Former Minister Sengottaiyan sets 10-day deadline for AIADMK unity talks

Stressing the need for strengthening the AIADMK by readmitting those who had left the party, former Minister and Gobichettipalayam MLA K.A. Sengottaiyan on Friday (September 5, 2025) set a 10-day deadline for the party high command to take steps toward this, so that the organisation could reclaim its past glory ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.

The 77-year-old, a nine-time legislator, said, “The general secretary [Edappadi K. Palaniswami] can decide who should return, but leaders who held key responsibilities must be reinstated. If this does not happen, like-minded leaders will unite and do it.” To drive home the point for unity, he recalled that party founder M.G. Ramachandran and his successor Jayalalithaa had themselves taken initiatives to strengthen the party by readmitting rebel leaders like S.D. Somasundaram and Kalimuthu, notwithstanding their bitter criticism.

Addressing mediapersons at the party office in Gobichettipalayam, Mr. Sengottaiyan, who was swarmed by supporters, for the first time confirmed that after the party’s defeat in the last Lok Sabha polls, six senior leaders of the party, including himself, had met Mr. Palaniswami, urging him to reunite all factions. “But there was hesitation, and our concerns did not materialise,” he said.

He said MGR and Jayalalithaa had secured a permanent place in the hearts of the people through welfare-driven governance. Since Jayalalithaa’s demise, he pointed out, the party had faced elections continuously from 2016, but organisational weakness had hampered its performance.

AIADMK workers gather to support K. Sengottaiyan as he addresses the media
| Photo Credit:
M. Govarthan

Underscoring that cadres were yearning for a united front, Mr. Sengottaiyan urged swift decisions to avoid further setbacks. “If we fail to unite, people and cadres will lose hope, and Amma’s (Jayalalithaa) governance will not return,” he cautioned, appealing to senior leaders to rise above positions and personal interests to restore the party’s lost glory.