Edappadi K. Palaniswami; C. Joseph Vijay
| Photo Credit: E. Lakshmi Narayanan; B.. Velankanni Raj

AIADMK’s senior leader and former Education and Health Minister S. Semmalai on Saturday called upon political parties to avoid rolling out a slew of freebies.

Asked whether the spree of freebies, being announced by major political parties as part of their electoral assurances, would facilitate the development of Tamil Nadu, the 80-year-old former Minister replied emphatically: “Definitely not! This should be avoided. Leaders of political parties should realise this.” He added that his prescription was applicable to the Union government too.

Pointing out that the outstanding debt of the State government would exceed the ₹10-lakh-crore mark by 2026-27 from about ₹5.19 lakh crore five years ago, Mr. Semmalai, who represented Salem in the Lok Sabha during 2009-14, contended that this would be double the figure the State had accrued in the last 50 years. “Loans have been taken even to meet the commitment of interest payment.”

Criticising the DMK government for not increasing the capital expenditure substantially in the last five years, the former Minister said the present regime had “frittered away” funds for the purpose of distributing freebies, done keeping with “vote bank politics” in mind. At least in future, there should be higher allocations for capital expenditure to enable the implementation of more infrastructure development projects, eventually triggering the generation of greater revenue.

Clarifying that he was not for the abolition of freebies, he, however, stipulated that freebies be targeted towards the needy, vulnerable sections of society so that the living standards were raised. “Instead of being given as freebies, you can give grants,” he suggested.

Asked about the AIADMK’s freebies, Mr. Semmalai answered that “there is no other way out. Like any other party, we also have to dress up. But, when we come to power, we will correct the trend and provide more funds for capital expenditure.”

On the question of the party suffering frequent electoral setbacks in the last 10 years, the former parliamentarian, who has not sought a party ticket to contest in the coming election, said: “Electoral success or defeat is not important for any political party. What is more important is the party infrastructure and network, which remains intact in our case.”

Head-to-head results

The AIADMK, which had seen its golden jubilee, had defeated the DMK (formed in 1949), at the hustings on seven occasions. After M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) established his party in 1972, former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi could not taste power for 13 years at a stretch, he said.

On three occasions in the past, the DMK did not even secure the position of Leader of the Opposition (LOP) in the Assembly. All these did not render it irrelevant. However, even with the absence of two “towering personalities” (M.G. Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa), the AIADMK [in 2021] had managed to retain the LOP position, apart from its front being able to win 75 seats.

“This was no ordinary performance, as the party had experienced confusion, which arose after the death of Jayalalithaa. On the contrary, in 1991, the DMK bagged only two seats,” Mr. Semmalai recalled.

Asked whether the apparent support among the youth for the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), led by actor-politician Vijay, was a reflection of the failure of the two Dravidian majors to attract the new and younger generation, Mr. Semmalai called the TVK an “untested force” and said not all fans of Mr. Vijay would become workers of the new party. “So, you cannot guess the strength of the party, taking into account the fans.”

To another question whether the TVK founder was following the example of MGR, who was also a matinee idol, the former Minister replied that after establishing the party in 1972, MGR had demonstrated the party’s strength by winning in in the 1973 Dindigul Lok Sabha and 1974 Coimbatore (West) Assembly byelections. In addition to emerging as the single largest party in Puducherry in 1974, the AIADMK had formed the government, Mr. Semmalai recalled.

Published – March 22, 2026 12:39 am IST

Chennai:

Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK has dismissed actor-politician Vijay’s ideology for his Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam, saying he had copied them. Main opposition AIADMK called it a “cocktail” of current political standpoints of various parties.

“These are all our policies, he is copying… whatever he says is what we had already said and which we are following,” DMK leader TKS Elangovan was quoted as saying by news agency Press Trust of India.

In his debut public appearance yesterday, Vijay had targeted the DMK’s first family and even slammed the party’s politics, saying they were “cheating people… in the name of Dravidian model”.

As for the family of MK Stalin, he said, “One family is looting the state” through “underhand dealing”. 

DMK said it has seen many rivals in its long innings. “This is the first conference and let us see, we have seen many parties,” Mr Elangovan said.

