NEW DELHI: The gloves are off in Tamil Nadu’s political ring ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) on Saturday hit back at chief minister M K Stalin, claiming the DMK chief is “daydreaming” of a comeback and “rattled” by the announcement of a renewed AIADMK-BJP alliance.
“Stalin is clearly struggling and writhing in pain after Union home minister Amit Shah’s announcement,” said EPS, taking sharp aim at the chief minister for branding the alliance as corrupt and doomed to fail.
Earlier in the day, Stalin had dismissed the AIADMK-BJP tie-up, saying, “It’s the same alliance Tamil Nadu voters have repeatedly rejected. Shah has just rebranded a failed formula.”
In response, Palaniswami invoked a Tamil proverb: “Uppu thinnavan thanneer kudippaan” — suggesting Stalin must now face the consequences of his political missteps. “He keeps lying, slandering the AIADMK, and doing photo shoots every day,” EPS said, accusing Stalin of being more focused on optics than governance.
EPS, a former CM himself, didn’t hold back. He alleged Stalin’s government was “incompetent” and relied on painting the BJP as a villain to distract from its own failures. “He’s screaming because Amit Shah spoke the truth about the DMK’s scams,” EPS added.
With war drums beating louder on both sides, Tamil Nadu is clearly headed for a heated political showdown in 2026.
