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Coimbatore
OPS flirts with BJP
May 20, 2017
Former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam tweets out his secret desire, hurriedly withdraws and modifies a tweet about tying up with BJP
Chennai: Now the cat is out of the bag, officially albeit inadvertently.
Howsoever former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam may try to deny or distance self from his own tweet, he can no longer convince people of Tamil Nadu that he is not Team Modi as perceived by the masses.
On Saturday, a day after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Friday, the former chief minister tweeted to say that his party was to take a final decision on its alliance with the BJP after the local body polls were announced.
In fact, it was being openly discussed whether OPS had the blessings of the prime minister after he revolted against AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala. Today’s tweet on his alliance with the BJP only confirmed what the people were only suspecting.
The tweet, however, served one purpose – of indicating his closeness to the powers that be at the centre.
A political analyst saw in the tweet, a message to the EPS camp that OPS side was about to beat it to an alliance with BJP.
The BJP has been trying to gain a foothold in Tamil Nadu and it cannot do so unless it ties up with a major Dravidian party. And since DMK is with the Congress, it leaves only the AIADMK, which under Jayalalithaa had spurned all such feelers.
However, with Jayalalithaa no longer present, the BJP has begun making encroachment in Tamil Nadu using every resource at its command.
Today’s tweet of OPS is seen as a result of the BJP overtures.
For sure, OPS tweet had the political parties in a tizzy as also his own party colleagues.
Sensing the faux pas, OPS hurriedly withdrew the tweet and issued a clarifying tweet.
“We mean that only after the announcement of Local body elections we will think about the Alliance with any political party,” OPS sent out another tweet.
In his earlier tweet that was removed Panneerselvam had said: “We will take a decision on alliance with BJP once local body elections are announced.”
