Panneerselvam snaps ties with NDA

Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam-led AIADMK Cadres Rights Retrieval Committee on Thursday walked out of the BJP-led NDA coalition, a year after joining the bloc.

Incidentally, the deposed AIADMK leader twice met DMK President and Chief Minister M K Stalin in the day. He later told reporters he was not insulted in NDA.

Panruti S Ramachandran, a veteran leader and advisor to the Committee announced the decision to leave NDA.

Speaking to reporters, Ramachandran, flanked by Panneerselvam and panel leaders said: "Hereafter, the Committee will not be a part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)."

The decision to move away from the NDA was unanimous, he said answering a question.

On behalf of the Committee, its chief, Panneerselvam will soon commence tour of several parts of the state and it has been resolved to decide on the question of alliance in future according to the political circumstances, he added.

Asked on the reasons for quitting the NDA, Ramachandran said the reason was widely known and there was no necessity to explain it.

He expressed confidence that "a right alliance to lead the people in the right direction will materialise in future."

Asked if the BJP has betrayed Panneerselvam-led panel, Ramachandran said he need not spell out what the BJP did to the Committee as the nation knows it.

To a question, Panneerselvam said he met Stalin here during his morning walk on Thursday and that he moved on after conveying his pleasantries.

Hours after severing ties with NDA, Panneerselvam called on CM Stalin here at his residence in the evening, his second meeting with the chief minister on the same day, leading to speculations.

Panneerselvam told reporters that his meeting with the chief minister was a "courtesy visit," to enquire about his health. "There were no political talks," he asserted.

Stalin underwent a therapeutic procedure on July 24, 2025, at Apollo Hospital here and he was discharged on July 27 after successful recovery. The CM was admitted to the hospital on July 21, after he experienced giddiness during his morning walk.

When asked if there is a possibility of forming an alliance with the DMK in future, the former CM said: "The history shows that there are no friends, no foes in politics." In future, when election nears, anything may happen, he said.

Meanwhile, Stalin in a social media post thanked Panneerselvam for his kind enquiries.

Also, recently, late DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi's first son M K Muthu passed away and he enquired about it with Stalin, Panneerselvam said.

Asked if he was insulted in the NDA, he answered in the negative and added, "nothing of that sort." 'I have self-respect in politics, I worked for 25 years directly under Amma's (late J Jaylalithaa) supervision."

He said he was extending his wishes to the AIADMK for returning to the NDA fold.

As regards the former CM parting ways with the BJP, it became clear on July 29 when he strongly condemned the union government for not releasing 'Samagra Shiksha' funds to Tamil Nadu. Before that, he had not criticised the Centre.

Popularly known as OPS, Panneerselvam's attempt to get an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Tamil Nadu on July 26 and 27 also did not materialise.

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami met the Prime Minister at Tiruchirappalli airport on July 26 night. Also, Panneerselvam had not been invited when Amit Shah visited the state in recent times.

OPS partnered with the NDA for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and at that time, the AIADMK was not part of the BJP alliance as it had pulled out of the coalition in September 2023. In April this year, the AIADMK revived ties with the BJP.

Panneerselvam, who was expelled from the AIADMK on July 11, 2022, continues to contest the leadership of Palaniswami. Attempts of OPS and his supporters aimed at rapprochement have so far not yielded results.

To this day, OPS has maintained that he is an "AIADMK man," and had ruled out floating a separate political party and the BJP top leadership had asserted that it would not interfere in the internal affairs of its ally, the AIADMK.

Of late, there has been speculation that OPS may strike an alliance with actor-politician Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam for the 2026 Assembly polls as the BJP did not show clear signs of accommodating him.

However, Panruti Ramachandran, while speaking to reporters on Thursday, did not give a categorical answer to a related question.