Srivilliputhur, March 9: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the “daddy” of India as well as of the AIADMK and “we have accepted his leadership,” said Tamil Nadu Minister KT Rajendra Balaji here on Saturday. “When Amma (Jayalalithaa) was alive, she was in full control of the party. Her decisions were her own. So, it was a different time. But in today's context due to the absence of Amma, Modi is our daddy. He is India’s daddy. So, we have accepted his leadership,” he said.

Balaji’s made this observation when the reporters asked him the reason for AIADMK to forge an alliance with the BJP when late party supremo Jayalalithaa did not do so in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The minister further said: “In 2014, Jayalalithaa contest alone to show the strength of Tamil Nadu. Otherwise, she did not have any issue (with Modi). She respected Modi.” Lok Sabha Elections 2019: AIADMK, BJP Sign Electoral Pact; BJP to Contest Poll on 5 Seats in Tamil Nadu.

Last month, the BJP and the AIADMK stitched a deal to fight the coming Lok Sabha polls together in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Under the arrangement, the BJP will contest five out of 39 Lok Sabha seats at stake in Tamil Nadu.