CUDDALORE: AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday reiterated his cautious stance on Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s repeated assertion that the BJP will join the AIADMK-led government after winning the 2026 Assembly poll, and alleged that misinterpretation (of Shah’s remarks) is an attempt to drive a wedge among allies in the NDA coalition.
Posing a series of rhetorical questions to reporters when asked about Shah’s comments on coalition government during a media interaction in Chidambaram, the former CM asked, “Who is leading the alliance? It’s me. Is it not my decision on who will form the government and who will become CM? What more clarity you need?”
“He (Shah) only said our coalition will form the government. He did not say it will be a coalition government,” EPS said. “AIADMK will win strongly. Thani perum aatchi amaikkum (We will form government with our own majority/as single largest party),” he added.
Responding to the statement of Anbumani Ramadoss, president of PMK, another potential ally, that his party too wanted to be part of the ruling government, EPS said, “Let them first join the alliance. They have not even sat for the feast. Why are they talking about serving the meal before that?”
DMK insulted VCK, CPM; we will roll out red carpet for allies: EPS
Anbumani had made the remark that his party should be part of the government for the welfare of Tamil Nadu, as part of his statement on the PMK’s 37th founding day. This is the first time that the AIADMK had openly acknowledged that the PMK is not officially part of the AIADMK-BJP alliance in TN yet.
The PMK joining the chorus for power sharing puts AIADMK in a further awkward position since AMMK and TMC (M), which are part of the NDA, have already endorsed the BJP’s coalition government idea.
Palaniswami’s remarks on the PMK also gains significance as the party has maintained a status akin to that of Schrödinger’s cat when it came to whether it continued in the BJP-led NDA or not, amid the ongoing power struggle between Anbumani and his father and party founder S Ramadoss. The PMK sided with the BJP when the AIADMK quit the NDA ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
To another question on whether the T T V Dhinakaran-led AMMK is part of the alliance, EPS said, “BJP is in our alliance. A few other parties are also there.”
On the possibility of reconciliation with former CM and expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam, an ally of BJP, he said, “That chapter is closed.”
VCK, CPM continuing with DMK despite insults
Palaniswami also alleged that the VCK and CPM were continuing in the DMK-led alliance despite being insulted by the ruling party.
On the other hand, AIADMK is rolling out a “red carpet” for anyone willing to join the alliance, he said. He alleged that the CPM was denied permission to hold a conference in Villupuram while the VCK was denied permission to erect even party flagpoles.
“Yet they call this government wonderful. Should you continue in that alliance even after facing such insults,” he asked the DMK allies.
(With inputs from Chennai)