With a party mouthpiece column triggering a debate about a possible alliance with the BJP, the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday sought to play it down saying it stood strong on the foundation of people's support and there had never been a need to go searching for tie-ups.
An 'explanation' published in AIADMK mouthpiece 'Namathu Puratchi Thalaivi Amma' said the original article penned by a columnist that appeared on Sunday in the Tamil daily was not reflective of the party's stand.
AIADMK's stand on various matters were spelt out by the party high command through official announcements, it said, insisting that the Sunday column was "taken out of context".
The party said disciplinary action had been initiated by the daily's management against those who "published the article without approval" as it "paved the way for confusion", it added.
The column had said signs of the AIADMK working with the BJP like a "double-barrelled gun" in the political arena were visible and "no one can sever ties" between them as it hit out at the DMK over the Cauvery protests.
The explanation, issued by the 'editor', said key decisions of a party that has the support of "1.5 crore cadres" would be taken in its decision-making bodies—General Council and the Executive.
"With the strong support of people that will enable it reach the skies by itself, the AIADMK was never in a position to go searching for an alliance... Those who are aware of the sea-sized power of this movement will know that such a necessity has not come up now (also)," it said.
It further explained that any alliance between the AIADMK and the BJP "cannot be decided" by the daily or the political write-ups appearing in it.
The original article, written in connection with the Cauvery issue and arch rival DMK's protests on the matter, sought to highlight the opposition party's "nervousness" and about its plans to "create confrontation" with the BJP-led Centre through such agitations, it claimed.
The DMK planned to "malign" the AIADMK if such 'confrontation' between the Centre and the state ended up affecting the state's interests on the issue of setting up of the Cauvery Management Board (CMB), it said.
The party claimed the DMK did not want the 'decade-long' issue to be solved when the AIADMK was ruling Tamil Nadu, while the BJP was in power at the Centre.
The explanation also said the AIADMK was following the policy of party founder, late chief minister M.G. Ramachandran, in maintaining cordial ties with the central government for the state's welfare.
"Seeking to highlight that such a stand will benefit Tamil Nadu on the Cauvery issue, the columnist had said the central (BJP) and state (AIADMK) governments were working like a double-barrelled gun.
"With this being the situation, it is not fair on the part of some persons to create confusion about an AIADMK-BJP alliance," it added.
The clarification was being issued since the article was being "taken out of context," it said.
Coming out strongly against the persistent protests led by the principal opposition DMK over the formation of Cauvery Management Board, the publication had said "whatever be the number of protests and demonstrations, no one can sever ties between AIADMK and BJP."
Referring to the article, DMK Working President M.K. Stalin remarked that the two parties were indeed a "double-barrelled gun" on issues like Cauvery and NEET.
His jibe came even as top AIADMK leaders—M. Thambidurai and D. Jayakumar—made it clear that only the party high command decides on alliance, and that too during election times.