‘I welcome him with open arms’: DMK chief Stalin calls Panneerselvam ‘dear brother’

CHENNAI: DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin welcomed former CM and expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam into the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), calling him a “dear brother” and praising his humility and virtues.

“Former Chief Minister and dear brother Thiru. O. Panneerselvam has joined the mother organisation, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. I welcome him with open arms. He, who bears the name of the great leader of the Dravidian movement, has joined our great movement to safeguard the Dravidian movement’s ideology”, he posted on X.

Stalin said the 2026 Assembly election is a democratic battle against the BJP, and various democratic forces are joining the DMK alliance. He described former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam as a humble and virtuous leader.

“The 2026 Assembly election is a democratic battle between Tamil Nadu and the fascist BJP. It is with this realization that various democratic forces are joining the DMK alliance. Our brother who has joined us, Thiru. O. Panneerselvam, is a loving person, a virtuous person, a humble person! May his arrival be for the welfare! May Tamil Nadu triumph!,” Stalin added.

#WATCH | Chennai, Tamil Nadu: Former Chief Minister and expelled AIADMK leader O. Panneerselvam joins DMK in the presence of party chief and CM MK Stalin, Deputy CM Udhyanidhi Stalin and others.

(Video: DMK) pic.twitter.com/Y4RbQMmrdp

— ANI (@ANI) February 27, 2026

Earlier, Panneerselvam on joined Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (DMK) in the presence of party chief and CM M K Stalin in Chennai. Along with OPS, his son P Ravindhranath Kumar also joined DMK ahead of the forthcoming Tamil Nadu polls. This comes after Panneerselvam’s praise for Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and his prediction regarding the return of the DMK government in the state.

O Panneerselvam was expelled from the AIADMK after a leadership tussle with Edappadi K Palaniswami back in 2022. OPS emphasised that he had joined DMK to put a full stop to his “bitter experience”.

“The decision I’ve taken is my own, to put a fullstop to the bitter experience for me. I thank CM and DMK President Stalin for accepting me to join DMK. I have joined DMK with full joy. EPS is behaving as a dictator and he has created a situation where AIADMK cannot get victory hereafter,” Panneerselvam told media persons.

Panneerselvam on Friday asserted that he has, with “full joy”, became a part of the Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (DMK) and alleged that AIADMK general secretary Edapaddi K Palaniswami was acting as a “dictator” within the party. OPS emphasised that he had joined DMK to put a full stop to his “bitter experience”.

He further stated that EPS has made sure that no leader from southern part of the country becomes strong and also credited CM Stalin for providing good governance within Tamil Nadu. OPS added that DMK is working towards making “Dravidian Model” strong and said that he would work towards the party’s development.

“Stalin is giving good governance to people, and people are watching it…EPS is keen on making sure no leaders from the South become strong. To save Dravidian Movement, policy of the Dravidian, it’s the DMK which is working. I have just joined as a cadre. I will be one among the party cadres and work for the party’s development,” O Panneeselvam said.

Meanwhile, AIADMK leader RB Udhayakumar hit back at Panneeselvam, stating that disciplinary action was taken against him years ago, and his joining DMK won’t have any impact in the Tamil Nadu state polls.

The 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly will go to the polls in the first half of 2026, where the MK Stalin-led alliance will look to project the ‘Dravidian Model 2.0’ for the win against the BJP-AIADMK alliance. Actor-turned-politician Vijay’s entry with his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is expected to turn the Tamil Nadu polls into a three-way contest.

In the 2021 polls, the DMK won 133 seats in the 2021 Assembly polls. Congress won 18, PMK won five, VCK won four, and others won eight seats. The Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), led by DMK, which consisted of Congress, won 159 seats collectively. While the NDA won 75 seats, the AIADMK emerged as the largest party in the alliance with 66 seats. (ANI)