He said the BJP would continue in the part of Atal Bihari Vajpayee when it came to coalition parties.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the BJP would be open to building alliances with Tamil Nadu's political parties ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He said his party would follow in the path of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee when it comes to coalition politics.
Modi's remarks came in a teleconference interaction with BJP workers from Tamil Nadu. He was asked for his views on rumours that the BJP was set to ally with either the AIADMK, DMK or actor-turned-politician Rajinikanth's outfit.
"Even when the BJP won a majority on its own we preferred to run the government with our allies. We cherish our old friends and our doors are always open for parties," he said.
"Twenty years ago, Atal (Bihari Vajpayee) Ji brought a new culture of successful coalition politics in India. BJP has always followed the path Atal Ji showed us. A strong NDA is an article of faith, not a compulsion," Modi added.
The ruling BJP is preparing for an election in which it is likely to go up against an alliance that could consist of a vast number of opposition parties. In Tamil Nadu, the BJP is an insignificant presence at best, and would need an alliance with a stronger political party like the AIADMK or DMK to be able to win a single seat.
The DMK already seems to have thrown in its lot with the Congress, with party chief MK Stalin going so far as to pitch Rahul Gandhi as the opposition's PM candidate. The atheistic DMK had been part of the NDA government of Vajpayee, thanks to its late patriarch M Karunanidhi's adeptness at ideological spin. But with him gone, the DMK may find it harder to justify a truck with the BJP.
The AIADMK however might make a more pliable and willing partner, considering its leadership drought following the death of its supremo, J Jayalalithaa. The party has always been more comfortable with overt religiosity than the DMK. Also, AIADMK leaders like Edappadi K Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam - Tamil Nadu's CM and his deputy respectively - have made sure to stay on the good side of Modi and the BJP.
Speculation has also thrown up a possible tie-up between the BJP and Rajinikanth's yet-to-be-named political party. The superstar's public persona would seem a natural fit for the BJP, even if he remains a first-timer with no electoral experience.
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