Vijay had said his party, he said, would adopt Dravidian icon Periyar’s policy on social justice and women’s empowerment. The other icons of his party, he said, were Kamaraj, NR Ambedkar, freedom fighter Velu Nachiar and revolutionary Anjalai Ammal women icons.

But there was a special clarification — “We will not take Periyar’s ‘No god’ stand, we are against nobody’s faith,” he had said.  

Underscoring his party’s strong ideological moorings and its 75-year journey, Mr Elangovan said the party was built to fight for people’s issues, whereas Vijay’s party aspires to be in power in 2026, within two years of its launch.

Unlike leaders of the DMK, TVK leaders would not fight for people by going to jail. “That is the difference between DMK and other parties…we are strong, we work for the people, we are for the people,” he said.

AIADMK spokesperson Kovai Sathyan congratulated Vijay on entering politics but said he has a long way to go to deliver. 

TVK’s ideology “is a mix of ideology of all parties and old wine in new bottle…a cocktail ideology taken from all political parties in Tamil Nadu,” he said.  

(With agencies) 

Chennai:

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi today said the deaths of five people due to suspected heat stroke after an Indian Air Force show in Chennai was “very painful” and that “unmanageable gatherings” should be avoided, tacitly taking on the IAF that aimed to set a world record by bringing together about 15 lakh spectators.

The air show was held to celebrate the Air Force’s 92nd anniversary and was organised at Marina Beach, which is among the world’s longest beaches.

The Air Force had planned to conduct the mega event to set a Limca Book of World Record by aiming to mobilise 15 lakh spectators. But closer to the air show — scheduled between 11 am to 1 pm — the crowd got so large that the elevated MRTS railway stations along the Marina Beach road had turned into a sea of people.

“It is very painful and sorrowful to know that five people have died due to soaring heat after attending the IAF Air Show at Marina Beach, Chennai. Unmanageable gatherings should be avoided,” Ms Kanimozhi posted on X.

As per reports, there was no adequate arrangement for drinking water in the spectators’ area of the event, which was held on a day when the maximum temperature touched 35 degrees Celsius.

People also had to reportedly walk three to four kilometres on the jam-packed roads to get public conveyance or pick up their vehicles.

The Chennai Police, which said it had deployed 6,500 police personnel and 1,500 home guards for security, is facing flak for poor crowd and traffic management.

AIADMK, BJP Slam DMK Over Chennai Airshow

Leader of Opposition and AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami attacked Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin-led DMK government for the incident and alleged it failed to properly make arrangements for such a significant event.

“On the occasion of the 92nd Inauguration Day of the Indian Air Force, which is one of the most important components of the Indian Defense Department, an air adventure program was staged in Chennai to celebrate the strength of the Air Force. As the notification for this was published in advance, knowing that lakhs of people would come to visit, the Tamil Nadu government informed that arrangements have been made for transportation and basic facilities.,” Mr Palaniswami posted on X.

“However, during the program, administrative arrangements and Crowds and traffic were not managed properly as the police force is also inadequate to regulate. The news is shocking that people were stuck in heavy traffic, even drinking water is not available, and many people have been admitted to hospital due to heatstroke and five people have died so far,” he added.

“This pains me. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families. My strong condemnation of the DMK government for failing to properly coordinate even such an important event,” he said.

BJP national spokesperson CR Kesavan also called out the “negligence and incompetence” of the DMK government.

“Is this the DMK government’s Dravida model of utter negligence and incompetence? Yesterday’s tragedy at Chennai Air Force show very clearly showed that the State Government, led by DMK, was clearly incapable and unprepared to deal with this event… The government arrangements were not up to the mark. They mishandled the situation very clearly,” Mr Kesavan said.

The Air Force is yet to issue a statement on the loss of lives and criticism over its bid to mobilise large crowds difficult to handle.

Chennai:

Two political workers from Tamil Nadu have been murdered in less than 24 hours — one of them in neighbouring Puducherry. Selvakumar, a BJP worker from Sivaganga district was found murdered last night. In neighbouring Puducherry, Padmanabhan, AIADMK’s Ward Secretary from Cuddalore district, was killed.

