TIRUCHY: Union Home Minister Amit Shah held closed-door talks with AIADMK organisational secretary S P Velumani in Tiruchy on Sunday and Monday, which, according to BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan, were a routine meeting by the leaders of alliance parties.
Monday’s meeting at a hotel in the city lasted around two hours. The media saw Velumani entering the hotel premises ahead of the meeting.
Shah arrived in TN on Sunday and attended the valedictory function of the BJP’s statewide outreach programme, ‘Tamilagam Thalainimira Tamilanin Payanam’, led by Tamil Nadu BJP president Nainar Nagenthran, in Pudukkottai.
Sources indicated that Shah and Velumani also met on Sunday evening which was reported by TNIE.
A senior AIADMK leader and a local leader, on the condition of anonymity, said Velumani held the meeting with Shah on the direction of AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami. Later Velumani also held talks with BJP’s Piyush Goyal, the election in-charge for TN.
Earlier on Monday, Shah participated in Pongal celebrations organised by the BJP Mahila Morcha at Mannarpuram in Tiruchy as part of the party’s cultural outreach programme, ‘Namma Ooru Modi Pongal’. The event featured the preparation of Pongal in 1,008 pots, with hundreds of BJP cadres participating. Shah did not address the gathering or deliver Pongal wishes.
Responding to queries on the absence of a speech, Soundararajan told reporters at the hotel that Shah had conveyed Pongal wishes to those on the dais in Hindi. While reacting to questions on Shah’s meetings with Velumani, Soundararajan said there was nothing unusual about the interaction, stating that leaders of alliance parties routinely meet and hold discussions.
Reacting to Congress leader K Selvaperunthagai’s remark that Shah’s visit would strengthen the INDIA bloc, Soundararajan said the NDA would instead grow stronger and that more parties would join the alliance ahead of the 2026 polls. It was widely expected that Palaniswami would hold discussions with Shah during his two-day visit to Tiruchy, but EPS did not travel to the city.