Apparently dejected over neglect of the party by NDA in Tamil Nadu, MGR-ADMK, a constituent of the BJP-led alliance at the Centre, is toying with the idea of merging with BJP.
MGR-ADMK General Secretary S Thirunavakkarasu said that senior BJP leaders were equally interested in accepting his party in the BJP-fold. Thirunavakkarasu said that he discussed the issue this morning with Home Minister L K Advani, who termed it as a ''good decision''. The MGR-ADMK leader, who is camping in the capital, had a meeting with BJP President Jana Krishnamurty on Thursday. The BJP Chief, while welcoming the move, assured him that he would discuss the issue with state unit leaders. Party sources said Thirunavkkarasu was unhappy over the neglect of the party in the matters of allocation of seats during the last assembly elections and the recently held civic polls where other NDA partners got more seats than MGR-ADMK. ''We are discussing the possibility of a merger. Talks have been going on with BJP ledership for the last few months, though no formal decision has been taken so far'', Thirunavukkarasu, representing Pudukottai Lok Sabha constituency in Tamil Nadu, said. He said a final decision on the merge was likely to be taken after the return of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee from his foreign tour. Bureau Report