EPS is our leader: AIADMK 'rebel' MLA denies split in party after CM Vijay snub

A day after failing to secure berths in Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay’s Cabinet, a key leader of the rebel AIADMK faction denied reports of a split in the party, asserting that they had no intention of breaking the AIADMK.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, senior leader SP Velumani said AIADMK general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) remained their leader and that the rebel camp only differed with the party leadership over the reasons behind the party’s defeat in the Assembly elections.

“EPS is still our leader. We just want him to convene a meeting of the general council to discuss the party’s loss in the recently concluded polls,” Velumani said.

He said the rebel MLAs were not seeking ministerial positions in the Vijay-led government and alleged that a campaign was underway to tarnish their image.

“We are very clear that the people have supported the TVK while the AIADMK has suffered a defeat,” he added.

Notably, fellow rebel leader CV Shanmugam was not present during Velumani’s interaction with the media.

Velumani, along with 24 other rebel MLAs, had earlier backed the TVK-led government during the floor test in the Assembly. The AIADMK won 47 seats in the recent election, behind TVK’s 108 and the DMK’s 59.

Velumani’s apparent volte-face is likely to put speculation over a split in the legislature party to rest — at least for now.

Since the TVK emerged as the single-largest party in the Tamil Nadu Assembly election, reports have repeatedly surfaced about a section of the AIADMK either extending support to Vijay’s party or merging with it.

While Palaniswami has consistently denied any split and maintained that the party remains united behind him, Velumani and Shanmugam had earlier urged him to step down from the leadership role.

The crisis escalated during the May 13 floor test, when 25 rebel AIADMK MLAs voted in favour of the TVK government while the rest of the party opposed it.

Following the split in the legislature party, EPS removed several rebel leaders from party posts and initiated disqualification proceedings against the MLAs who backed the government.

However, Shanmugam claimed that Palaniswami had no authority to remove them from party positions and termed the action “invalid”.

Despite voting in favour of the TVK government, the rebel faction’s hopes of securing ministerial posts were dashed after the VCK and Left parties warned Vijay against accommodating them in the Cabinet, threatening to withdraw support otherwise.

TVK, which fell 10 seats short of a majority in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, is currently being supported by allies including the Congress, VCK, IUML and the Left Front.

With the Cabinet expansion now complete and all ministerial berths filled, Velumani’s remarks appear aimed at politically repositioning the rebel faction with the AIADMK.

- Ends