No talks were held with Amit Shah on AIADMK's internal matters: Palaniswami

Salem (Tamil Nadu), Sep 18 (PTI) AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Thursday asserted that Union Home Minister Amit Shah did not intervene in the internal issues of his party and nothing related to intra-party matters was discussed with him in the national capital.

Speaking to reporters here on his Delhi visit on September 16, when he visited Shah after calling on Vice president CP Radhakrishnan, Palaniswami recalled that on April 11, 2025, when the AIADMK-BJP ties was revived, the Union Home Minister made it clear at that time that he would not interfere in the internal issues of the AIADMK. When that was made pretty clear months ago, fresh claims again and again that Shah's spoke to leaders on AIADMK's internal matters should not be taken up or entertained, he said.

Veteran AIADMK leader K A Sengottaiyan had said on Sep 9 that he met Union Ministers Amit Shah and Nirmala Sitharaman in Delhi and apprised them about unifying and strengthening AIADMK by bringing back expelled leaders into the party fold. Sengottaiyan, who was relieved from his party posts after he set a 10-day deadline to bring back expelled leaders to strengthen the party, said he got an opportunity to meet Shah and Sitharaman in the national capital on September 8. When he met them, the AIADMK veteran said they discussed the current political situation in Tamil Nadu.

Palaniswami said: "I have also made it very clear, no such talks (on internal issues) were held with him (Union Home Minister). Also, he (Amit Shah) did not interfere in the AIADMK's intra-party issues. Let us put a full stop to this." Further, he appealed to media outlets to not present claims that Shah was interfering or intervening in the AIADMK's internal disputes. "It is over," he asserted and without naming Sengottaiyan or anyone else, he added that disciplinary action would be pursued against those who violate the party line on issues.

The AIADMK chief said Shah lauded him over his state-wide campaign and enquired about the constituencies that he visited and the sentiments of the people. On the allegation from DMK and AMMK, that he covered his face with a handkerchief when he stepped out of Amit Shah's residence, the AIADMK top leader rejected it as politically motivated and shameful. Palaniswami said he only wiped his face using a cloth when he came out of Union Home Minister's Delhi residence in a car. Such a claim was for doing "politics" and it was shameful and agonising, he told reporters here.

Senior AIADMK leaders were with him when he met Shah on the night of September 16 and since that meeting took some more time, he told his party leaders that they may leave by 10 PM. They dispersed by that time, and he continued his meeting with Shah for about 10-20 more minutes.

When he exited Shah's residence after conclusion of the meeting, he travelled by a car and at that time, he wiped his face using a cloth. It was filmed by some media outlets and wrongfully portrayed as if he covered his face; it was for doing politics, and such an allegation was shameful and anguishing.

"Is it fair? he asked. Some video clips (shot immediately after Palaniswami's car crossed the barricades placed in front of Shah's residence) appeared as if he was covering his face at least partially using a handkerchief. The AIADMK chief dismissed this as "deliberate and defamatory"; and said media outlets should function impartially. Palaniswami wondered why he should cover his face when he had openly declared well in advance that he will be meeting Amit Shah.

The explanation of the AIADMK chief comes against the background of strong criticism from the DMK and AMMK chief TTV Dhinakaran over the matter. Chief Minister M K Stalin addressing a party event in Karur on September 17 asked, "why a handkerchief for Palaniswami to cover his face ?" On this comment, Palaniswami said it was unbecoming of a chief minister.

Stalin said (on Sep 17), when the AIADMK was asked about its ideology when it was founded in 1972, the party had said that "Annaism" (Dravidian icon CN Annadurai's principles) was its ideology. Under Palaniswami, however, it became "Adimayism," (Servitude) and Palaniswami has now totally surrendered before Amit Shah, the DMK chief alleged. In order to protect himself from "raids", Palaniswami mortgaged AIADMK with BJP, the CM alleged.

Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam chief TTV Dhinakaran had said Palaniswami cannot deceive the people or other parties anymore.

Dhinakaran alleged that Palaniswami covered his face using a cloth when he came out of Amit Shah's residence in a car.

Palaniswami had sent away in advance his senior party colleagues --in a separate car-- and he himself had slowly exited later from Shah's residence, he claimed.

The AMMK top leader, mocking at the AIADMK general secretary, said: "Only Palaniswami has to provide an answer...no one has a necessity to cover the face when they leave the union home minister's residence...everyone knows who met whom...hence, from now onwards we have to address Palaniswami using the moniker 'mask' Palaniswami." Palaniswami told reporters that he travelled only in his official state government car to the residence of vice president Radhakrishnan and union minister Shah. On 27 March, 2025 when Palaniswami met Shah in Delhi, DMK had mocked at him saying he "changed cars" when he went to meet the union home minister in Delhi. PTI VGN VGN KH