'Modi is their favourite ghost': Zoho's Sridhar Vembu attacks DMK, AIADMK for 'demonising' BJP in Tamil Nadu

Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu on Sunday accused the DMK and AIADMK of using the BJP as a political "ghost" to preserve what he described as Tamil Nadu's "cozy duopoly." He said both Dravidian parties had built their politics around opposing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and keeping the BJP out of Tamil Nadu.

"In Tamil Nadu, the BJP being in power at the centre has been used by essentially all the parties to demonize them. The DMK made 'attack Modi' as their only plank," Vembu wrote in a detailed post on X. He referred to the AIADMK as "EdappadiDMK," adding that the party "would have done the same thing if the Congress had switched over to them."

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Using a Tamil phrase, Vembu compared anti-BJP politics in the state to "பூச்சாண்டி காட்டுதல்," or invoking a ghost story to scare children. "Modi is their favorite பூச்சாண்டி," he wrote.

Vembu argued that when parties say they want to "keep the BJP out of Tamil Nadu", they are actually saying "we don't want competition for our cozy duopoly." He pointed to Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry, where the BJP has allied with regional parties, and said those states were "doing fine" and "making excellent progress."

"The 'difference' was the BJP getting into alliance with these same parties (EDMK or DMK) that want to openly or secretly suppress them in TN," he wrote.

The remarks came after the BJP managed to win just one seat in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly despite contesting 27 seats in alliance with the AIADMK. The party's statewide vote share fell to around 3%, sharply below the double-digit support it had secured in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in the southern state.

Actor Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam emerged as the single-largest party with 108 seats, while the DMK won 59 and the AIADMK secured 47 seats.

Vembu also backed former Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai, saying he had begun building "a genuine political movement" in the state. "Annamalai was making progress, but he needed a lot more time. He was creating a genuine political movement, he invited youth to be active in politics, and he had massive engagement," Vembu said.

He said the BJP should now focus on nurturing "good youthful passionate leadership", building the party from the grassroots, and avoiding alliances with parties that claim "TN is different."

"TN is Bharat. We have to fight this subterranean separatism," he wrote.

Vembu also said he would not enter active politics despite supporting grassroots political work. "I would have volunteered for this assignment too (I love building up from zero!), but I am neck deep in tech, and Bharat needs deep tech," he stated. "To be very clear, I will state my political views (my right to free speech), but I will not be in active politics."