Latest news with #PattaliMakkalKatchi
News18
a day ago
- Politics
- News18
'Unfortunate Ego Clash': Madras HC Refuses To Intervene In 'Father-Son Dispute' Over PMK Meet
Last Updated: The court stressed that the legality of the meeting under the PMK's internal rules could only be examined in civil proceedings, not through a writ petition under Article 226 The Madras High Court has dismissed a writ petition filed by Pattali Makkal Katchi general secretary seeking to halt an upcoming general body meeting convened by the party's president, citing lack of public law elements and describing it as a 'private dispute" between father and son. The petitioner, who serves as PMK's general secretary, approached the Madras High Court to restrain the DGP from permitting the meeting. He alleged that the party's current president had illegally convened the meeting, as his tenure had ended on May 28. In its order, the court observed that the matter stemmed from 'an unfortunate ego clash" between father and son, leading to a split within PMK ranks. The single judge bench stressed that the legality of the meeting under the party's internal rules could only be examined in civil proceedings, not through a writ petition under Article 226 of the Constitution. According to the petitioner, the PMK was founded in 1989 by Dr S Ramadoss, who appointed his son as president on May 28, 2022, for a three-year term. With that term now expired, the petitioner claimed steps were being taken to appoint a new president effective May 29, with Dr Ramadoss nominated for the post pending ratification by the competent party body. During the morning session, Justice N Anand Venkatesh noted that both the founder and the current president were father and son who had worked together for decades. In an attempt to mediate, the court directed both to appear — Dr Ramadoss via video conference citing ill health and the current president in person, in chambers at 5.30 pm. Despite this effort, the founder declined to engage in any dialogue with his son, prompting the court to hear the matter on merits. Counsel for the petitioner argued that the meeting was unlawful and convened without involving the founder, while the additional public prosecutor representing the police stated that no permission was required for a closed-door political meeting. He assured the court that any law and order issue would be handled appropriately. The current president's senior counsel challenged the maintainability of the writ petition, claiming it was a purely private party dispute and that the meeting was called in accordance with the by-laws. Citing the Supreme Court's decision in S Shobha v Muthoot Finance Ltd, 2025, the court reiterated that writ jurisdiction applies primarily to state entities, statutory bodies, or private bodies performing public duties. It set out the parameters for when a writ could be issued, stressing the need for a public law element. 'In the case at hand, none of the parameters fixed by the apex court are satisfied," the court held, adding that 'police permission is not required for a closed-door meeting of a political party". Any law and order problem arising from the meeting, the court said, will be handled by the police. 'If at all any law and order problem is created, the police will handle the same and take action against the concerned persons in accordance with law," the court said. Finding no public duty component or statutory obligation involved, the HC dismissed the writ petition, closing connected miscellaneous petitions and imposing no costs. 'This court does not find any ground to grant the relief as sought for by the petitioner in this writ petition and accordingly, this writ petition stands dismissed. No Costs. Consequently, connected miscellaneous petition is closed," it said in its order dated August 8. About the Author Sukriti Mishra Sukriti Mishra, a Lawbeat correspondent, graduated in 2022 and worked as a trainee journalist for 4 months, after which she picked up on the nuances of reporting well. She extensively covers courts in Delhi. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from politics to crime and society. Stay informed with the latest India news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : family dispute madras high court view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The Hindu
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Implement Old Pension Scheme by September: Anbumani Ramadoss
PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss on Monday said that the State government must implement the Old Pension Scheme after the Gagandeep Singh Bedi committee completes its consultative meetings. The discussions are set to begin on August 18 and completed on September 11. In a statement, Dr. Anbumani said that the committee formed to recommended the provision of Old Pension Scheme slept for 6 months without doing anything substantial. 'It is gratifying that the committee, which was formed on February 4 and had been dormant for more than six months, has now woken up and is about to start work. The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) has been insisting for many years that the Tamil Nadu government should implement the old pension scheme for government employees and teachers,' he said. Dr. Anbumani said, 'I had pointed this out and issued statements on June 22 and August 6. Furthermore, during my ongoing padayatra focussed on reclaiming the rights of the people. I have been raising awareness among the public about this issue every single day,' he said.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Ramadoss vs. Anbumani — the father-son feud in Tamil Nadu's Pattali Makkal Katchi
