AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami has scaled down his criticism of the DMK, a shift that has sparked unease within the party, according to party functionaries.
For decades, Tamil Nadu politics was dominated by alternating DMK and AIADMK governments, with both sides routinely targeting each other. However, after the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) formed the government, the pattern of political attacks has changed, they said.
Palaniswami has been issuing statements sharply criticising the TVK government on issues such as law and order, sexual crimes and power cuts. But he has largely avoided referencing the previous DMK government, even though, party leaders argue, some of the current problems have roots in the earlier administration.
They also pointed to the Mekedatu dam issue, claiming the DMK was responsible for an amendment inserted into a resolution passed in the Assembly. Even while opposing that inserted portion, Palaniswami did not criticise the DMK, they said.
Some within the AIADMK believe the near-total absence of the DMK in his recent statements—allegedly under instructions to focus only on TVK—adds weight to former minister C.V. Shanmugam’s allegation that Palaniswami had tried to form an alliance with the DMK. They warned that dropping the party’s long-standing anti-DMK stance could hurt AIADMK politically.
