Palaniswami meets Amit Shah, discusses prevailing political situation in Tamil Nadu

New Delhi/Chennai: AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Thursday said he had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi to discuss the prevailing political situation in Tamil Nadu, and that they did not deliberate on alliance-related matters.

The AIADMK top leader also categorically ruled out any scope for taking back expelled leaders V K Sasikala and O Panneerselvam into the party and said he was presently engaged in efforts to strengthen the NDA ahead of this year's Assembly polls, likely in March-April.

The former Chief Minister said he called on Shah at the latter's residence in the national capital on January 7 night since he could not meet the senior BJP leader during his visit to Pudukkottai in Tamil Nadu on Sunday.

"I had prior engagements at Salem and Kallakurichi, hence I couldn't meet him. So, I came to Delhi and met him," he told reporters at the New Delhi airport.

Incidentally, the meeting happened on a day when the Dr Anbumani Ramadoss faction of the PMK joined the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu. The AIADMK leader had said more parties will join the NDA in the coming months. BJP is the other constituent of the bloc.

During his meeting with Shah, the two leaders discussed the prevailing political situation in Tamil Nadu and not about alliance or seat-sharing, he emphasised.

Recalling that Amit Shah had said that he would not interfere in the internal affairs of the AIADMK, Palaniswami wondered why the media was raking up the issue of taking back the expelled leaders when he has made it clear several times that Sasikala and Panneerselvam have no place in the party under him.

"Leave it. Why do you harp on it," Palaniswami said.

To a question on the prospects of AMMK leader T T V Dhinakaran, another expelled leader, returning to the NDA, he replied "talks are on with some parties to rope them into our alliance. We will inform you when things are finalised, just as we had informed you yesterday about PMK joining our combine."

For the present, the AIADMK was involved in efforts to strengthen the alliance with the sole aim of defeating the ruling DMK at the hustings, he added.