The internal power struggle within the AIADMK intensified sharply on Tuesday after senior leader C Ve Shanmugam publicly dismissed any possibility of an alliance with the DMK and asserted that the majority of the party's MLAs had thrown their support behind former minister S P Velumani as the leader of the AIADMK legislature party.
Addressing reporters following another round of consultations with MLAs and district secretaries, Shanmugam stated that proposals to form a government with DMK support were fundamentally opposed to the core principles of the AIADMK. He said, "Some people proposed that the AIADMK legislative party should form a government with the support of the DMK. This is against the founding principles of our party because AIADMK was created to uproot the DMK, which we consider an evil force in Tamil Nadu."
These remarks come amid deepening turmoil within the party following its electoral defeat and the widening rebellion against AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS). Shanmugam noted that repeated election losses had prompted internal calls for a comprehensive review of leadership and strategy.
"In the recently concluded election and even in the previous election, we suffered defeat. We requested the general secretary to convene a General Council meeting to discuss the reasons behind these defeats and to decide the future course for the growth of the party," he said. He further alleged that a proposal had emerged within one section of the party to seek power with DMK backing, but claimed that the majority of AIADMK legislators strongly opposed this move.
"Our legislators and cadres are against aligning with the DMK. If the AIADMK joins hands with the DMK, the party will be wiped out in the future. Therefore, the legislative party passed a resolution opposing such a proposal," Shanmugam asserted.
In a major show of strength against the EPS camp, Shanmugam announced that the majority of MLAs had elected S P Velumani as floor leader of the AIADMK legislature party, while G Hari was chosen as deputy leader. He further claimed that Palaniswami had proposed becoming chief minister with DMK support, but the idea was rejected by most legislators.
"Edappadi K Palaniswami had proposed that he would become chief minister with the support of the DMK; however, the majority of legislators did not accept this proposal," Shanmugam alleged.
According to him, the legislature party had instead decided to remain outside any alliance for now while extending support to the TVK government headed by actor-politician Vijay. "The AIADMK is not in an alliance with any party and a new alliance must be formed. Accepting the people's verdict, the AIADMK legislative party has decided to extend support to the TVK government," he said, while insisting that the party would remain united despite the internal crisis.
S P Velumani also sought to downplay speculation of a split and said the dissident camp's actions were aimed at protecting the party. "We have no intention of splitting the AIADMK. We are concerned about the AIADMK," Velumani said.
The latest developments come amid competing claims over the AIADMK legislature party leadership. While EPS has staked claim as legislature party leader in his capacity as party general secretary, the rival Velumani-Shanmugam bloc has submitted separate representations seeking recognition for Velumani.
The ongoing crisis is widely seen as the most serious internal revolt in the AIADMK since the split that followed the death of J Jayalalithaa in 2016.
