DMK leaders, including Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, are said to be unsettled by DMDK general secretary Premalatha Vijayakanth’s continued campaign remarks that are being interpreted as attacks on the DMK, despite her party being part of the alliance.
According to the report, Premalatha held talks with both the AIADMK and the DMK before finally joining the DMK-led front. The DMK leadership allotted the DMDK a Rajya Sabha MP post and 10 Assembly seats, a move that reportedly drew criticism from other alliance partners who questioned the scale of the allocation.
The report also notes complaints that Premalatha did not show due regard to some alliance leaders during campaigning, with related clips circulating on social media. It says Stalin later called her and offered advice.
At a meeting in Salem, Premalatha reportedly said the only allegation being raised against the Stalin government was that sexual violence and drug culture had increased in Tamil Nadu, leaving leaders on stage “shocked,” the report claims. Later, while campaigning at Tirupparankundram for DMK candidate Krithika Thangapandiyan, she spoke about the hilltop lamp being lit and said discussions should focus on improving people’s living standards—remarks that DMK members reportedly viewed as indirectly critical amid the ongoing controversy.
DMK functionaries quoted in the report said the alliance decision was influenced by election strategists who felt it would help if a woman leader from a non-DMK party highlighted the government’s women-focused schemes. They expressed concern that Premalatha’s comments could affect the campaign, while social media users from the DMK side accused her of acting like an “AIADMK sleeper cell,” the report added.
