AIADMK revolt intensifies: Former ministers Velumani, Viswanathan push EPS to reorganise party
Criticising Palaniswami’s failure to secure or maintain alliances with parties like the BJP, DMDK, and TVK, Velumani and Viswanathan argued that the return of V.K. Sasikala and T.T.V. Dhinakaran into the AIADMK fold is necessary
Criticising Palaniswami’s failure to secure or maintain alliances with parties like the BJP, DMDK, and TVK, Velumani and Viswanathan argued that the return of V.K. Sasikala and T.T.V. Dhinakaran into the AIADMK fold is necessary.
Criticising Palaniswami’s failure to secure or maintain alliances with parties like the BJP, DMDK, and TVK, Velumani and Viswanathan argued that the return of V.K. Sasikala and T.T.V. Dhinakaran into the AIADMK fold is necessary.
Criticising Palaniswami’s failure to secure or maintain alliances with parties like the BJP, DMDK, and TVK, Velumani and Viswanathan argued that the return of V.K. Sasikala and T.T.V. Dhinakaran into the AIADMK fold is necessary.
Former ministers S.P. Velumani and Natham Viswanathan on Sunday launched a fresh attack and renewed the pressure on AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami, seeking the return of former chief minister Jayalalithaa’s close aide V.K. Sasikala and T.T.V. Dhinakaran back into the party fold, as well as the reinstatement of more than 400 expelled functionaries.
In a two-page letter, Velumani and his faction have blamed EPS's “flawed political strategies” and “wrong decisions” for AIADMK's defeats in the 2021 and 2026 Assembly elections, and the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
Criticising Palaniswami’s failure to secure or maintain alliances with parties like the BJP, DMDK, and TVK, Velumani and Viswanathan in their letter argued that the return of V.K. Sasikala and T.T.V. Dhinakaran into the AIADMK fold is necessary to strengthen the party for the 2031 election. EPS had time and again had resisted this move and had always been against the re-induction of Sasikala, OPS and Dhinakaran into the party. While Dhinakaran had launched his own party and OPS had joined the DMK, the Velumani faction insists on Sasikala’s return into the AIADMK.
While the crux of the letter seeks the reinstatement of Sasikala, Dhinakaran and 400 functionaries, their fresh salvo against EPS have deepened the crisis within the AIADMK, which has already been witnessing erosion. Their fresh allegations against him in the joint statement have also deepened the ongoing feud within the AIADMK.
Through the letter, Velumani and Viswanthan insisted that EPS should follow the principle of “forget and forgive”—the strategy adopted by MGR and Jayalalithaa while spearheading the leadership of the party. They also requested EPS to accept differing views within the party and restore the positions of those removed after May 13, 2026, but who continued to remain with the AIADMK.
Incidentally the letter comes a day after EPS had assigned tasks to Velumani and Viswanathan to lead the party’s protest rallies on August 14 against the ruling TVK government in Ramanathapuram and Theni. The two, along with C.Ve. Shanmugam, had also called on TVK general secretary and water resources minister N. Anand.