Alliance with BJP continues, no issues with Annamalai, says EPS
New Delhi/Chennai (PTI): AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) on Thursday said his party's alliance with the BJP continued and insisted there were no issues with the saffron organisation's Tamil Nadu President K Annamalai.
The AIADMK chief's remarks came in the backdrop of reported differences between the two parties, who had fought the 2019 Parliamentary polls and the 2021 Assembly elections as allies.
The AIADMK leader was addressing reporters in Chennai a day after he met BJP veteran and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, along with that party chief JP Nadda in the national capital.
"We had aligned with the BJP for 2019 Lok Sabha polls and it continued during the 2021 (TN) Assembly polls, as well in the Erode by-poll (earlier this year). It (alliance) does continue," he asserted.
Asked if his "differences" with Annamalai figured in his meeting with Shah on Wednesday night, EPS dubbed the question as "wrong."
"We have no issue with Annamalai. If that be the case, would he have campaigned during the (recent) Erode East bypoll. Only the media is asking such questions to create rift," Palaniswami alleged.
Whether it is AIADMK or the BJP, everyone will look at ensuring their party's growth.
"The parties in our alliance are ones which function independently, unlike those in the DMK-headed coalition...everyone has their ideology and will function accordingly. As an alliance we will work unitedly and AIADMK's policy is to ensure the victory of alliance parties' candidates," he said.
Incidentally, Annamalai had late on Wednesday tweeted a picture of EPS's meeting with Shah and Nadda, where the Tamil Nadu BJP president was also present.
Palaniswami was accompanied by senior party leaders and former ministers SP Velumani, C Ve Shanmugam, P Thangamani, K P Munusamy and D Jayakumar during his meeting with the BJP leaders.
To a question on his rival and deposed party leader O Panneerselvam, EPS charged the former was functioning as the ruling DMK's "B-team."
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Rare Kalyani Chalukya-era stepwell discovered in Karnataka’s Gadag district
Gadag: A centuries-old stepwell from the Kalyani Chalukya period is discovered into public in Sudi, a remote village in Karnataka’s Gadag district. The Nagakunda Pushkarani, dating to the 10th-11th century CE, is undergoing extensive restoration under the Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage’s ‘Adopt a Monument’ scheme.
The stepwell was focal point of community life and craftsmanship under the reign of Akkadevi, sister of Chalukya king Jayasimha II. It shows the dynasty’s mastery of architecture and water management. Its interior walls are carved with the precision of temple façades, setting it apart from most surviving stepwells in southern India, linking it stylistically to examples in Gujarat and Rajasthan.
After centuries of neglect left its sculptures weathered and its waters dry, the site is now being revived by the Deccan Heritage Foundation India in partnership with Heritage Matters, the Gandipet Welfare Society and the Water Literacy Foundation according to a report published by The HIndu. Work includes structural repairs, removal of invasive vegetation, dredging, stone resetting and landscaping, alongside the restoration of an adjacent mantapa with a large Ganesha idol.
Heritage architect B. Sarath Chandra noted, the project is as much about functionality as aesthetics, with water recharge efforts already underway. Funded by Gandipet Welfare Society founder Rajashree Pinnamenni, the restoration is slated for completion by late 2025, followed by a second phase linking the stepwell to the Jodu Kalasadagudi temple through landscaped pathways.
The report mentions that officials say the revival of Nagakunda Pushkarani could not only reintroduce Sudi’s Chalukya heritage to a wider audience but also serve as a model for conserving other lesser-known monuments across Karnataka.
