In Tamil Nadu, it is often said that the two Dravidian parties maintain a close relationship, acting like brothers who only permit each other to succeed and handling serious issues with minimal criticism. Recent discussions circulating on social media in Tamil Nadu suggest that the DMK and AIADMK are allegedly formulating a plan to counter the growing influence of the BJP in the state. Multiple sources now support and confirm these speculations.
Several instances of ADMK’s past positions, the differences with O Paneerselvam and the more recent issue of the ADMK voicing its dissent to the One Nation One Election policy, it is noteworthy that rather than leading the opposition and robustly criticizing the government to demonstrate strength, Edappadi Palanisami, appears to be focused on consolidating his supporters within the party to secure and maintain his position as the General Secretary. It is also noteable that those who backed him also faced expulsion from the party. Sasikala, who nominated him for the position of Chief Minister, was removed. Dinakaran was also ousted, and O Paneerselvam, who persisted in his fight until the end, was eventually expelled. In the end, they also severed ties with the BJP party that had formed an alliance with them
The ADMK, founded by MG Ramachandran, initially emerged in opposition to the DMK led by Karunanidhi. Following MGR, J Jayalalitha continued the party’s tradition of staunchly opposing the DMK. Whenever she assumed office as the Chief Minister, Jayalalitha would vociferously denounce the DMK, often leading to the imprisonment or legal troubles of former ministers. For instance, during her tenure, the case against the former Higher Education minister Ponmudi was initiated. However, the current General Secretary, Edappadi Palanisami, seems to have deviated from this historical stance, leaving party members and supporters feeling betrayed. It is worth a mention that the ADMK voters never cast their votes specifically for Edappadi Palanisami but rather for the party’s two-leaf symbol.
On 12 February 2022, Edappadi Palanisami announced that the conclusion of the current DMK administration would coincide with the completion of 27 new moons (approximately 2 years). At that point, the state assembly and parliamentary elections would merge, leading to the concept of “One Nation, One Election” (ONOE). He urged ADMK members to be prepared for this upcoming scenario, initiating a campaign to that effect. While representing the ADMK in the state legislative assembly, MLA Thalavai Sundaram spoke when Chief Minister MK Stalin presented a resolution opposing the idea of One Nation One Election.
Thalavai Sundaram’s stance where he initially seemed to support the ONOE and flipping to another stance wherein he mentioned in the Assembly that the support would be offered after a 10-year period after assessing the advantages and disadvantages of the measures taken for their 10 requests is also seen as a move by EPS to cozy up with the DMK.
In 2022, the ADMK initially expressed support for ONOE, but later reversed its position, citing questionable reasons and aligning itself with the DMK’s stance.
DMK in its election campaigns have often made a significant promise was made that if the party came to power, ministers from the ADMK, especially Edappadi Palanisami, would be sent to jail. However, despite the DMK being in power for two years now, no ministers have been arrested or faced charges so far. The converse is also true – Edappadi Planisami adopted a similar position during his earlier term as Chief Minister. This was evident when crucial cases involving prominent DMK ministers such as Thangam Thennarasu, KKSR Ramachandran, and Ponmudi were left purposefully unresolved under his leadership. Therefore, it can be deduced that both parties are currently demonstrating a strong sense of camaraderie by mutually assisting each other.
Contrary to the former Chief Minister Jayalalitha, Edappadi Palanisami failed to address pressing issues like custodial deaths, deaths of pregnant mothers at government hospitals adequately. Instead, he cautiously released statements and distanced himself from the matter.
It seems as if the amicable relationship between Edappadi Palanisamy’s AIADMK and the DMK is mutually advantageous with EPS doing everything he can to strengthen his position, while Stalin’s DMK is also solidifying its position. This collaboration allows Stalin to strategically position his son Udhayanidhi as the potential successor in the future.
On 15 February 2024, Dinamalar covered an initiative by both the DMK and ADMK to counter the increasing influence of the BJP in Tamil Nadu, drawing connections to recent events. In a twist of events, AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi Palaniswami appointed former minister Udayakumar as the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, a role initially intended for O Panneerselvam in the Assembly. However, Chief Minister Stalin unexpectedly endorsed this move, citing consideration of ADMK’s request.
Former Minister KP Munusamy emphasized in the assembly the need for ADMK to limit its criticism of the government, advocating for a collaborative approach between the ruling and opposition parties to prevent external forces from gaining traction. Sengottaiyan, another ex-minister, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that either the DMK or ADMK should govern Tamil Nadu, excluding others. In a concerted effort to hinder the BJP’s rise to the second position in Tamil Nadu politics, Palaniswami and the ADMK have seemingly eased off on pursuing corruption cases, Kodanad murder, and robbery cases involving former ministers, according to the report.
Following Jayalalitha’s demise, the DMK and its coalition partners have openly deliberated on the BJP’s efforts to capitalize on the vacuum created by the absence of ADMK. The rift between ADMK and BJP intensified with Annamalai assuming the presidency of Tamil Nadu BJP in 2021, resulting in the BJP independently participating in the urban local body elections conducted in February 2022.
In addition to this, following Dinamalar’s article that claimed that the DMK and ADMK were working together to bring down a third party that prevented their success, ADMK General Secretary Edappadi Palaniswami stated that Dinamalar was the mouthpiece of the BJP akin to Murasoli that is the mouthpiece of the DMK.
பா.ஜ.,வுக்கு தினமலர்: இ.பி.எஸ்., விமர்சனம்#AIADMK | #EPS | #BJP | #Dinamalar | #murasolihttps://t.co/Gnpw77gBOf pic.twitter.com/u8C2HUJN3o
— Dinamalar (@dinamalarweb) February 16, 2024
(with inputs from Maridhas)
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