As the tenure of the Tamil Nadu Assembly is to come to an end next year, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Sunday said that his party will forge a mega alliance for the 2026 Assembly election to take on the DMK and win elections. He also targeted Chief Minister M K Stalin over crimes against women and children.
Addressing a public meeting at a conference of the party's Ilaigyargal-Ilam Pengal Pasarai wing, Palaniswami said DMK president Stalin said that the constituents of his party-led alliance in the state were of the same ideology.
"In that case, what is the need for separate parties?, all the parties could be merged with the DMK," he said. As regards the AIADMK, poll alliance and ideology are two different things and alliances are only meant to prevent a split of votes to win elections, he added.
"A very big alliance headed by the AIADMK will be formed for the 2026 Assembly election," he said, adding the people, party office-bearers and workers batted for such an electoral alliance so that the AIADMK could form the next government by winning polls. Acceding to their demand, a "victorious alliance of strength" would be formed, Palanisawamy added.
He also mocked Stalin for his comment that young persons addressed him affectionately as 'Appa' (father), the AIADMK leader referred to crimes against women and children and asked if the chief minister did not hear the 'Appa' cries of women and children who were subjected to sexual harassment and assault.
He also accused the DMK of double standards for taking part in the stamp release event of late Chief Minister M Karunanidhi alongside Union ministers from the BJP. Taking on the I.N.DI.A bloc, the AIADMK top leader claimed that it was in shambles ever since the DMK associated with it and alleged that the constituents are not truly committed to it.
(With ANI Inputs)