Hours before leaving for Delhi to meet Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) openly acknowledged that the BJP-led central government had safeguarded his regime after the death of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.
Speaking at a public meeting in Vadapalani to mark the 117th birth anniversary of former CM CN Annadurai, Palaniswami said loyalty to the BJP stemmed from the Centre’s role in protecting both his party and government during a political crisis.
“At all times, whether while in power or even today, those at the Centre have supported us. After Amma’s demise, some attempted to hijack the AIADMK and dissolve the government. But you all know who saved us… It was those in power at the Centre who came to our aid and safeguarded the party and its government,” he said.
Reciting the couplet “Nandri Marappadhu Nandrandru Nandralladhu…” from Tirukkural, Palaniswami said gratitude demanded that the AIADMK remain steadfast in its alliance with the BJP.
This marks the first time EPS has publicly credited the BJP with ensuring the AIADMK government’s survival for more than four years. Expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam had made a similar claim earlier.
His remarks came ahead of his scheduled meeting with Amit Shah, who had played a central role in reviving the AIADMK-BJP alliance on 11 April 2025 and is reportedly active in managing the party’s ongoing internal turmoil. The visit also followed former minister KA Sengottaiyan’s meeting with Shah last week.
Palaniswami recently removed Sengottaiyan, the Gobichettipalayam MLA, from party posts after the latter pressed for unification with AIADMK splinter groups. Officially, the AIADMK maintained that EPS’s Delhi trip was meant to congratulate CP Radhakrishnan on his election as Vice-President.
(With inputs from DT Next)
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