AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami<\/a> met Union Home Minister Amit Shah<\/a> Wednesday, sparking rumours of a re-alliance between their two parties ahead of next year’s Tamil Nadu election.<\/p>\n

However, Mr Palaniswami, or EPS, as he is known, downplayed that speculation.<\/p>\n

“Poll alliances are discussed closer to elections… nothing now,” Mr Palaniswami – who led his party away from the BJP two years ago, in an attempt to revive political fortunes that have been falling since the death of ex-Chief Minister and party icon J Jayalalithaa in 2016 – said after the meeting.<\/p>\n

Stressing there was no alliance talk, he said the meeting was to discuss people’s “issues” and the disbursal of funds for railways projects and the MNREGA employment guarantee scheme.<\/p>\n

EPS said he also urged Mr Shah to order an inquiry into the alleged TASMAC scam and called for stringent action against the guilty. The scam – which, like the liquor policy scam that roiled Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP in Delhi and helped the BJP win that election – refers to Rs 10,000 crore in alleged irregularities<\/a> the Enforcement Directorate has claimed in the state-owned liquor sales agency.<\/p>\n

The alleged TASMAC scam is set to become a major issue in next year’s election, with the ‘Hindi imposition’ and delimitation rows, as the BJP tries to win a state that has historically rejected it.<\/p>\n

\n

Delhi | AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami says, ” Various issues of Tamil Nadu were discussed with Union Minister Amit Shah. We stressed two-language policy should continue in the State. Requested to release funds and implement various schemes for Railway projects” pic.twitter.com\/UyTCGknpt0<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 ANI (@ANI) March 26, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“I raised the collapsing law-and-order situation in Tamil Nadu… the safety of women… the liquor and drugs menace. And I urged the centre to not permit the Makedatu project,” he said.<\/p>\n

The project is the construction of a reservoir across the Cauvery river in Karnataka’s Ramanagara district. This, Tamil Nadu has argued, will reduce water flowing downstream to it.<\/p>\n

The AIADMK and BJP were allies for the 2019 Lok Sabha and 2021 state elections but lost both – to the DMK-Congress pair – by large margins.<\/p>\n

Ties between the AIADMK and BJP deteriorated rapidly after 2021, with the latter’s state unit chief, K Annamalai, taking pot shots at the Tamil party’s past and present leaders, including founder and ex-Chief Minister MG Ramachandran, who has legendary status in the state.<\/p>\n

READ |\u00a0<\/strong>“Happiest Moment”: AIADMK Ends Alliance With BJP, Exits NDA<\/a><\/p>\n

The AIADMK demanded Mr Annamalai apologise for his remarks, which he refused to do, and so, in September 2023, a few months before the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the parties split.<\/p>\n

Since then there has been periodic talk of the two resuming their alliance, but it never became anything more than speculation.<\/p>\n

NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link<\/a> to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat. <\/em><\/p>\n

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