T.N. Assembly election: AIADMK is just a mask for BJP, says Rahul Gandhi at Ponneri

Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday (April 18, 2026) said the AIADMK is “just a mask” for the BJP, which wants a partner in Tamil Nadu that will let it rule the State from Delhi.

Addressing a public meeting in Ponneri, Mr. Gandhi said the AIADMK no longer functions independently and is being used to advance the BJP’s political interests in Tamil Nadu. “There is no real AIADMK. The AIADMK we knew is long gone. What remains is just a mask hiding the BJP. So when you see the AIADMK, its flag, its leaders, remember that they are controlled by Narendra Modi [Prime Minister] and Amit Shah [Union Home Minister] and are being used to attack Tamil history, culture, and language,” he said.