PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss on Friday, March 22, 2024, said the party’s alliance experience in the past, with the two Dravidian majors in T.N., had been disappointing.
The PMK has, for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, joined the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. The party was part of the AIADMK-BJP alliance for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and the 2021 Assembly polls. The AIADMK, which snapped ties with the BJP, had tried to rope in the PMK as an alliance partner this time around too, but failed.
“Everyone knows how weak the AIADMK was during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and in the by-poll for the 22 assembly constituencies in 2019. The AIADMK formed an alliance with the PMK for the by-polls and our party gave up all the seats in favour of the AIADMK. The AIADMK won 9 seats with our support and the AIADMK government survived because of it,” Mr. Anbumani claimed in a letter to his cadres.
The AIADMK lost the 2021 assembly elections and could not come back to power due to the in-fighting in the party, he claimed. Their second-rung leaders then ran a propaganda campaign claiming that they had lost the elections due to the 10.5% reservation for Vanniyar community brought in by the AIADMK at the behest of the PMK. The law was later struck down by the Supreme Court in 2022 and so, the AIADMK blamed the PMK for their electoral loss, he said. “We could have won 15 seats, but the AIADMK and its leadership did not cooperate,” he added.
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami has, subsequently, not called for a new law for Vanniyar reservation, post the Supreme Court verdict, Mr. Anbumani said.
The experience was similar when the PMK extended unconditional support to the DMK in the 2006 assembly election and won 18 seats, he alleged. The current DMK government has not taken any steps towards Vanniyar reservation, he said.
The PMK has joined the BJP alliance as a first step towards its goal to come to power in Tamil Nadu in 2026, Mr. Anbumani said.
“I always respect the sentiments of the cadres and won’t take any decision against them. Both Dravidian parties have disrespected PMK founder S Ramadoss,” he alleged, while requesting the cadres to work for the victory of the BJP-led alliance.
Mr. Anbumani’s remarks come at a time when a section of party cadres are disappointed with the PMK’s decision to join the BJP alliance.
The PMK on Friday, also released the first list of its candidates for the Lok Sabha polls.
