Amma yes to BJP, quiet on NDA

Five years after J. Jayalalithaa toppled a BJP-led coalition, the AIADMK chief today joined cause with the party to ‘‘work togethe...

Five years after J. Jayalalithaa toppled a BJP-led coalition, the AIADMK chief today joined cause with the party to ‘‘work together’’ for the polls. She did not disclose if the deal extended to the AIADMK entering the coalition.

The agreement came as a breather for BJP, abandoned by former allies DMK, MDMK and the PMK. BJP-AIADMK deal is being hailed as a consolidation of the Hindutva vote in TN — Jayalalithaa’s stand on conversion, cow slaughter and Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin are the same as those of the Sangh Parivar.

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BJP president M. Venkaiah Naidu and Jayalalithaa, who met at the CM’s Poes Garden home today, said they would ‘‘work together’’ to fight Lok Sabha polls. However, the AIADMK leader remained silent on the nature of the relationship, keeping options open on whether or not she would enter the alliance. ‘‘I am happy that both parties have come to an understanding to fight the elections together,’’ Naidu said after the 45-minute meeting.

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‘‘The AIADMK wants an Indian to be the PM,’’ Jaya declared, adding that her party fully backed Vajpayee as the prime ministerial candidate.

The parties also named a six-member panel comprising three leaders from each side to identify seats to be contested by them but sources said there was nothing much for the panel to do. The AIADMK leader had offered just five of the 39 LS seats to the BJP.

The BJP currently holds Nilgiris, Coimbatore and Nagercoil. Jaya had no problems with these seats. The AIADMK leader was reportedly not willing to part with Pudukottai constituency held by Union minister Thirunavukkarasu who joined BJP by merging his MGR ADMK party with it. She had, instead, offered Mayiladuthurai to the BJP, held by Mani Shankar Aiyar.

•BJP gets Amma, Cong may ‘lose’ Indira