4 days ago
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The AIADMK’s district secretaries and office office-bearers connected Tuesday (May 19, 2026) reaffirmed their religion successful the enactment of wide secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami, adjacent arsenic dissidents, led by S.P. Velumani and C.Ve. Shanmugam, kept criticising Mr. Palaniswami’s style of functioning.
Stating this successful a merchandise aft a two-hour gathering astatine the enactment office successful Chennai, the AIADMK attributed to the triumph of 53 candidates enactment up by the enactment and its allies successful the caller Assembly predetermination to Mr. Palaniswami’s State-wide campaign. However, it did not notation the fig of territory secretaries who attended the meeting, arsenic against the full of 82.
Sections of the media reported that erstwhile Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar, who is the territory caput for North Chennai (South-East), skipped the meeting. Mr. Jayakumar remained inaccessible.
But Tiruvallur (West) territory caput and erstwhile Minister Be. Vee. Ramanah, successful a chat with journalists, claimed that astir of the territory secretaries had taken portion astatine the meeting. Those who did not marque it to the gathering did truthful connected relationship of “logistical reasons”, helium added.
R.B. Udhayakumar, Madurai (West-Suburban) territory secretary, wondered whether it would beryllium due for anyone to “abandon” his oregon her “mother” successful times of situation and spell for a “foster mother”.
Meanwhile, Mr. Shanmugam, who addressed the media on with Mr. Velumani, called upon Mr. Palaniswami to convene the wide assembly astatine the earliest and analyse the reasons for the party’s electoral setbacks since the 2019 Lok Sabha election. He besides criticised the wide caput for the mode successful which helium had “treated” the emissaries of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam, and the Puthiya Tamilagam while exploring an electoral tie-up with the AIADMK. “He [Mr. Palaniswami] spoke successful specified a mode that they should not person an confederation with us,” Mr. Shanmugam said.
