Two AIADMK factions reunite after fortnight-long power struggle; cracks yet to be sealed

CHENNAI: Chennai: The bitter fortnight-long power struggle within AIADMK ended in a fragile truce on Wednesday, with the rebel camp led by C Ve Shanmugam and S P Velumani negotiating a patch up with party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami after days of intense negotiations.

Shanmugam, however, remained firm in his decision not to accept Palaniswami’s leadership. He is contemplating resigning his MLA post as well, a move that caused some unease among his supporters in his native Villupuram district, sources said. When reporters gathered at his office asked him about the developments, he declined to comment.

Former minister Velumani announced that the party had resolved its internal differences and was now united, downplaying the rift as a “difference of opinion” rather than a split. He asserted that Shanmugam, who spearheaded the revolt, continued to remain with the party.

“We are united. There is no split as suggested by sections of the media; there is only a difference of opinion. Now, it has been sorted out. We will work together under the leadership of brother Palaniswami,” Velumani said after withdrawing the petition submitted to speaker J C D Prabhakar on May 13. The petition had sought the appointment of Velumani as party’s floor leader and the disqualification of Palaniswami and 21 MLAs aligned with him.

The rebel camp submitted a letter from Palaniswami requesting the speaker not to initiate action against the MLAs under the anti-defection law. Prabhakar summoned every MLA who signed the letter to validate the submission. Though Palaniswami had issued a letter for Shanmugam along with 16 others, the latter did not appear in person.

“I will examine the representations from both camps and announce my decision by Thursday,” the speaker said.

Ahead of their visit to the secretariat, Velumani and 14 other MLAs met Palaniswami and expressed regret over the cross-voting that had triggered the rebellion. Former minister K C Veeramani said, “It is over. We are united like a mother and her child.”

Despite the public truce, legal and political fault lines persist. Sources close to Palaniswami said their petition seeking action against the rebel MLAs remained alive. They are likely to proceed legally against four legislators, including Maragatham Kumaravel (Madurantakam-reserved), P Sathyabama (Dharapuram-reserved), S Jayakumar (Perundurai) and Esakki Subaya (Ambasamuduram), for resigning as MLAs and subsequently joining the ruling party.


Senior leaders later visited Shanmugam’s residence once again to persuade him to formally accept Palaniswami’s leadership. But the efforts ended without success, underscoring that the uneasy ceasefire may have halted the revolt, but not fully healed the divisions within AIADMK.

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