The other major Dravidian party in Tamil Nadu AIADMK, on the other hand, has had a different approach to the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.
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AIADMK’s J Jayalalithaa was the CM of Tamil Nadu when Babri Masjid was demolished in 1992
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She had actively expressed her support for the Ram Mandir movement but had also called for a mosque to be built at the disputed site
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Karunanidhi had even accused Jayalalithaa of sending karsevaks to demolish Babri Masjid, which the latter had vehemently denied
During Jayalalithaa’s time, the AIADMK had forged brief alliances with the BJP in 1998 and 2004. Post her death, the parties mended their ties in 2019, only to part ways again in September 2023 owing to AIADMK’s differences with BJP state chief Annamalai.
On Wednesday, 24 January 2024, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami said that “people won’t vote for the BJP just because a temple was built.”
The leader, who had also skipped the consecration ceremony, went on to add, as per TOI: “Not just temples, we have extended support for the construction of mosques and churches too. The AIADMK is beyond religion and caste.”