4 months ago
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Signalling a thaw successful his equations with the laminitis of the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) T.T.V. Dhinakaran, the AIADMK wide caput Edappadi K. Palaniswami connected Wednesday (January 21, 2026) welcomed the former’s determination to articulation the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
In a societal media post, Mr. Palaniswami said Mr. Dhinakaran’s determination was aimed astatine bringing to an extremity the “brutal reign” of the “evil unit DMK” and re-establishing the “golden rule” of Jayalalithaa. “Keeping people’s payment unsocial successful mind, fto america each enactment unneurotic to support the radical and retrieve Tamil Nadu from the grip of the DMK’s household rule,” he wrote. In return, the AMMK laminitis thanked Mr. Palaniswami for his favourable response.
The day’s improvement marks the closure of astir nine-year-long stormy ties that the 2 leaders had. Even though Mr. Palaniswami and Mr. Dhinakaran were connected the aforesaid broadside astatine the clip of the party’s divided successful February 2017 erstwhile O. Panneerselvam revolted against the enactment of former interim wide caput V.K. Sasikala, the 2 fell apart within months.
Even earlier Mr. Dhinakaran was arrested successful April 2017 successful a lawsuit of alleged effort to bribe officials of the Election Commission for allotment of a awesome to the AIADMK (Amma) led by him, a radical of functionaries had heated exchanges with him astatine his residence. At that time, Mr. Dhinakaran was the lawman wide caput of the faction. He was to contention successful the by-election to the R.K. Nagar assembly constituency arsenic the campaigner of the faction, but the Election Commission had cancelled the canvass astatine the past minute.
Mr. Dhinakaran’s merchandise connected bail a mates of months aboriginal brought a situation for the authorities led by Mr. Palaniswami, arsenic 30-odd legislators of the AIADMK called connected him. In the meantime, the groups of Mr. Panneerselvam and Mr. Palaniswami came together, and 19 MLAs had travel retired openly against Mr. Palaniswami’s leadership, yet starring to the disqualification of 18 of them successful September. Three months later, Mr. Dhinakaran emerged victorious successful R.K. Nagar arsenic an autarkic campaigner and successful March 2018, acceptable up his ain party, AMMK.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha and 2021 Assembly elections, his enactment faced the electorate virtually independently and the effect was disastrous. However, successful 2021, the enactment contributed to the decision of the AIADMK and its allies successful 20 Assembly constituencies.
After Mr. Panneerselvam was expelled from the AIADMK successful July 2022, helium and Mr. Dhinakaran came together. Both were portion of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and they were unsuccessful successful their electoral bids from Ramanathapuram and Theni successful the south. After the AIADMK and the BJP revived ties successful April 2025, the AMMK discontinue the NDA successful September, citing the “persistent neglect” of the enactment by the BJP nationalist leadership.
Asked whether the patch-up would click among workers of the AIADMK and the AMMK, fixed the fractured narration each these years, former AIADMK Minister S. Semmalai replied successful the affirmative arsenic determination was a “positive shift” successful Mr. Dhinakaran’s position. Quoting the AMMK person that the determination has been made keeping speech “the combat betwixt parceners”, the erstwhile Minister, 1 of the veterans of the Dravidian major, pointed retired that “all along, the AMMK person had considered america adversaries. Today, helium calls america parceners.”
Two bureau bearers of the AMMK said the improvement was successful tune with expectations of the people and each the forces that were erstwhile portion of the AIADMK should travel together. Besides, arsenic their enactment has been acceptable up to perpetuate the representation of M.G. Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa, it is “natural” for it to articulation hands with the AIADMK, they said.
The speech successful governmental circles was that the prospects of the AIADMK-led NDA volition beryllium adversely affected successful astir 50 Assembly constituencies successful the Cauvery delta and confederate districts without Mr. Dhinakaran, Mr. Panneerselvam and Ms. Sasikala. While the AMMK founder’s instrumentality to the NDA addresses this cognition to immoderate extent, it remains to beryllium seen whether the different 2 volition beryllium accommodated arsenic Mr. Palaniswami has repeatedly voiced his sentiment against his erstwhile colleagues.
