Jayalalithaa meets PM Modi tomorrow: As BJP eyes alliance with AIADMK, Tamil Nadu CM to push for funds

When Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa meets Prime Minister Narendra Modi over high tea at his residence in New Delhi Tuesday, issues such as financial assistance for the state with a debt burden of Rs 2.11 lakh crore, the release of seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case and a corpus fund to deal with natural disasters are likely to top her agenda.

This will be Jayalalithaa’s first visit to Delhi after being elected CM for the second consecutive term. Her previous visit was in June 2014, immediately after the victory of the NDA government.The top BJP leadership is keen on an alliance with the AIADMK — the third largest party in Parliament — but sources close to Jayalalithaa said that her party would not gain much from such a deal.

“The party is unlikely to strike an alliance with the BJP. An unconditional alliance would compromise its current stand of playing a critical role in selective issues. What do we gain by joining the NDA? They may be desperate for an alliance as they need our support in Rajya Sabha and local body elections in Tamil Nadu later this year,” said a senior AIADMK leader(INDIAN EXPRESS,2016).