Selvakumar was president of the party’s district cooperative wing, and an accused in a murder case. Investigators have said the murder had its roots in personal enmity.

A senior officer told NDTV, “Selvakumar was into the brick kiln business… We have identified the suspect. Personal enmity appears to be the cause of murder”.

Padmanabhan was first hit by a car while he was returning on a motorbike. Then he was hacked to death. Investigators from Puducherry have rushed to Cuddalore. Police sources suspect this to be a revenge killing.

This is the third murder of a political functionary this month in Tamil Nadu. A few weeks ago, Armstrong, the state chief of Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party, was hacked to death by a six-member gang. Investigators called it a retaliation murder.

Armstrong was suspected of engineering the murder of an alleged rowdie, Arcot Suresh, last year.  A week later, an NTK functionary was hacked to death in Madurai. The police had attributed it to a land dispute within the family.

In Kanniyakumari, a Congress councillor’s husband, Jackson, a driver, was murdered this morning. The man was hacked to death.  The police are on the lookout for a six-member gang.

The murders have come as a huge embarrassment for the ruling DMK, which recently transferred the Chennai Police chief and the Home Secretary. The new police chief is A Arun and Dheeraj Kumar is the new Home Secretary, but one of the accused in the Armstrong murder case was shot dead after the change.

The Opposition AIADMK is targeting the ruling DMK. Its spokesperson Kovai Sathyan said the murders “clearly illustrate the lawlessness in the state and the incompetence of Chief Minister M K Stalin”.

“MK Stalin should examine if he has the moral right to continue as Chief Minister,” state BJP chief K Annamalai posted on X, formerly Twitter.

The ruling DMK says the law and order situation in the state is far better than in BJP-ruled states. Citing data from the National Crime Records Bureau, it has accused the Opposition of playing politics.

DMK spokesperson Dr Hafeezullah said, “A no-crime situation is utopian across the world. What is important is how the government responds and prevents. Chief Minister M K Stalin has dealt with these firmly and professionally”.

BJP workers, he said, are involved in several criminal cases “including murder and drugs cases and (party chief) Annamalai should introspect if he should continue as state BJP president,” he said.

Even BJP’s Tamilisai Soundarajan has said the party admitted criminals without any scrutiny, which “didn’t happen” when she headed the party.

Chennai:

Tamil Nadu’s main opposition party AIADMK on Wednesday finalised the seat-sharing arrangement for the Lok Sabha polls with allies DMDK, SDPI and Puthiya Tamizhagam.

Announcing the electoral pacts here at the party headquarters, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami said the DMDK would contest from Tiruvallur (SC), Central Chennai, Cuddalore, Thanjavur and Virudhunagar Lok Sabha constituencies.

Puthiya Tamizhagam has (PT) been allocated Tenkasi constituency and SDPI the Dindigul segment, Palaniswami said.

The poll pacts were signed with DMDK general secretary Premalatha Vijayakanth, PT chief K Krishansamy and SDPI’s state unit chief Nellai Mubarak.

On DMK making several assurances in its manifesto for the LS polls, Palaniswami asked if the ruling party has fulfilled promises made ahead of the 2019 Parliamentary election and the 2021 Assembly polls.

“How many assurances has the DMK fulfilled? Ahead of the (2021) Assembly polls, the DMK had repeatedly affirmed that once it captured power it would scrap NEET for Tamil Nadu. Three years have gone by. However, the assurance has not been fulfilled,” Palaniswami said.

Though the DMK has 38 MPs in the outgoing Lok Sabha, they did not exert pressure on the Centre to get NEET annulled. “That is why we say that people of Tamil Nadu will not get any benefit even if they (DMK) win elections,” Palaniswami, the former chief minister, said.

For the DMDK, which was founded by actor-politician ‘Captain’ Vijayakanth in 2005, this would be the first election the party is set to fight after his death on December 28 last year. His wife and DMDK general secretary Premalatha Vijayakanth described the AIADMK as a “natural ally.” She said that a “big victory alliance”, like the one ahead of the 2011 Assembly polls, has been formed again.

