ravana in an earlier encounter) as Sugriva was in a similar situation like Rama himself with his wife being snatched by Vali just like he was trying to rescue his wife from the clutches of Ravana. From an ethical and moral standpoint, the BJP had had to take a stand of keeping both parties away on the ground of corruption, he added.

Asked whether the BJP had the necessary wherewithal to overtake the AIADMK and the DMK, Ganesan said the BJP-led NDA in the State might have won only 2 seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu but it secured 19.6 per cent votes which was the highest by a third front in the State. That is a very good base on which the BJP is seeking to build a bigger foundation, he said.

Asked whether the NDA had not disintegrated in the State after the elections, Ganesan denied this assessment and said only the MDMK led by Vaiko was not part of the front. The DMDK and the PMK are still part of the NDA at the Centre. He said adding that the picture would be clear once the State elections were announced.

On the stand of the PMK to project former Union minister Anbumani Ramadoss as the PMK’s chief ministerial candidate, Ganesan said the BJP was not worried about it. Every party is bound to have its own aspirations, and they were free to make claims. However, a clear picture would emerge once elections were announced, and things would settle down to the satisfaction of the BJP.

Asked about DMDK leader Vijayakanth’s chief ministerial ambitions as well, Ganesan said at this point of time every party could make its own claims and statements. The BJP did not want to comment on it now so as not to add to or create any confusion. He did admit that there would be some amount of confusion in the minds of the people now due to the claims and counter-claims of many parties but this would vanish when elections were round the corner. It is too early to speculate on things like chief ministerial candidate and who would head the alliance and so on, Ganesan added.

Ganesan said, “Talks are still on with various parties and leaders. All I can say is that NDA would be stronger and more parties may join the alliance”.

On the inclusion of several new faces in the State BJP executive, Ganesan this had to be done as many people had joined the party in the last two years, and they had to be given positions. Asked if there would be misgivings over this among old-timers, Ganesan said there was no such feeling. No post was taken away from anyone to provide positions to the new partymen, he added.