No room for reconciliation with Sasikala, Panneerselvam: AIADMK chief Edappadi Palaniswami

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami, on Thursday (January 8, 2026), reiterated that there was no room for reconciliation with V.K. Sasikala, the former interim general secretary of the party and O. Panneerselvam, the former coordinator, be it in the form of accommodation in the party or inclusion in the coalition headed by the Dravidian major. 

Speaking to journalists at the New Delhi airport, Mr. Palaniswami, who met Union Minister for Home Affairs and BJP’s senior leader Amit Shah on Wednesday (January 7, 2026) night, said he made his position repeatedly clear on this matter. He also recalled that during the revival of ties between his party and the BJP, Mr. Shah had said he would not interfere with internal affairs of the AIADMK. 

To another question on accommodating the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) led by T.T.V. Dhinakaran, the AIADMK leader said he could not reply to “any speculation.” At the same time, he repeated that some more parties would join the coalition, but he refused to divulge further details. 

When it was pointed out that the inclusion of Ms. Sasikala and Mr. Panneerselvam would strengthen the alliance, Mr. Palaniswami replied that his party remained a “strong organisation.” In the 2021 Assembly poll, the cumulative difference between his party and the DMK in 43 constituencies was “only two lakhs.”

He also clarified that he could not meet Mr. Shah when the latter was in Tamil Nadu late last week as he was pre-occupied with his party’s events in Salem and  Kallakurichi. “I have apprised him of the political situation in the State,” Mr. Palaniswami observed. 

Looking back

In 2021 too, Mr. Shah made an effort to get the AMMK, a breakaway group of the AIADMK, admitted into the alliance but he did not succeed. At that time, Mr. Panneerselvam was in the Dravidian major. However, both Mr. Dhinakaran and Mr. Panneerselvam became allies of the BJP during the 2024 Lok Sabha election and present in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which faced the poll on its own.

Months after the resumption of ties between the AIADMK and the BJP in April, the two leaders announced their exit from the NDA. In recent weeks, there had been reports of the two leaders being in touch with the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) led by actor Vijay. On January 4 in Coimbatore, chief coordinator of the TVK’s high-level administrative committee K.A. Sengottaiyan, who joined the fledgling party in November, expressed confidence that Mr. Panneerselvam and Mr. Dhinakaran would become partners of the TVK. 

The DMDK factor

The Desiya Murpokku Dravdida Kazhagam (DMDK), an ally of the AIADMK during the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha polls, is another prospective constituent of the front headed by the Dravidian major.

There are reports in sections of the Tamil media that the BJP is keen on getting the entire coalition stitched up by the end of this month when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Tamil Nadu.

DMK indulging in ‘drama of deception’ over pension row

Further speaking to journalists at the Delhi airport, Mr. Palaniswami accused the DMK regime of trying to enact a “drama of deception” by framing the Tamil Nadu Assured Pension Scheme (TAPS) for the government staff. He told that the TAPS was “no different” from the Centre’s Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) and only “the nomenclature had been changed.”

In the case of UPS, inflation indexation would be based on the consumer price index (CPI), whereas in the TAPS, it would be linked to Dearness Allowance (DA). However, unlike the Old Pension Scheme where upward revision in pension amount would be effected when Pay Commission’s recommendations were implemented once in 10 years, there would be no such provision in the case of TAPS, the AIADMK leader added.