New Delhi/Chennai: (Mar 26) As his meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah has set off speculations regarding an electoral alliance, AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday declined to categorically say if his party would align with the BJP or not for the 2026 Assembly election.
He asserted that alliances are formed only at the time of elections.
Briefing reporters in New Delhi on meeting Shah on Tuesday along with party leaders, Palaniswami said his party brought to the notice of the minister several issues faced by Tamil Nadu.
“We have urged expeditious release of funds, the release of which is delayed.”
The former chief minister said he sought the release of pending funds to Tamil Nadu from the union government under schemes, including the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and those related to education (SSA).
“Tamil Nadu is continuously following the 2-language policy and it should be continued. Also, the proposed delimitation of Parliamentary constituencies should be done in a manner that does not adversely impact Tamil Nadu,” he said.
The Godavari-Cauvery river linking plan should be expeditiously implemented, and funds must be released for the Nadanthai Vazhi Cauvery scheme. The Centre should not allow the construction of the Mekedatu dam across the Cauvery river and must act as per the Supreme Court order.
Be it the “prevalence” of drugs the Rs 1,000 crore TASMAC ‘scam’ being probed by the Enforcement Directorate, Shah listened to such issues patiently and has assured all necessary support to Tamil Nadu, Palaniswami said.
When asked on his meeting with Shah on Tuesday and on the possibility of an electoral alliance with the BJP, he wondered if the election has been announced and asked the need to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the question of allying.
A decision on alliance would be taken only at the time of elections, he said, and asked scribes to recall the timing of announcements on the forging of alliances for past elections, be it the 2019 Lok Sabha or the 2021 Assembly election. AIADMK and the BJP had faced both elections as allies.
“Alliances change as per the demands of circumstances, and these are different from ideology and policies, which are permanent,” he said.
He wondered if the parties that form part of the DMK-led alliance would be part of the ruling party-led bloc all the time and underscored that it was not so.
He affirmed that alliances change as per the political situation. Elections are due only next March, he said and asked if a comment on alliance was needed now “one year before,” and blamed “sensationalism” in media.
Against the background of the AIADMK leaders including him, time and again dismissing the scope for an alliance with the BJP, ever since it snapped ties with the Saffron party in 2023, the former chief minister said the state assembly election is due only after a year and it was hence, premature to comment about alliances.