“This victory alliance will continue in the 2026 Assembly polls also,” she revealed.

When DMDK aligned with the AIADMK in 2011, history was created with the alliance sweeping the polls. While J Jayalalithaa became the Chief Minister, Vijayakanth got the post of the leader of the opposition, she said.

2011 was a watershed moment for the DMDK, when it won 29 seats as part of the AIADMK-led alliance, pushing DMK to the third spot in the assembly as it managed to secure only 23. This enabled Vijayakanth to become the leader of the opposition.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Krishnagiri/Chennai:

The opposition AIADMK on Thursday said it will not go back on its decision of severing ties with the BJP and reiterated that the party would cobble up an alliance for the 2024 Lok Sabha poll and the next assembly election too.

The party’s Deputy General Secretary KP Munusamy ruled out any scope of reconsidering the decision announced on September 25 under any circumstances, as the AIADMK needed to honour the sentiments of two crore party workers.

Following a meeting chaired by party General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami in Chennai, the AIADMK announced that it was parting ways with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.

“We did not ask the BJP leadership to remove the state president (K Annamalai)” Mr Munusamy told reporters in Krishnagiri.

In Chennai, former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, who was expelled from the AIADMK, accused Palaniswami of breaking the alliance with the BJP.

Speaking to reporters here, Mr Panneerselvam said BJP leaders were in constant touch with him and that he would make his stance known only after the BJP makes a formal announcement about the alliance. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Aam Aadmi Party leader Raghav Chadha on Monday took a break from wedding preps – the Rajya Sabha MP is expected to marry actor Parineeti Chopra in Rajasthan this month – to take a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party after it was dumped by Tamil Nadu ally All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.

Mr Chadha – whose AAP is part of the INDIA bloc – quoted a NDTV alert – and said, “Whenever someone tried to break INDIA, it itself broke and disintegrated… same thing happened today…”

“Our INDIA alliance was strong yesterday and is strong even today… but sadly the NDA (the BJP-led national alliance) which throws stones at other people’s houses could not save its own house.”

जब भी किसी ने ‘INDIA’ को तोड़ने की कोशिश करी, वो खुद टूटकर भिखर गया…

आज भी ऐसा ही हुआ

हमारा INDIA गठबंधन तो कल भी मज़बूत था आज भी मज़बूत है, मगर अफसोस की दूसरों के घरों पर पत्थर मारने वाला NDA अपना घर ही नहीं बचा पाया। https://t.co/OKhfmjXMyd

— Raghav Chadha (@raghav_chadha) September 18, 2023

Mr Chadha’s comment comes amid reports of disagreements and infighting within INDIA, particularly as it negotiates seat-sharing pacts in Bengal, Delhi and Punjab. 

READ | Need To Fight Together With INDIA Bloc: Sonia Gandhi’s Unity Message

The AAP is the ruling party in the latter two states and there are whispers that some within the party do not look kindly on an alliance with the Congress. And in Bengal (and Kerala) there are more than mere whispers after the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said it would not ally with anyone.

READ | Left Blow To INDIA Unity? No Bengal, Kerala Tie-Ups, Say Sources

The CPIM’s main rivals are the Congress and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool.

Nilotpal Basu, a former Rajya Sabha MP, told NDTV “there are differences (within INDIA)… it is a reality” but left his foot in the door, saying the decision “doesn’t negate a (future) alliance”.

However, in Tamil Nadu the Congress and the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam – the AIADMK’s sworn rival – have all but agreed terms to continue what has been, so far, a successful alliance.

AIADMK v BJP In Tamil Nadu?

Earlier today senior AIADMK leader D Jayakumar said his party had broken ties with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party with the 2024 Lok Sabha election and state polls around the corner. 

The party is furious about BJP state unit leader K Annamalai’s comments on the late CN Annadurai, who was AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran’s mentor.

READ | AIADMK Says No BJP Alliance For Now, Will Decide Before Polls

Mr Annamalai frequently mocks both his ally and rival – – leading to talk the BJP is trying to play one Dravidian party against the other to create space for itself in a state that has historically rejected it.

However, top BJP sources have told NDTV the squabble will be sorted out.