'ADMK is now Amit Shah Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam' | Interview with MMK’s Jawahirullah

As Tamil Nadu’s political landscape heats up ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, alliance negotiations and minority representation have come into sharp focus. The state's ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) finalised seat-sharing arrangements with its allies in the Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), including the Congress and others, while eyeing its second successive term.

Amid the hectic parleys seen in the bloc, The Federal spoke with M H Jawahirullah, the president and one of the two MLAs of the Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK), which is one of the allies of the SPA.

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He shared his viewpoints on a diverse range of issues, including seat-sharing, the party’s legal battle with the Election Commission (EC) on the controversial Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, its own delisting, Muslim representation, the Opposition All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Tamil Nadu, and the emerging challenge from Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK).

Here are excerpts from the interview:

Your party has secured two seats in the DMK-led alliance for the 2026 Assembly polls. How are you preparing for the elections?

We have been taking these elections very seriously. As part of our strategy, we have organised many programmes. We have conducted a huge conference in Madurai. The MMK has around 68 (political) districts, and all the office-bearers were invited to our headquarters for a detailed review meeting.

We discussed their activities, highlighted their strengths to further strengthen them, and pointed out drawbacks that need rectification. We also held our general body meeting at the YMCA Royapettah Ground in Chennai, where our cadres were motivated. They are ready and will go to the people and secure votes for the DMK-led alliance.

The EC has delisted your party because you contest on the DMK’s symbol. How do you view this decision?

The delisting of the MMK is not the right decision by the commission. We challenged it in the Madras High Court, but our petition was dismissed. That is not the final word. We have filed an appeal in the Supreme Court.

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Our stand is that the EC has the power to register a party but not to deregister it. We were registered in 2009. It was only in 2014 that the commission issued a circular stating that parties must contest Assembly and parliamentary elections on their own symbol.

Compelling a party to contest on its own symbol goes against the interests and ethos of that party. This matter is subjudice, and we are confident of getting justice in the Supreme Court.

Major parties become recognised by winning a certain number of seats. But that does not mean registered parties like us should not get equal parity in contesting elections.

In Tamil Nadu, only two symbols are widely recognised among the masses, especially in rural areas — the 'rising sun' (of the DMK) and the 'two leaves' (of the AIADMK). Popularising any other symbol requires a huge effort. That is why we opted to contest on the 'Rising Sun' symbol. The EC should understand this ground reality.

Muslims make up about seven per cent of the TN population, but in the Assembly, they have presence of just three per cent. Have the major Dravidian parties failed to ensure their adequate representation?

We have been continuously raising the issue of low representation for Muslims in Assemblies, the Lok Sabha, the Rajya Sabha, and local bodies. This is an all-India phenomenon.

We demand exclusive seats for minorities, not just Muslims but also Christians and others, similar to reservations in jobs and education, to ensure true representation.

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In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, only 24 Muslims were elected nationwide — just four per cent. Out of Tamil Nadu’s 39 seats, there is only one Muslim MP — Nawaz Ghani of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). In the Rajya Sabha, also, there is a lone Muslim member representing Tamil Nadu — Salma of the DMK.

Given our seven per cent population share in the state, we should have at least three MPs in the Lok Sabha. In the Assembly, among 234 MLAs, only seven or three per cent are Muslim.

We are demanding proper representation, not only for our party but also for IUML and Muslim candidates from allied parties. We want proportional representation in the Assembly.

As far as the AIADMK is concerned, Edappadi Palaniswami’s government (2017-21) was the only one in Tamil Nadu without a Muslim minister. M G Ramachandran had Muslim ministers, so did J Jayalalithaa.

Even in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the AIADMK did not field a single Muslim candidate. So, you cannot put the AIADMK and DMK on the same plane.

How do you assess the BJP’s growth in Tamil Nadu?

The BJP has grown in Tamil Nadu, thanks to the AIADMK. Without the latter's grassroots strength, the BJP’s 'lotus' symbol would not have bloomed in the state's nooks and corners.

The AIADMK enabled the BJP’s inroads, especially during the four years of Palaniswami’s rule, when he sided with and aided the saffron party.

Also read: Can anti-incumbency alone bring AIADMK back to power in Tamil Nadu?

As long as Jayalalithaa led the AIADMK, she followed the ideals of Periyar, Annadurai, and MGR. Though she was a devout Hindu, she did not make decisions that aided the BJP’s growth.

There is a difference between Hindu and Hindutva. You cannot put all Hindus in the Hindutva basket. Many follow the tolerant ethos of Hinduism.

In 1999, at a conference on Chennai's Marina Beach organised by our parent organisation, Jayalalithaa publicly apologised for allying with the BJP and declared she would never align with them again. That was the core principle of the AIADMK.

Now, that Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is no more. It is Amit Shah Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. Palaniswami has forgotten that solemn promise.

How do you view the Tirupparankundram issue and Hindutva leaders calling it the ‘Ayodhya of the South’?

As a legislator elected by a majority Hindu constituency and as someone who values communal harmony, I say the Tirupparankundram issue has been blown out of proportion by the BJP for electoral gains.

Tirupparankundram has both the Sikandar Badhusha Dargah and the Murugan temple. Muslims and Hindus visit both. Tamil Nadu’s scenario is different from many BJP-ruled northern states.

Also read: DMDK, once launched to oppose DMK, is now its ally; what changed?

When I was MLA of Ramanathapuram (2011-16), which includes Rameswaram and the Ramanathaswamy Temple, I helped develop infrastructure there — pilgrims’ facilities, roads, and drinking water — using my MLA funds.

In the Uttarakosamangai Temple (also in Ramanathapuram), I arranged for paving blocks to help devotees during the rainy season. In Pavanasam, which includes the Swamimalai Murugan Temple, I raised issues in the Assembly to help elderly devotees with mobility problems.

Other Muslim MLAs, including Abdul Samad and Aloor Shanavas (from the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi), have also contributed to temple and heritage site development. So portraying minority leaders as anti-Hindu is wrong.

Will actor Vijay’s TVK eat into minority votes?

These are media projections. Vijay is an untested force. People may gather at his events, but whether that translates into votes is a big question mark.

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He lacks ideological clarity. During the election campaign, the DMK-led alliance will take its message to the youth and women, and we are confident of winning handsomely.

No prominent Muslim leader, to my knowledge, has joined the TVK. Therefore, I do not see a major shift in minority votes.

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