Sarathkumar merges his party, AISMK, with BJP

R. Sarathkumar merges his party with BJP in Tamil Nadu, citing need for strong governance and welfare focus.

Just days after sealing the alliance with the BJP in Tamil Nadu for the upcoming Lok Sabha election, All India Samathuva Makkal Katchi founder and actor R. Sarathkumar on Tuesday went a step further and merged his party with the BJP in the presence of its State president K. Annamalai, Union Minister Arvind Menon and other office-bearers.

Explaining his decision at a media conference, Mr. Sarathkumar, who founded the party in 2007, said the fact that he had to negotiate seat-sharing arrangement during every election and answer questions regarding which party he was going to ally with, had led to an introspection.

“I began to think whether forming alliances during elections and negotiating seats in the alliance is what politics is all about and why I started this party. What about working for the welfare for the people? I began to think why I should not work with (Prime Minister) Modi ji. That’s when I told my wife about my thoughts. She said she would support my decision, come what may. When I communicated my decision to BJP Tamil Nadu president Annamalai and asked if it was possible to merge my party with the BJP, he welcomed it,” he said.

Comparing Mr. Modi with Congress stalwart, K. Kamaraj, he said the former delivered governance similar to what ‘Perunthalaivar’ had done in the past.

Referring to other issues, Mr. Sarathkumar said, “We have to think about how drugs are ravaging the young population in Tamil Nadu and it needs a strong government in the Centre to deal with it.”