In a fiery response to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s comments on the BJP joining an AIADMK-led government post-2026 Assembly elections, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday accused rivals of deliberately misinterpreting Shah’s words to sow discord within the NDA coalition. Speaking to reporters in Chidambaram, the former Tamil Nadu CM asserted his leadership, stating, “I lead the alliance. Is it not my decision who forms the government and becomes CM? What more clarity do you need?”

EPS clarified that Shah only predicted an AIADMK-led coalition victory, not a coalition government, confidently declaring, “AIADMK will win strongly and form the government as the single largest party.” He dismissed speculations about power-sharing, particularly targeting PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss, who expressed ambitions for his party to join the government. EPS quipped, “Let PMK first join the alliance. They haven’t even sat for the feast, so why talk about serving the meal?” This marks the first public acknowledgment from AIADMK that PMK is not yet formally part of their BJP-led alliance in Tamil Nadu.

The PMK’s push for power-sharing adds complexity to AIADMK’s position, as other NDA allies like AMMK and TMC (M) have already backed the BJP’s coalition government idea. EPS also addressed the PMK’s ambiguous stance within the NDA, noting its alignment with the BJP after AIADMK exited the coalition before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. On AMMK’s role, he confirmed, “BJP and a few other parties are in our alliance,” while firmly closing the door on reconciliation with expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam, a BJP ally, stating, “That chapter is closed.”

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Taking a swipe at the rival DMK-led alliance, EPS alleged that VCK and CPM endure insults from the ruling DMK, citing denials of permissions for CPM’s conference in Villupuram and VCK’s party flagpoles. “Yet they praise this government. Should they stay in such

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