Modi doesn’t have finger on Tamil Nadu’s pulse; no talks with BJP: Dhinakaran

Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazhagam (AMMK) chief TTV Dhinakaran said on Sunday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was unable to gauge the pulse of the people of Tamil Nadu though he was a good administrator.

Dhinakaran is the nephew of VK Sasikala, former chief minister J Jayalalithaa's close aide. He was at Pollachi in Coimbatore district on Sunday, to campaign for the assembly polls on April 6.

There is an anti-BJP sentiment in Tamil Nadu because people feel that central schemes are being forced upon them, he said.


"Modi is a very good administrator but unfortunately, he is not able to figure the pulse of Tamil Nadu. He has to do what the people of Tamil Nadu want," Dhinakaran told ET.

Dismissing talk of negotiations with the BJP, Dhinakaran said nobody from the saffron party had approached him.

"The people of Tamil Nadu are totally against both the ruling parties — at the Centre and the state. While the BJP maybe popular in other states, the people of Tamil Nadu don’t want anything to be forced on them," he said.

Dhinakaran said the people wanted a change — not just any change, but one that emulates the policies of Jayalalithaa.

"People are totally against the ruling government and the DMK alliance. They will support us to form the real Amma’s government,” he said. "People have decided it (ruling AIADMK) is not the real Amma’s party as they have deviated from Amma’s path. She (Jayalalithaa) was totally against NEET and many other Central government policies and never allowed them … even GST and the UDAY scheme. These people (current state government) allowed everything.”