COIMBATORE: AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday said the DMK government is now on ‘ventilator support’ and its alliance may disintegrate before the 2026 Assembly polls.

Countering criticism by Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin that AIADMK is in ICU, the leader of the opposition, while addressing a public campaign in Anaimalai near Pollachi, said it’s the DMK which is on ventilator support and may survive only for another seven months.

Dismissing allegations by DMK that AIADMK got fragmented, Palaniswami reiterated that AIADMK remains united and will prove its strength in the Assembly polls.

“It’s the Chief Minister MK Stalin, who is betraying his alliance parties and engulfing them. So, the DMK’s alliance parties should stay alert to save themselves. We don’t have to break your alliance, but it will happen naturally. As the popularity of DMK has dwindled, the DMK has taken up membership drives by knocking at the doors of people who are waiting desperately for a regime change,” he said.

Delving further into the issue, Palaniswami said the communist party leaders have contradicted DMK’s claim of having fulfilled 98 per cent of poll promises.

“Let’s wait and see whether the DMK alliance will stay together at least till the ensuing polls,” he said.

Criticising Stalin’s claim that DMK and its alliance partners share a similar ideology, Palaniswami said each party should have a different ideology.

“If all your alliance partners share the same principle, then why do they remain as different parties? The AIADMK’s stance is that ideology and alliance are different issues,” he said.