Senior AIADMK leader and former minister K.A. Sengottaiyan on 5 September 2025 sent a sharp signal to the party’s leadership, EPS, stressing that electoral victory in Tamil Nadu was impossible unless the AIADMK reunited with leaders who had walked away or been expelled after J. Jayalalithaa’s death.
At a press conference in Gobichettipalayam, Sengottaiyan spoke at length about the party’s past struggles, its present crisis, and the path forward. “A movement should not break up. The reason this movement has survived is because of the millions of volunteers who believe in it. Our responsibility is to protect that faith,” he said, invoking the party’s legacy under M.G. Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa.
“Embrace the one who went out”
Sengottaiyan also urged reconciliation with the ones who have been silent and the ones who have walked out of the party. “We should embrace the one who went out. Those who are silent today should also be brought back. Only then can we achieve victory,” he declared.
He argued that in the absence of unity, the AIADMK would continue to face defeat in elections. Referring to the 2024 Lok Sabha results, he said the BJP alliance did not yield success because the AIADMK house was not in order. “Even a strong national party with us did not bring victory. That is why all sections of this movement must come together,” he explained.
10-day Ultimatum
Sengottaiyan delivered a strong message to the party’s general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS), warning that the AIADMK could not hope for electoral victory without reuniting its divided factions and setting a 10-day deadline for decisive action.
He revealed that a delegation of six senior leaders – himself, S.P. Velumani, Natham Viswanathan, C.V. Shanmugam, Thangamani and Anbazhagan, had earlier urged EPS to begin a reconciliation process: “Six leaders, including Natham R Viswanathan, SP Velumani, P Thangamani, KP Anbalagan, and CV Shanmugam, have met Edappadi K Palaniswami to reunite the expelled leaders, but he did not accept our opinion. The expelled leaders wanted to rejoin the party without any conditions. I am saying this to ensure that the party does not get split. I am ready for any sacrifice. Even when I got opportunities twice, I worked for the party’s unity.”
Sengottaiyan said their appeal was ignored. “If no decision is taken within 10 days, we will all take the lead in implementing it,” he warned, signalling that senior functionaries could bypass EPS if necessary. This also seems to indicate the discontent simmering within the party.
The 77-year-old former minister and nine-time legislator said the decision ultimately lay with general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami, but insisted that leaders who had once held key responsibilities must be reinstated. “The general secretary can decide who should return, but leaders who held key responsibilities must be reinstated. If this does not happen, like-minded leaders will unite and do it,” he warned.
Underscoring the importance of unity, Sengottaiyan cited precedents set by party founder M.G. Ramachandran and his successor Jayalalithaa, who had readmitted critics such as S.D. Somasundaram and Kalimuthu to strengthen the party despite past differences.
Not targeting EPS, but “crores of workers”
When asked if his statements were directed against EPS, Sengottaiyan denied hostility but stressed that his stand reflected the mood of the rank-and-file. “My mindset is the mindset of crores of workers. This is the right time for this movement to succeed,” he said, carefully balancing his criticism with loyalty to the leadership structure.
He repeatedly stressed that his position was rooted not in personal ambition but in concern for the movement. “This is not about individuals. The people of Tamil Nadu want a change in government. But that can only happen if the AIADMK comes together as one family,” he said.
“Movement will not survive on splits”
Drawing from history, Sengottaiyan said the AIADMK had faced existential crises in the past but had survived only because it stayed united. “From MGR’s time to Amma’s time, this movement survived because it did not split. When Amma was alive, there were many challenges, but unity was the shield. If we allow cracks today, the people will lose faith,” he cautioned.
He added that the sacrifices of lakhs of cadres over decades could not be wasted by leadership tussles. “A movement is not about one or two people. It is about the lakhs of cadres who have stood in the sun and rain for years,” he said.
Push for reconciliation ahead of 2026 polls
Sengottaiyan’s press conference comes at a crucial moment, with the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections less than two years away. Within the AIADMK, several leaders fear that without regrouping particularly with OPS and Sasikala’s factions, the party may struggle to mount a serious challenge to the DMK.
Political observers note that Sengottaiyan, a respected senior figure with decades of organisational experience, rarely addresses the press in such direct terms. His intervention is being read as an attempt to nudge EPS towards a course correction, especially after the AIADMK’s recent string of electoral setbacks.
No movement without the people
Throughout his address, Sengottaiyan repeatedly underlined that the AIADMK’s survival was tied to the sentiments of its cadre base. “People want change. People want this movement to succeed. We cannot disappoint them,” he said.
He also highlighted the limitations of alliances and electoral arithmetic in the absence of internal strength. “Alliances alone will not bring victory. Only unity can,” he said.
Sengottaiyan’s intervention is a reminder of the AIADMK’s precarious position: a once-dominant movement now struggling with splits, leadership disputes, and electoral setbacks. His warning that “only unity will bring victory” frames the central dilemma before the party, whether it can put aside personal rivalries and return to collective strength, or risk being sidelined in Tamil Nadu’s political landscape.
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