COIMBATORE: AIADMK general secretary and leader of opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami on Monday kick-started his campaign for the 2026 Assembly election from Coimbatore by challenging the DMK’s main criticism of his party’s alliance with the BJP.
Pointing to the DMK’s past alliances with the BJP (in 1999 and 2001), he asked how the national party was considered good when it suited the DMK and communal when AIADMK made an alliance with it and said the alliance was forged to defeat the enemy.
Beginning his campaign — ‘Let’s Protect the People, Let’s Save Tamil Nadu’ — well ahead of his rivals after offering prayers at the Vanabadrakali Amman temple at Mettupalayam, he took part in a roadshow on the Mettupalayam to Ooty road.
Then he addressed a public meeting alongside BJP state president Nainar Nagenthiran, Minister of State for Information Broadcasting L Murugan, and former AIADMK minister SP Velumani, at Mettupalayam bus stand.
“If you (DMK) make an alliance with the BJP, then it would be considered a good party. However, DMK is accusing the BJP of being a communal party after the AIADMK made an alliance.
Except for this, CM MK Stalin could not level any other charge against the AIADMK-BJP-led alliance. DMK cadres were central ministers during the BJP-led central government for five years,” he said.
“Hereafter, Stalin cannot cheat the people of Tamil Nadu,” EPS said.
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“Currently, the BJP government is strong, and DMK will see its end in the results of the 2026 Assembly polls,” EPS claimed, and further questioned the DMK about what schemes were rolled out for the people of TN when the DMK was part of the central government during its alliances with both the BJP and Congress.
“The DMK’s aim is to loot using the central ministerial berth. Stalin’s dream of winning the upcoming election in Tamil Nadu will not materialise by accusing the BJP-led government of not releasing funds to Tamil Nadu.
DMK has made an alliance with the Congress, which implemented the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA), and Stalin says that he was also arrested under the law. We have made an alliance with the BJP only for the welfare of the people. And what is wrong with making an alliance with the BJP?” he asked.
“An alliance is being made to defeat the enemy in the election, and our alliance will be formed to implement various welfare schemes and uplift the common people. At the same time, parties in the INDIA bloc are falling out of the alliance,” he said.
Earlier, EPS met with farmers and weavers at Mettupalayam. A group of farmers thanked EPS for implementing the Avinashi-Athikadavu project, and requested him to commence its second phase.