AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami has accused eight cabinet ministers in the ruling DMK of being “Ettappan,” a term historically used to brand someone a traitor.
Addressing a public rally in Trichy, Palaniswami charged that these ministers were once part of the AIADMK but later switched sides to join the DMK. Without naming the individuals, he alleged that they had “betrayed” the AIADMK and were now working against the party’s interests.
The term “Ettappan” refers to an 18th-century figure remembered in Tamil history for allegedly siding with the British against freedom fighter Veerapandiya Kattabomman. By invoking this label, Palaniswami sought to project the defectors as political turncoats who had abandoned their loyalty for personal gain.
The remarks come amid intensifying political sparring between the AIADMK and DMK. The opposition has been consistently critical of the Stalin-led government on multiple fronts, and Palaniswami’s latest attack is seen as part of the ongoing war of words between the two Dravidian parties.