Former minister and AIADMK’s organising secretary P Thangamani speaks to TNIE about the party’s criticism of the DMK over power tariff hikes and the kidney trafficking row. Edited excerpts:
In the run-up to the election, how are you assessing the mood in Tamil Nadu and the public response?
There is a strong response for our party across the state. At the ground level, there is a clear expectation for change in leadership. People are looking forward to having AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami as the next chief minister, and want the DMK government voted out. Women, in particular, are raising concerns over safety and many feel a return of EPS-led governance would restore stability.
AIADMK has criticised the DMK for the hike in electricity tariffs. However, the DMK alleges that during AIADMK’s tenure, when you were electricity minister, the UDAY scheme was signed and that is the main reason for the tariff hike. How do you respond to this?
I already clarified this in the Assembly, but the DMK continues to repeat a politically convenient narrative. The UDAY scheme, in its original form, had provisions on periodic tariff revision and agricultural metering. All other states signed the agreement, but Tamil Nadu did not. When Amma (J Jayalalitha) was the chief minister, she refused to accept those conditions, demanded their removal, and insisted on modifications after discussions with the Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal. Only after those provisions were removed and revised did Tamil Nadu sign the agreement. During our tenure, there were no arbitrary tariff increases as they claim. The current burden on consumers is entirely the result of the failure of DMK’s administration.
DMK says it is a ‘Tamil Nadu vs Delhi’ contest, while TVK frames it as ‘DMK vs TVK’. With AIADMK often absent in this framing, do you see your party losing ground or relevance?
They deliberately bring in a ‘Tamil Nadu vs Delhi’ angle as a political strategy to consolidate minority votes and divert attention from the real contest. On ground, none of these narratives hold water. The public is very clear in its assessment, and we are confident of securing a single majority on our own.
How do you see TVK in the state’s political landscape, and how do you assess their impact?
TVK is driven largely by cinema popularity and fan sentiment, not organisational strength. Such fan base enthusiasm does not automatically translate into votes in Tamil Nadu’s political environment. Here, elections are decided by governance, structure, and credibility. At this stage, TVK will not alter the electoral equation. If voters are dissatisfied with the DMK, the natural alternative continues to be AIADMK. Vijay’s entry will not impact AIADMK’s core vote base or its prospects.
Was AIADMK ever willing to bring Vijay into the NDA? During the October campaign in your constituency of Kumarapalayam, EPS was seen pointing to TVK flags being waved at the rally and said people there had signalled the start of a possible alliance.
Palaniswami has already made this position very clear on multiple occasions. We were not trying to bring Vijay into our alliance, and there were no alliance talks at any stage. Any such interpretation is incorrect.
Youth voters are playing a key role this poll, with TVK appealing to them and DMK also targeting Gen Z through initiatives like “Vibe with MKS”. What is the AIADMK doing to connect with young voters?
Youth support has always been with AIADMK. The DMK won with big promises on education loan waivers and employment, but none of them have been fulfilled. Instead of jobs and industrial growth, there is only publicity-driven governance while unemployment continues to rise. As a result, the DMK has lost credibility among young voters, and that gap is clearly visible on the ground.
Kidney trafficking cases from your constituency have drawn national attention. What are the factors that led to such a situation emerging here?
This is a direct consequence of economic distress under the DMK government. Small industries and MSMEs have been severely hit, pushing many families into financial stress. When livelihoods collapse, people become exposed to exploitation. The hospital where the illegal trade happened is also linked to a DMK MLA.