Chennai: Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam’s AIADMK Cadres Rights Retrieval Committee on Thursday announced its exit from the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, ending a year-long association with the bloc.
The decision was made public by senior leader and committee advisor Panruti S Ramachandran, who, flanked by Panneerselvam and other panel members, told reporters in Chennai, “Hereafter, the Committee will not be a part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).” He described the move as a unanimous resolution and said Panneerselvam would embark on a statewide tour shortly. “We will take a call on future alliances depending on the political situation,” he added.
When asked about the reason for severing ties, Ramachandran remarked that it was already well known and “there is no necessity to explain it.” He said he was confident that “a right alliance to lead the people in the right direction will materialise in future.” On whether the BJP had betrayed the panel, he responded, “I need not spell out what the BJP did to the Committee; the nation knows it.” Panneerselvam, known popularly as OPS, met DMK president and Chief Minister M K Stalin twice on Thursday—once in the morning during a walk and again in the evening at Stalin’s residence. Speaking to the press, OPS termed the evening meeting a “courtesy visit” to check on the chief minister’s health following a recent hospitalisation. “There were no political talks,” he insisted. Stalin, in a social media post, thanked OPS for the gesture.
Asked about a possible tie-up with the DMK, Panneerselvam said, “The history shows that there are no friends, no foes in politics. In future, when election nears, anything may happen.” He also conveyed his condolences over the recent passing of M K Muthu, Stalin’s elder brother and son of the late DMK leader M Karunanidhi.
Dismissing suggestions that he had faced humiliation in the NDA, OPS said, “Nothing of that sort happened. I have self-respect in politics. I worked for 25 years directly under Amma’s (late J Jayalalithaa) supervision.” He wished the AIADMK well in its revived alliance with the BJP.
Speculation about OPS’s departure from the NDA had grown after July 29, when he criticised the Union government over the non-release of Samagra Shiksha funds to Tamil Nadu—a rare move for him. Around the same time, his request for a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the latter’s state visit did not materialise. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, however, met Modi at Tiruchirappalli airport on July 26. OPS was also absent from recent events attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
OPS’s group had joined the NDA for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, at a time when the AIADMK was outside the alliance. He has continued to challenge Palaniswami’s leadership after being expelled from the AIADMK in July 2022, but maintains that he remains an “AIADMK man.” While speculation persists about a potential tie-up with Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls, Ramachandran declined to confirm any such plan.