CHENNAI: DMDK general secretary Premalatha Vijayakanth on Sunday accused AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami of going back on a written assurance to allot a Rajya Sabha seat, and hit back at his half-per cent vote jibe at her party.
Speaking to reporters in Tiruvannamalai, Premalatha produced a signed letter which, she said, contained Palaniswami’s commitment to allocate one Rajya Sabha seat and five Lok Sabha constituencies to the DMDK in 2024. “He now asks where he signed such a letter. I am placing it in the public domain for the first time. I chose not to release it earlier to respect political dignity. He has compelled me to do so,” she said.
Responding to Palaniswami’s remarks on the DMDK’s electoral strength, she said, “He calls us a half per cent vote party. Why is he uneasy? We stood with him from 2011 to 2026. It does not befit a Chief Ministerial candidate to speak in this manner.”
Premalatha said she had, at the time of the agreement, sought clarity on when the Rajya Sabha berth would be allotted. “He said his word was final and cited past practice since MGR’s time. We trusted that assurance. But in 2025, the promise was not honoured,” she alleged.
Rejecting the description of the DMDK as an ICU party, she said discontent was visible within the AIADMK ranks over the alliance fallout. “Even their former ministers and cadre point out that his decision was wrong,” she said.
Maintaining that her party would adhere to political decorum, Premalatha said the electorate would deliver its verdict against AIADMK.