CV Shanmugam; Edappadi K Palaniswami

NEW DELHI: Senior AIADMK leader CV Shanmugam on Sunday launched a sharp attack on party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, alleging that a significant portion of the party’s recent electoral success came due to its alliance with the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK).He claimed that 31 of the 47 seats AIADMK won in the recent Tamil Nadu assembly elections were effectively “alms” given by its ally PMK, led by Anbumani Ramadoss.“They shamelessly claim victory in 47 constituencies. How is that a victory? Out of those 47 seats, 31 constituencies are alms given by,” Shanmugam told reporters in Tindivanam, visibly angry.He asserted that without the PMK alliance, AIADMK would have suffered heavy losses in northern Tamil Nadu and even struggled in key regions, including Palaniswami’s own strongholds.“If not for the alliance with the PMK, the AIADMK would have stumbled into a victory or lost heavily in northern districts like Ariyalur, Cuddalore, Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore, Dharmapuri, and even in Salem,” he said.Shanmugam also accused Palaniswami of weakening the party’s ideological identity, alleging that a small “clique of sycophants” had insulated him from ground realities, with cadres and second-line leaders “leaving the party like a deck of cards.”Invoking party history, he referred to AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran’s expulsion from the DMK, arguing that leaders branded as “traitors” in the past had gone on to shape political outcomes.He further said that since the death of J. Jayalalithaa, the party has suffered repeated electoral defeats and declining vote share, while the leadership had failed to acknowledge responsibility.“Amma had the stature to say, ‘I take responsibility for this defeat’. But today, the current leadership refuses to even acknowledge failure and lives in a dream world,” he remarked.He warned that unless corrective action is taken immediately, the party could face further political consequences.(With PTI inputs)