PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss on Tuesday said his party had bid farewell to both the Dravidian parties who have ruled the State for the last 57 years and the PMK was now keen on a change.
“We had carried both the Dravidian majors on our shoulders and made them the Chief Minister,” he claimed while canvassing votes for the Lok Sabha polls in Cuddalore. “All along, the PMK had been submitting demands with both the parties including introduction of 10.5 % internal reservation for Vanniyars, the need to conduct a caste census in the State, total prohibition, construction of check dams and to ensure remunerative prices for farmers. All this is enough for us,” Mr. Anbumani said.
Taking strong exception to AIADMK general secretary Edapapdi K. Palaniswami’s criticism that the party had exited the alliance after the introduction of 10.5 % reservation for Vanniyars, Mr. Anbumani said the party was not mortgaged to the AIADMK through a bond. The PMK was started with the objective to establish its rule in the State and it had had enough supporting the two Dravidian majors in coming to power, he said.
Mr. Anbumani said that Tamil Nadu, which was generating 36,000 MW power annually, was in need of 18,000 MW. NLC India Ltd, which was supplying only limited power to Tamil Nadu from its plants in Neyveli had destroyed 50,000 acres in the guise of development. The PMK had been fighting against NLCIL over the past 40 years, he said.
He called upon the people to cast their votes for the PMK candidate Thankar Bachan and ensure a massive victory so that all other candidates forfeited deposits.
