Sengottaiyan terms expulsion from AIADMK ‘unjustified’, calls Palaniswami a ‘temporary’ general secretary

A day after his expulsion from the AIADMK for “contradicting the party’s principles and objectives,” senior leader and Gobichettipalayam MLA K.A. Sengottaiyan on Saturday (November 1, 2025) said that Edappadi K. Palaniswami was serving only as a “temporary” general secretary.

His (Mr. Sengottaiyan’s) removal from the party after 53 years of service was “unjustified,” he added. The expulsion without explanation was autocratic and violated party rules, he further said.

“The action against me is painful and unfair. I wish to continue as a member of the AIADMK, and I will file a case in this regard,” he told reporters at his farmhouse in Kullampalayam, after the press meet was shifted from the party office in Gobichettipalayam.

Recalling his long association with the party since 1972, Mr. Sengottaiyan said his loyalty to the AIADMK and leadership of M.G. Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa had earned him ministerial positions. “After Amma’s demise, I ensured the movement did not split and gave up leadership opportunities twice for the sake of unity,” he said. The party had suffered continuous defeats under Mr. Palaniswami since 2019.

“During M.G.R.’s time, there were no defeats. When Jayalalithaa lost once, she worked hard and regained victory. A movement with crores of cadre can win only through unity,” he said.

Mr. Sengottaiyan said he had recommended Mr. Palaniswami for the Chief Minister’s post after Jayalalithaa’s death and had repeatedly urged for unity. “If we fail again in 2026, who will take responsibility? My call was only to start unity talks within 10 days, it was not an ultimatum,” he clarified.

Rejecting Mr. Palaniswami’s charge that he was part of the DMK’s “B team,” he alleged, “He [Mr. Palaniswami] is A1 [Accused No. 1] of the Kodanad heist and murder case,” referring to the 2017 break-in at the estate bungalow of Jayalalithaa, during which a security guard was murdered

Citing M.G.R.’s 1975 rule that the general secretary must be elected by the cadre, Mr. Sengottaiyan said he had only echoed the views of party workers. “Even my expulsion has not followed due process. I will challenge it legally,” he reiterated.