As Ramadoss scuttles son's march amid fresh chill, PMK rifts deepen

Indian Express

26-07-2025

A last-ditch hope for reconciliation between the two key figures at the helm of Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) — party founder S Ramadoss and his son A Anbumani — appears to have crumbled this week as Ramadoss moved to block a 100-day padayatra planned by Anbumani across Tamil Nadu, seeking police intervention to halt what he called was his son's 'unauthorised, dangerous political stunt'.
Just a week ago, the mood in the PMK's divided circles had turned cautiously optimistic. With the discovery of a surveillance device under Ramadoss's chair at his Thailapuram residence — a revelation that triggered fears of a police investigation amid hints that Anbumani may be implicated in it — a new round of mediation efforts was launched, led by long-time family friend and VIT Chancellor G Viswanathan.
For a brief moment, it seemed as though both father and son, locked in a months-long power struggle, might step back to avoid further damage. 'Letting the police into the house would be detrimental to the party,' a senior PMK leader had told The Indian Express at the time.
But whatever ground was gained through those backchannel talks has now been undone in full public view. On Thursday, Ramadoss made it clear that negotiations between them had failed. He announced that Anbumani's statewide 'Urimai Meetpu Payanam (Rights Retrieval Yatra)' must be stopped. He claimed that the event, if allowed to proceed, would pose law and order challenges in northern Tamil Nadu and warned that Anbumani had no authority to undertake political campaigns under the PMK banner.
'I am the party. I am the leader. There is no separate faction led by Anbumani within the PMK,' Ramadoss said. He went further, asking the state police to prevent the use of his party's flag, name, or even his own full name in connection with the yatra, claiming he had resumed charge as party president on May 30 and had submitted the updated office-bearers' list to the Election Commission (EC).
In an escalation that stunned even seasoned party watchers, Ramadoss warned that anyone posing as an office-bearer without his sanction would be expelled. A fresh complaint was submitted to the Director General of Police (DGP), who subsequently issued orders to district police officials to withhold permission for the march.
On Friday, however, Anbumani launched the padayatra — beginning from Thiruporur after offering prayers at a temple and garlanding a statue of B R Ambedkar. Addressing a gathering, he launched an attack on Chief Minister M K Stalin and the ruling DMK, alleging betrayal of the Vanniyar community, neglect of farmers, and rising crimes against women. He made no mention of his father or the party rifts.
But in the evening, the DGP's communication to district superintendents said the padayatra was unauthorised, lacking 'written consent or authorisation of the founder/president' of the PMK. Officers were instructed to take steps to prevent the march at any point along its route, citing the risk of clashes between rival factions of the party and the potential threat to public order.
The father-son feud has been playing out publicly since early this year, when Ramadoss attempted to sideline Anbumani by elevating his grandson, P Mukundan as the party's youth wing leader, a move Anbumani resisted. In June, Ramadoss formally reclaimed the party presidency from Anbumani, demoting the latter to the working president's post. He also dismissed several of Anbumani's loyalists from key roles, citing mismanagement and unilateral decision-making. Tensions peaked when Ramadoss overruled Anbumani's expulsion of a sitting MLA and declared that the 'working president' title carried no real power.
In mid-July, an audio-tapping device found in Ramadoss's home, reportedly sourced from the United Kingdom, prompted fears that party surveillance had gone too far. While no one was directly named, the discovery shook up the party. Ramadoss then filed a cybercrime complaint, with his aides describing the incident as 'the most obnoxious political development in Tamil Nadu'.
Anbumani's padayatra, which was billed as a massive mobilisation to reconnect with the party's roots and its Vanniyar base, was initially seen by some insiders as an opportunity for 'healing'. With over 5,000 cadres expected to join, many hoped it would serve as common ground for the fractured family. But Ramadoss saw it instead as a challenge to his authority and a provocation that could destabilise the party's rank and file.