DMK ally in talks to join NDA: Nagenthran
Tirunelveli:
BJP
state president Nainar Nagenthran said on Wednesday that a key alliance partner of
DMK
is in talks to join the BJP-led
NDA
. "Discussions are underway, but we cannot reveal the details now," he said at a news conference in Tirunelveli.
His response came when asked about Union minister
L Murugan
's recent statement hinting at a possible switch by a DMK ally. Nagenthran also said he would personally review the Keeladi excavation report and submit his recommendations on its credibility to the central govt. "I will study the report in detail and send my feedback," he said, on ongoing criticism by opposition parties that the BJP undermines Tamil heritage.
Reiterating BJP's support for Tamil culture, Nagenthran pointed to several initiatives by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, including translating Thirukkural into 63 languages and organising Tamil Sangam events in Kashi and Gujarat.
"The BJP has always upheld Tamil identity and culture," he said.
He said if the AIADMK-BJP alliance comes to power in
Tamil Nadu
, it will be led by Edappadi K Palaniswami. "It will be an alliance partners' rule, and EPS will be the leader," he said. "Everyone born in India is a Hindu in terms of cultural identity," he said in response to a question. Nagenthran said the BJP-led central govt allocated ₹10 lakh crore to Tamil Nadu over the past 11 years without any financial backlog. "This is the highest level of central support the state received," he added.
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