AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday urged party functionaries to secure victory in an upcoming Assembly by-election and “teach traitors a lesson,” according to remarks made at a meeting in Chennai.
Palaniswami held consultations with district-level office-bearers from Pudukkottai and Cuddalore at the party headquarters in Royapettah. He alleged that some people were shifting to the ruling party to protect their accumulated wealth, and said the party need not be concerned about such defections.
He also criticised the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam government, claiming its “showmanship” was not resonating with the public and that its focus was on making reels and advertisements. In contrast, he said the AIADMK remained a movement that stayed close to the people and could not be separated from them by electoral setbacks.
Stressing the importance of the party and its ‘Two Leaves’ symbol, Palaniswami said a by-election was expected soon in the Viralimalai constituency. He called on cadres to begin intensive work immediately, expressing confidence that the AIADMK would win and use that victory to send a clear message to those he described as traitors.
Meanwhile, Panruti AIADMK MLA Mohan, who had been part of a group dissatisfied with Palaniswami, attended the meeting. Speaking to reporters, he said Palaniswami was the party’s leader and that they would work together as one team behind him.
