Amit Shah's two-day visit to Chennai from April 10, to meet BJP, RSS leaders

Chennai, April 6 (IANS) Union Home Minister and one of the BJP’s chief strategists, Amit Shah, will arrive in Chennai on the evening of April 10 for a two-day visit.

During his stay, he is scheduled to hold a series of crucial meetings with senior leaders of the BJP and the RSS.

According to a senior Tamil Nadu BJP leader, HM Shah will meet prominent RSS ideologue and Editor of Thuglak magazine, S. Gurumurthy, on April 11. The visit is being closely watched in light of Shah’s recent meeting with AIADMK General Secretary and former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) in New Delhi.

EPS, accompanied by senior AIADMK leaders and former Ministers S.P. Velumani and K.P. Munusamy, met Amit Shah recently, sparking speculation about a possible revival of the AIADMK-BJP alliance, which broke off in September 2023.

The strained relationship between the two parties is largely attributed to Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai. His controversial remarks against iconic Dravidian leaders, including C.N. Annadurai (Anna) and Dr J. Jayalalithaa, angered the AIADMK leadership and ultimately led to the collapse of the alliance.

It is worth noting that the AIADMK-BJP alliance in the 2021 Assembly elections yielded notable gains for the BJP, which secured four seats.

The AIADMK, having held power from 2011 to 2021, managed to win 66 seats in that election. However, following Annamalai’s elevation to state BJP president, the relationship between the two parties worsened.

The fallout was evident in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where both the BJP and AIADMK suffered significant setbacks.

Sources said that several senior RSS functionaries in Tamil Nadu have conveyed to the BJP’s central leadership that forming an alliance with a Dravidian party is essential for political traction in the state.

With the DMK seen as a hostile entity, the AIADMK remains the only viable partner. RSS leaders have reportedly emphasized that any alliance must be cemented well ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

AIADMK leaders have also indicated that EPS requested Amit Shah to replace Annamalai as the state BJP president. In a notable development, Annamalai stated publicly on April 4 that he is not in the race for the post and would continue to serve the party as a loyal cadre.

--IANS

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