The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam will not ally with the Bharatiya Janata Party in the 2024 general elections, general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami said on Tuesday at the party’s general council meeting, the first gathering after last year when veteran leader O Panneerselvam was expelled.

It was also the first meeting of the party’s highest decision making body after the Election Commission of India recognised Palaniswami as general secretary, who trained his guns against the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, particularly chief minister M K Stalin and his son and sports minister Udhaynidhi Stalin.

“We have already made it clear that there will be no alliance with the BJP. The decision to snap ties with BJP was taken unanimously at a party meeting on September 25,” he said. “This is now giving sleepless nights to Stalin as he knows minority votes will get split. Minorities were cheated by the DMK, but the AIADMK has always stood by them.”

The remarks of Palaniswami is seen as wooing the minorities, who shunned his party due to its four-year alliance with the BJP. “We will seek votes from them by promising to take up their issues in Parliament,” he said. “There is no point in trusting the national parties.”

National parties show a “step motherly” attitude towards states like Tamil Nadu while releasing funds to tackle natural calamities like extreme rainfall and floods, Palaniswami said.

“The state government has been criticizing the Centre on several issues. They don’t know how to seek funds from the Centre. The Centre won’t give funds even if you plead with them,” he said. “How will they give you funds if you don’t make an honest attempt?”

The general council adopted 23 resolutions, out of which 14 targeted the DMK government in Tamil Nadu on various issues ranging from the recent preparedness on the floods to the national medical entrance examinations.

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman visited Thoothukudi district on Tuesday and assessed the impact of floods in various parts. She was accompanied by the state finance minister Thangam Thennarasu and Thoothukudi MP K Kanimozhi. The national leadership have been in touch with the state government for rescue and relief during both cyclone Michaung in Chennai on December 4 and the torrential rains in southern districts on December 17 and 18. “Funds have been released by the Union finance ministry on December 12 itself when extreme rains were forecast in the southern district,” a state BJP leader said. “And it’s certain that the Prime Minister will win a third term for the BJP.”