Anutin makes clear stand: Bhumjaithai ready to quit coalition if Interior Ministry is taken

Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who also leads the Bhumjaithai Party, made it clear during an interview with Inside Thailand programme that his party is ready to move into opposition if the Interior Ministry is reassigned in a Cabinet reshuffle.

He confirmed that during a discussion with the prime minister at Thai Khu Fah building on June 16, there was no talk of a Cabinet reshuffle. However, Anutin reiterated what he had previously said: if Bhumjaithai is removed from the Interior Ministry, the party is prepared to pull out of the government.

“We have reached a point where things can no longer be changed,” he said. “Bhumjaithai has always abided by the agreement between coalition partners that it would oversee four ministries. This is not just a matter between the PM and a minister—it’s an issue between political parties.”

When pressed again on whether this stance meant Bhumjaithai has no option but to step away if it loses the Interior Ministry, Anutin responded, “Absolutely. That’s our position.”

As for reports suggesting that the prime minister might consult senior figures over the matter before deciding within a few days, Anutin denied any such comments were made to him. “I think the PM just read the room and decided not to bring it up,” he said.

Cabinet reshuffle and “Senator deal” accusations

Anutin also said his recent conversation with the prime minister focused mainly on work matters and included a discussion about the summons issued to him and Bhumjaithai's executive members in connection with the alleged Senate vote collusion case. He reported the issue to the prime minister, who showed concern, including for Newin Chidchob, the influential political figure and president of Buriram United Football Club.

Also present at the meeting were Dr Prommin Lertsuridej, the Prime Minister’s secretary-general. “Once other issues come up, the conversation naturally shifts,” Anutin noted. “But the PM is well aware of where we stand.”

When asked directly whether he informed the PM about who might be behind the Senate vote collusion complaints, Anutin laughed and said, “I told her the same thing you already know—people involved in politics.”

Party unity and internal debates

Anutin insisted that Bhumjaithai is unified behind him. Despite rumours that some members, such as Chada Thaiset, MP for Uthai Thani, were reluctant to leave the coalition, Anutin pushed back: “Who said that? The entire party clapped their hands in agreement. I received a clear mandate from the party.”

He said that in every negotiation, the party authorised him to represent their stance. “If ever the Interior Ministry is to be taken away, I have made it clear what our response would be,” he said. “As for Mr Chada—he was the one who said, ‘Let’s clap before we go any further.’”

Dismisses warrants as copy-paste

Addressing the summonses in the Senate vote case, Anutin admitted he was concerned. “Anyone receiving a summons would be,” he said. However, he was confident in his innocence. He dismissed the warrants as ‘copy-paste jobs’, containing identical wording except for the names. In some cases, he claimed, the name on the envelope did not match the one inside.

“There is no detail about who allegedly did what, when, or with whom,” he said. “Still, we will go and clarify. We will have to ask who exactly we are accused of colluding with.”

Target is to dissolve Bhumjaithai, not just reshuffle Cabinet

In a separate interview with the Nation News Analysis programme on Tuesday, Anutin addressed a question about why Newin Chidchob and Chaichanok Chidchob were summoned in the Senate vote collusion case. He responded:

“The aim of those behind this is to dissolve the Bhumjaithai Party. If they don’t go after the party’s executive committee, then they cannot justify dissolving the party. But as I’ve said, Bhumjaithai has never broken the law. The Constitution clearly prohibits any interference in the selection of senators. I myself issued an official directive explicitly prohibiting party executives, MPs, and ministers from getting involved. That directive was crystal clear. Yet attempts to destroy us persist. Some may believe that Bhumjaithai has influence over the Senate, which complicates things for those seeking certain benefits from senators. So they assume that Bhumjaithai is the obstacle—and that’s why they want to bring us down.”

When asked whether everything now seems to be targeting him—both the Senate vote collusion case and ongoing attempts to unseat him from the Interior Ministry—Anutin replied:

“It’s not surprising at all. This is a coalition government. No one wants to give up control of the Interior Ministry—everyone wants to keep it. That’s the nature of coalition politics. We’ve known since day one that people would be vying for the Interior Ministry. It’s nothing new or unexpected. The point is, this is not about the prime minister and a minister swapping portfolios based on suitability. It’s a matter of inter-party agreements made when the coalition was formed.”

He further explained:

“We joined this coalition at the invitation of Pheu Thai, under the condition that we would oversee the Interior Ministry. So if any change is to be made, it must be mutually agreed upon by both parties—not unilaterally imposed by one side.”

On the issue of a Cabinet reshuffle, Anutin stressed:

“That’s a matter for party leaders to discuss among themselves. It’s not something the prime minister can decide by speaking directly to individual ministers. As I said, this was an agreement. If you recall, when the election had just concluded, it took Pheu Thai and Move Forward over a month to draft an MOU. In our case, since Bhumjaithai has been around for a long time and we’ve had ongoing talks, we didn’t need an MOU. We had trust—something more valuable than any signed document. Otherwise, forming a government would have taken another three months just to finalise every clause. That wouldn’t have been productive. Mutual trust, confidence, and respect—these are what matter most.”