The rebellion that fizzled: AIADMK factions call truce as flock returns to EPS
AIADMK rebellion, which began with 25 MLAs defying the party whip and supporting the Vijay-led TVK government during confidence motion on May 13, initially appeared capable of permanently destabilising Palaniswami’s leadership
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (PTI Photo) After nearly two weeks of public rebellion, dramatic speeches, competing petitions, resignation shocks and negotiations over ministerial berths, the rebel faction inside the AIADMK decided on Wednesday to return to the official faction.
The rapprochement came only after the rebel bloc led by former minister S P Velumani began visibly shrinking, with resignations, defections and quiet returns to Edappadi K Palaniswami’s camp threatening to politically isolate the faction that had stunned Tamil Nadu politics earlier this month by backing Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay during the Assembly trust vote.
By Wednesday afternoon, leaders from both sides were speaking the language of reconciliation. The same legislators who recently accused each other of forgery, betrayal and conspiracy now arrived together before Assembly Speaker JCD Prabhakar, requesting that no action be initiated against rebel MLAs under the anti-defection law.
“There is no split in the party, only differences of opinion,” Velumani told reporters after meeting the Speaker alongside several MLAs and senior leaders. “We are all united.” The speed of the reconciliation reflected the rapidly changing arithmetic inside the Assembly.
The AIADMK rebellion, which began with 25 MLAs defying the party whip and supporting the Vijay-led TVK government during the confidence motion on May 13, had initially appeared capable of permanently destabilising Palaniswami’s leadership. Rebel leaders openly demanded an internal review of repeated electoral defeats and hinted at broader dissatisfaction with the party’s functioning after yet another crushing election loss.
But within days, the rebellion itself began to fracture. Three rebel MLAs – Maragatham Kumaravel, S Jayakumar and P Sathyabama – resigned from the Assembly and later joined the ruling TVK. Another rebel MLA, Esakki Subaya, followed soon after. Meanwhile, several others quietly drifted back to the EPS camp.
The possibility that TVK could slowly convert resignations into by-election victories – part of what some AIADMK leaders sarcastically described as “Operation L” – appears to have alarmed both factions enough to halt the fight inside.
As survival had overtaken rebellion by Wednesday, former minister K C Veeramani tried to compress the party’s emotional journey into one memorable line: “It is over. We are all together like mother and child.”
The AIADMK’s IT wing simultaneously attempted to project strength online, insisting there was “no division” in the party and describing it as an “iron fortress” built on the sacrifices of cadres – an image that contrasted sharply with the previous week’s scenes of MLAs resigning, offices being locked, and factions accusing each other of betrayal.
Notably absent from Wednesday’s reconciliation exercise was senior leader C Ve Shanmugam, one of the rebellion’s sharpest voices. His absence immediately triggered speculation inside party circles about whether the truce was complete or merely tactical. When asked whether he would be meeting Palaniswami, he said, “No comment.” The Speaker confirmed receiving fresh representations from both factions and said he would announce his decision on Thursday after examining all petitions.
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