The story so far: After futile efforts of the Madras High Court to mediate a truce between Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder Dr. S. Ramadoss and his son Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss on Friday (August 8, 2025), the general body meeting of the party, convened by Mr. Anbumani, was held at Mamallapuram the next day (August 9), for the first time without its founder Mr. Ramadoss. It was resolved that Mr. Anbumani would continue as party president for a year until the next party election in August 2026. Pattali Makkal Katchi's ongoing leadership feud between Mr. Ramadoss and Mr. Anbumani has shocked the cadre and created a split within the party, causing conflict – right from senior leadership down to the grassroots. In districts where they are strong, there are two groups of office-bearers, claiming that they are the PMK office-bearers. When did Ramadoss-Anbumani spat begin? During the party's special general council meeting at Pattanur in Villupuram district on December 28, 2024, the father and son sparred publicly for the first time when Mr. Ramadoss announced P. Mukundan, his grandson (Ramadoss' elder daughter Gandhimathi's son), as the party's youth wing president. Mr. Anbumani objected saying that Mr. Mukundan (who is also his son-in-law) had joined the party only four months back and it was 'too soon'. Mr. Ramadoss rejected it and even asked Mr. Anbumani to leave the party if he cannot function as per his wishes. The next day, Mr. Anbumani called on his father at his Thailapuram residence and later told reporters that heated arguments or debates during general council meetings were normal. But, the conflict did not end there. A difference of opinion emerged between #PattaliMakkalKatchi founder #Ramadoss and his son and party president #AnbumaniRamadoss during the party's general council meeting at Pattanur in #Villupuram district on Saturday. Video: Special Arrangement — The Hindu - Chennai (@THChennai) December 28, 2024 Months later, Dr. Ramadoss announced his decision to remove Mr. Anbumani from the post of party president and took on the role himself, redesignating his son as the 'working president' during a press conference at his Thailapuram residence on April 10, 2025. After two days, Mr. Anbumani asserted that he would continue to be the party president as his appointment was approved by PMK's general council. Ramadoss-Anbumani rift widens Sharing the dais with Mr. Anbumani during the Vanniyar youth conference held after a gap of 12 years at Mamallapuram on May 11, Mr. Ramadoss hinted at cliques being formed within the party, which was seen as a veiled attack on his son and insisted that he would take the final call on PMK's alliance for the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections in 2026. His speech raised the eyebrows of senior PMK leaders. While the senior leadership expected that the issue would be resolved, but Dr. Ramadoss' weekly press conferences accusing Dr. Anbumani of violent attack against his own mother and non-performance as party president, escalated the feud as each faction attempted to consolidate the party under their leadership, forcing office-bearers, who had previously expressed their wished to see a quick resolution, siding with either Mr. Ramadoss or Mr. Anbumani. On May 16, more than 200 of the 216 district presidents and secretaries of the PMK did not turn up for a meeting called by Mr. Ramadoss at his Thailapuram residence. He attributed it to exhaustion, following their participation in Vanniyar Youth Conference. While addressing at a party meeting in Tiruvallur on June 15, reiterating that he would continue as party president, Mr. Anbumani sought 'forgiveness' saying, 'If Ayya [Mr. Ramadoss] is angry with me, I sincerely ask for his forgiveness. There is nothing big in apologising to father.' Reluctant to reconcile, the PMK founder even restrained his son from using his surname, allowing him to use only in the latter's initial. Making a serious allegation, Mr. Ramadoss, on July 11, stated that a bugging device was planted beneath his chair at his Thailapuram residence. A police investigation is underway. Days later, Mr. Ramadoss lodged a complaint with the Director-General of Police seeking to prevent Mr. Anbumani's 100-day padayatra across Tamil Nadu in order to 'reclaim the rights of the Tamil people,' citing that the campaign would cause law and order issues due to a possible clash between the two factions. However, minutes before the denial of police permission came, Mr. Anbumani had already kickstarted his padayatra at Thiruporur on July 25. PMK loses its sheen The root of the issue, many political observers say, lies with steady erosion of PMK's political capital, in the last 15 years. At one point, PMK was seen as a progressive force – which reserved the general secretary's post for Scheduled Caste, erected hundreds of Dr. Ambedkar's statues and gave plum ministries to Scheduled Castes. Today, the PMK is seen as its opposite, largely down to Dr. Ramadoss' problematic campaign of 'Nadaga Kadhal' against Dalit youths in the early years of the last decade to consolidate non-Dalit communities. The PMK's narrative was an attempt to appeal to the larger OBC communities, beyond the traditional Vanniyar strongholds, that are deeply conservative in rural Tamil Nadu and smaller towns. While it helped PMK, which was a part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) comprising Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) and others, in the short term as Mr. Anbumani won the three-cornered contest in 2014 Lok Sabha elections. However, PMK gradually began to lose its position as being the crucial piece in the winning alliance's jigsaw. In 2016, Mr. Anbumani launched a campaign that was called 'Maatram Munnetram Anbumani', pitching himself as a Chief Ministerial candidate, shedding the party's caste identity and in an attempt to attract young, new voters. It did not work. PMK's relationship with EPS-led AIADMK