Will Tamil Nadu CM Vijay Include Rebel AIADMK MLAs In His Cabinet? Aadhav Arjuna Responds

The Vijay-led TVK government in Tamil Nadu is facing pressure from ally CPI(M), which has warned it may review outside support if AIADMK rebels are given berths in the council of ministers. The warning comes as discussions continue on expanding the cabinet and on how far to accommodate legislators who broke ranks with the AIADMK leadership.

CPM leader Shanmugam said the Left parties backed TVK mainly to block any move that could lead to President's Rule and prevent the backdoor entry of BJP rule. Shanmugam explained that this understanding was linked to the promise of clean and people-mandated governance by the Vijay administration.

TVK AIADMK rebels cabinet dispute and Left support terms

Shanmugam stressed that the arrangement was meant to ensure that a party chosen by voters ran the administration. According to Shanmugam, bringing AIADMK rebel MLAs into the cabinet would contradict this idea and weaken the stated stand on clean governance. The CPI(M) has therefore tied its support to keeping that commitment intact.

Shanmugam also recalled the post-poll arithmetic in the Assembly. No party got a majority and TVK emerged as the single largest party, and so only they had the scope to form the government. With the idea of facilitating governance by a party elected by the people, the Left parties and the VCK extended outside support to the TVK, enabling it to form the government, Shanmugam said.

TVK AIADMK rebels cabinet row and Shanmugam’s warning

While outlining this position, Shanmugam expressed hope that TVK would stay within those limits. I think the TVK will not go to that extent (of accommodating the AIADMK rebel group in the cabinet). In the event of the TVK taking such a stand, the CPI(M) will reconsider its support to the TVK, Shanmugam said, making the party’s red line clear.

Amid this pushback, Tamil Nadu minister Adhav Arjuna described chief minister Vijay’s expectations from the coalition. Speaking to reporters, Arjuna said Vijay wanted the council of ministers to function like one family and include representatives from all parties that had helped the government come to power in the closely fought Assembly election.

TVK AIADMK rebels cabinet talks and alliance strains

Expanding on this, Arjuna said, CM wants the cabinet to function like one family. He wants the parties that extended support to be represented in the cabinet. DMK and AIADMK attempted to form an alliance that went against the people's verdict. Arjuna argued that this earlier tie-up effort had ignored what voters had indicated.

Arjuna also criticised DMK’s changing stance on AIADMK. During the campaign, DMK leaders accused AIADMK of being controlled by the BJP. Arjuna said DMK later set aside this claim and held alliance talks with AIADMK, while Congress and the Left parties stayed together to protect the constitutional system and democratic norms.

The minister added that TVK would maintain a cooperative approach towards AIADMK despite disagreements at leadership level. Arjuna said, We will travel together with the AIADMK in a spirit of friendship. The comment underlined TVK’s attempt to balance ties with AIADMK members and the concerns of its current supporting parties.

Earlier, TVK proved its majority on the floor of the Assembly on 13 May. The government won the trust vote with backing from AIADMK rebels, expelled AMMK MLA Kamaraj, the Left parties, VCK and IUML, besides TVK’s own strength. That same support base is now at the centre of debate over cabinet expansion.The debate over bringing AIADMK rebel MLAs into the cabinet has therefore become a key test for the Vijay government. TVK now has to weigh the value of rewarding those rebels against the risk of straining ties with CPI(M), other Left parties and VCK, whose support helped TVK assume office.