Viral clip showing EPS ‘hiding face' after meeting with Shah creates stir in TN politics
DMK says the act shows EPS was either insulted or was guilty; AIADMK rejects claims as ‘fake narratives’ pushed by Oppn parties to depict EPS as ‘fearful’ or ‘ashamed’
AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami’s Tuesday (September 16) meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah has sparked a queer buzz, with both social media and television channels circulating clips that allegedly show the former Tamil Nadu chief minister hiding his face inside his car after the meeting.
The AIADMK’s IT wing has strongly rejected these claims, calling them “fake narratives” pushed by opposition parties and media outlets supporting the ruling DMK.
EPS recently travelled to Delhi, accompanied by senior AIADMK leaders, including SP Velumani, KP Munusamy, CVe Shanmugam, and M Thambidurai. Party leaders claimed the meeting was arranged to present demands for Tamil Nadu and to discuss issues of state interest with the Centre. However, the manner in which the meeting unfolded and the departure of AIADMK leaders afterwards triggered the controversy.
Also read: EPS meets Amit Shah amid Sengottaiyan's AIADMK unity push
Viral video
According to sources, EPS and his team of senior leaders initially met Amit Shah for 45 minutes. After this, the senior leaders left, while EPS and Shah continued with a private 15-minute meeting. Soon after, several media outlets aired a video in which EPS was purportedly shown covering his face with a white kerchief as his car leaves Shah’s residence.
The clip quickly went viral on social media, with many questioning why EPS would need to hide his face. The AIADMK IT wing hit back, arguing that the portrayal was part of a “fake narrative” by DMK and its supporting media to depict EPS as “fearful” or “ashamed”. The party insisted there was no reason for him to cover his face after the meeting concluded.
What happened in 15-min meet with Shah?
Questions have been raised about why EPS wanted a private meeting with Shah and who acted as the interpreter between the two, as Shah doesn’t understand Tamil and EPS can’t converse in Hindi.
Also read: EPS on backfoot as BJP bats for united AIADMK before 2026 TN polls
Meanwhile, political observers noted that the meeting was not just a routine demand presentation. It came amid internal turbulence in the AIADMK, with senior leader KA Sengottaiyan recently renewing calls for unity and the re-induction of expelled leaders O Panneerselvam (OPS), VK Sasikala, and TTV Dhinakaran. Reports suggest EPS used the meeting to firmly convey to the BJP leadership his opposition to bringing OPS and TTV back into the party.
EPS either insulted or guilty: DMK
In an X post on Wednesday morning (September 17), EPS said he met Shah and reiterated his demand to rename Madurai Airport after Pasumpon MU Muthuramalinga Thevar, fulfilling an election promise. He also posted photos of the meeting, including bouquet exchanges with Shah.
DMK minister S Regupathy questioned the need for EPS to “hide his face” while leaving Shah’s residence. “If someone hides his face, it could be for two reasons. Either he felt insulted or he felt guilty for committing a mistake. Now, EPS has been pushed to a stage where he had to hide his face with a kerchief,” Regupathy told the media.
Dhinakaran also criticised EPS for the alleged act.
Also read: BJP, Sasikala and OPS rally behind Sengottaiyan’s call for AIADMK unity
Political commentator Dr Sumanth Raman, however, defended EPS, writing on X that the media was overinterpreting the clip. “The media is really plumbing the depths now. The operative part of the video was exactly 1-2 seconds. EPS could easily have been wiping his face with a towel or even blowing his nose. Yet this is what they come up with. This was a publicly announced meeting. Why should he hide his face?” he wrote.
Nothing wrong in EPS meeting Shah: BJP
When media persons asked BJP state president Nainar Nagendran whether the meeting was fixed to address AIADMK’s internal disputes, he said his party would not intervene in other party’s issues.
Also read: Sengottaiyan issues ultimatum to EPS; does it spell turmoil for AIADMK before TN polls?
“It is not wrong for alliance party leaders to meet and hold talks. The BJP will never interfere or mediate in another party’s internal affairs. There are still six months left for the elections. Even at the last minute, changes can happen,” he said.
He reiterated that the BJP would not intervene in AIADMK’s internal matters. “We will only do whatever is necessary for the good of the people. There is nothing wrong with EPS meeting Shah,” he said.
