OPS erects hoardings with Modi and Amit Shah, speculation rife over joining BJP

Chennai, July 28

Former Tamil Nadu chief minister, O Panneerselvam (OPS), created a flutter after his camp erected huge hoardings showing him with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. OPS was expelled from the AIADMK on July 11 during the party general council meeting where Edappadi K. Palaniswami wrested control of the party.

With Modi arriving in Chennai to inaugurate the World Chess Championship, the hoarding of OPS with Modi and Amit Shah has led to speculation about his future course of action.

Sources in the OPS camp told IANS that he is seriously mulling an entry into the saffron party but wants to make sure that his son O.P. Raveendranath who is the lone Member of Parliament from AIADMK is properly accommodated.

On Thursday, the leaders who were recently given postings by OPS in the AIADMK, brought a huge floral garland to put on the statue of DMK leader and former Chief Minister, C.N. Annadurai.

While a major section close to OPS believes that he is mulling joining the BJP, another section believes that he is taking a last-minute gamble for re-entry to the AIADMK using the good offices of both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Both Modi and Amit Shah are close to Panneerselvam and Palaniswami as the AIADMK has been an alliance partner of the BJP since the 2019 general elections.

With the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in sight, the BJP leadership will try to retain the AIADMK in the NDA fold and hence may not be keen on OPS directly joining the party and instead would try to mend fences between the two leaders.

C. Rajeev, Director, Centre for Policy and Development Studies, a think tank based out of Chennai, told IANS that, "The AIADMK is an important political ally for the BJP and with the saffron party gaining ground in Tamil Nadu after the advent of K. Annamalai as the president, the BJP may not be keen to break the AIADMK as of now. The possibilities of a comeback for OPS into AIADMK cannot be ruled out if the national leadership of the BJP is involved in the matter."