With the death of AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa in December 2016, Mr. Ramadoss and Mr. Anbumani launched a blistering attack against the new AIADMK leadership, then led by former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and former Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, on an almost daily basis for the next two years. However, in an inexplicable decision, the father and son formed an alliance with the AIADMK in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, losing their credibility and the elections. Mr. Anbumani has hinted that it was not his decision to form an alliance with AIADMK in 2019. After the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, they began a campaign to urge the AIADMK government to provide 20% reservation to Vanniyars within the most backward class category in jobs and education. The PMK was able to convince a desperate AIADMK government to pass a law in the State Assembly just before notification of the Assembly elections, on 10.5% internal reservations for the Vanniyars. Despite contesting in 23 seats as part of the alliance, the PMK won in just five. PMK in NDA Again, in 2024 Lok Sabha elections, when Salem West MLA R. Arul visited AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami's house, who had then left the NDA alliance, it was believed that PMK-AIADMK alliance was sealed. However, the PMK joined the NDA in the wee hours of the morning, which Mr. Ramadoss recently said he had agreed due to pressure exerted by his son Mr. Anbumani and his wife. The bone of contention The key disagreement between the father and the son seems to be about who would take crucial decisions within the party – office-bearer appointments, candidate selection and decision on alliance during elections. While Mr. Ramadoss always had the final say when it comes to most decisions in the PMK, with the appointment of Mr. Anbumani as party president in 2022, the dynamics began to change. Mr. Ramadoss reportedly was not comfortable with Mr. Anbumani sticking his hands into the former's pie. With the State Assembly elections just months away, it remains to be seen whether the father, Mr. Ramadoss and the son, Mr. Anbumani can patch up and see eye-to-eye to prevent further erosion of Pattali Makkal Katchi's political capital in the upcoming polls.
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
PMK power rift: ‘Every time we make progress, intermediaries sabotage it'
CHENNAI: The general council of Pattali Makkal Katchi, convened by Dr Anbumani Ramadoss at Mahabalipuram on Saturday, elected him as the president as his three-year tenure ended in May this year. Addressing the meeting, Anbumani said that he was assuming the post out of a sense of duty and not out of desire, and blamed intermediaries for intentionally preventing any reconciliation with his father and party founder Dr S Ramadoss. Referring to one of the resolutions passed in the meeting, Anbumani said that his party is clear that the DMK should not return to power in the 2026 Assembly election. He, however, said that the party would decide on who should form the government and form a 'mega' alliance accordingly. His remarks gather significance as it indicated that he was keeping options open about aligning with either the AIADMK-BJP alliance or form an alliance with actor Vijay's TVK, although he had contested the 2024 Lok Sabha election as part of the BJP-led NDA. 'We will come to power. The alliance will be in line with your wishes,' he told the attendees, to rousing cheers. The meeting was convened after the Madras High Court cleared the deck by dismissing the petition filed by Murali Shankar, the general secretary appointed by Dr Ramadoss amid the ongoing tussle with his son, after a day of high drama with Justice N Anand Venkatesh speaking to both the father (via video conference) and son (in person) separately in private, in a bid to resolve the dispute. Stating that he felt no joy when he heard about the verdict, Anbumani said, 'I did not feel happy at all. I was pained. Who are we getting this verdict against? Against our own,' he asked. He added that his father will forever remain the guiding force of the party and said he will surely join the rest present at the meeting soon. A chair reserved for the party's founder, Ramadoss, was placed vacant next to Anbumani at the meeting.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Police impose 41 conditions for PMK's women's conference to be held in Poompuhar on August 10
The police have imposed 41 conditions while granting permission to hold 'Vanniyar Women's Conference' scheduled to be held in Poompuhar on Sunday. The event is being organised by the Vanniyar Sangam and the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK). In a statement on Saturday, the district police said took into consideration the venue, date, and the expected turnout for the conference before granting approval. Key stipulations include ensuring the stability of the temporary stage, securing safety certification for electrical installations and lighting, and keeping fire engines and ambulance on standby at the venue. Double-layer barricades for crowd control, adequate number of entry and exit points for emergencies, and ensuring drinking water and toilets for participants are among the other conditions laid down by the police. Vehicles bound for the conference venue should not use the prohibited routes via Manalmedu–Pattavarthi–Vaitheeswarankoil and Thiruvengadu–Neithavasal–Dharmakulam and must be parked only in designated areas. CCTV cameras are to be installed at the venue and parking lots, and access to the beach is barred during the event. The police have prohibited entry of two-wheelers and directed that speeches must not hurt the sentiments of any community or religion or disturb public order.
