Taking a dig at former AIADMK leaders who quit the party to join the DMK recently, Leader of the Opposition and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Wednesday (August 13, 2025) said that former party leaders A. Anwhar Raajhaa and V. Maitreyan will not stay in any political party permanently.

Mr. Palaniswami’s reaction comes in the wake of Mr. Maitreyan, former AIADMK Rajya Sabha MP, joining the DMK on Wednesday in the presence of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin at Anna Arivalayam, Chennai.

Soon, Mr. Palaniswami announced Mr. Maitreyan’s expulsion from the party. “In a democratic country, any leader can join any political party. They [Mr. Raajhaa and Mr. Maitreyan] have not stayed in any political party permanently. Only we [AIADMK] know what happened within the party for their exit,” he said.

The AIADMK general secretary was speaking to reporters in Tirupattur as part of his State-wide tour. In July, Mr. Raajhaa, who was formerly the Minister for Labour in the AIADMK government from 2001 to 2003, joined the DMK in the presence of Mr. Stalin in Chennai.

The former Chief Minister indicated that more like-minded political parties will join the AIADMK-BJP-led front in the State in the coming months, ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls. He insisted that the coalition led by him will be the deciding authority on which political party should be in their alliance.

Further, the AIADMK leader strongly opposed the United States imposing a 50% tariff on Indian imports. “We are completely against the tariff imposed on Indian goods by the U.S. The Centre should take constructive steps to resolve the issue amicably,” he said.