AIADMK faction clash erupts in Karur as EPS supporters break Karur office lock

Supporters of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam faction led by Edappadi K Palaniswami broke open the lock of the party office in Karur and entered the premises on Wednesday, triggering a ruckus and exposing the deepening factional divide within the party.

The confrontation unfolded after former minister and Karur MLA MR Vijayabaskar, who supports the faction led by SP Velumani, was removed from his party post by EPS. The AIADMK chief replaced him with Kamalakannan as the new Karur District Secretary.

The political tension escalated after 27 AIADMK MLAs led by Velumani voted in support of the TVK party in the Assembly. Following the vote, EPS removed several leaders from party posts and announced new district secretaries, effectively splitting the AIADMK into two factions — one led by Palaniswami and the other by Velumani.

When Kamalakannan arrived in Karur, AIADMK cadres gave him an enthusiastic reception. He garlanded the statues of MGR and J Jayalalithaa before proceeding to the district party office. Finding the office locked, Kamalakannan and his supporters broke the lock, entered the premises and garlanded the MGR statue inside.

Police later asked the supporters to vacate the office, leading to a heated argument between police personnel and Palaniswami supporters. The cadres then staged a sit-in protest in front of the office.

The situation turned more tense when Vijayabaskar arrived at the office. Supporters from both factions engaged in a heated argument before police intervened and brought the situation under control.

Amid the growing factional crisis, senior AIADMK leader CV Shanmugam addressed concerns over increased security at the party headquarters and asserted that genuine party workers would never desecrate the office premises.

“We hear that security has been increased in the AIADMK head office. We want to tell you all one thing: this is AIADMK blood. We are common people who were made MPs and MLAs by the AIADMK party. AIADMK Head Office is seen as a temple by our cadres. We will not go to our party's head office. We, in a legal way, after proving that we are real cadres of AIADMK, will set foot in the AIADMK head office. Nobody needs to fear,” Shanmugam said.

The internal crisis within the AIADMK intensified further after Shanmugam launched a sharp attack on EPS, accusing him of weakening the party and silencing dissenting voices. He said the AIADMK had suffered continuous electoral defeats since the death of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in 2016.

“The defeat faced by the AIADMK in the recently concluded Assembly elections must be discussed. We need to deliberate and analyse the reasons behind these continuous defeats,” Shanmugam said. He also claimed that 26 party functionaries had been removed from organisational posts.

Invoking the legacy of AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa, Shanmugam alleged that the party’s ideology had been diluted under EPS leadership. “The basic policy of AIADMK is diluted by Edapadi Palani Sami,” he said, adding that the party’s founding objective was to defeat the DMK.

Meanwhile, the EPS faction initiated disciplinary action against leaders accused of violating the party whip during the floor test. Several senior leaders, including Velumani, Shanmugam and Vijayabaskar, were removed from organisational posts. Natham Viswanathan was also stripped of his roles as Deputy General Secretary and Dindigul East District Secretary.

The EPS-led faction also submitted a petition to the Assembly Secretary seeking action against 25 MLAs who allegedly voted in favour of the TVK government in violation of the party whip.

The intensifying infighting within the AIADMK has further escalated the political temperature in Tamil Nadu, raising questions over party unity and leadership control ahead of future electoral battles.