AIADMK chief EPS meets Amit Shah in Delhi, calls on Vice President CP Radhakrishnan
EPS, as the AIADMK general secretary is popularly referred, was accompanied by party’s deputy general secretary KP Munusamy, headquarters secretary SP Velumani
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) chief Edappadi K Palaniswami on Tuesday called on Union home minister Amit Shah in Delhi, in their first meeting since Shah announced the AIADMK’s return to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in April during an event in Chennai.
The development came on a day when the AIADMK’s ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) held a key meeting in Chennai as part of its preparations for the Tamil Nadu assembly polls slated for next year.
EPS, as the AIADMK general secretary is popularly referred, was accompanied by party’s deputy general secretary KP Munusamy, headquarters secretary SP Velumani during the meeting with Shah.
Though the details of the meeting were not immediately known, AIADMK functionaries indicated that EPS wanted to convey that the party was not willing to take back expelled leaders O Panneerselvam (OPS), TTV Dhinakaran, VK Sasikala, and KA Sengottaiyan.
“There is a section of leaders in the AIADMK who are not keen on inducting the expelled leaders. There was an attempt to include more factions and leaders in the NDA, but it seems the AIADMK is not keen on doing so,” a party functionary said, declining to be named.
The leader added that the BJP has conveyed that it will follow the AIADMK’s lead on forging alliances and other election issues. “The state chief Nainar Nagendran has already said Palaniswami’s decisions will be honoured,” the leader said.
Earlier in the day, the AIADMK leaders called on the newly elected Vice President CP Radhakrishnan in the national capital and congratulated him on his victory. “I congratulated him for his win and wished him success in his service to the people as Vice President and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha,” EPS said in a post on X, sharing a photo of the meeting. Radhakrishnan’s elevation as Vice President was a matter of great pride for Tamil Nadu, he added.
Meanwhile in Chennai, the BJP held a day-long meeting, chaired by party national general secretary (Organisation) BL Santhosh, attended by several senior leaders to chalk out strategies for the next year’s polls, and discuss organisational matters in the southern state.
The meeting started around 9.30am in Akkarai locality, where former state BJP chief president K Annamalai also resides. “There was talk that he may not attend but Santhosh ji met Annamalai at his residence in the morning and Annamalai joined the meeting before lunch,” a BJP state leader who attended the meeting said, requesting anonymity.
EPS and former ministers including SP Velumani, CV Shunmugham, former deputy speaker S Thambidurai called on Shah. “All the other leaders then left and EPS and Amit Shah ji had a personal meeting for about half-an-hour,” said a BJP leader.
An AIADMK leader close to EPS said that he also presented the case that, “It is confusing for cadres when the BJP leadership meets expelled AIADMK leaders.”
EPS also sought for corruption cases against DMK leaders to be fast tracked, the AIADMK leader added. “This meeting would have clarified a lot of confusion in the alliance,” he added.
EPS who did not speak to reporters in Delhi on Tuesday is expected to make a statement before returning to the state on Wednesday around 9am.
The EPS-led AIADMK walked out of the BJP-led NDA in 2023 solely blaming Annamalai for insulting their Dravidian stalwarts. So when the AIADMK re-joined the BJP this April, Shah replaced Annamalai with Nainar Nagendran as the state president for the alliance to work after a bitter separation. Since then Annamalai has not had a formal role but Shah said he would have a role in the party’s national ranks.
But, that has cost allies and former AIADMK leaders OPS, TTV - who were expelled by EPS- to leave the NDA in succession. OPS quit in July. TTV left in August saying that he is willing to re-join the NDA if EPS is not the chief ministerial candidate of the coalition for the 2026 assembly elections.
The BJP has been dealing with internal problems in other NDA partners. A key ally, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) who stayed with the BJP when the AIADMK broke away from the NDA, has split in half between its founder S Ramadoss and his son Anbumani Ramadoss.
