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New Indian Express
5 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
‘Fix minimum age for tobacco use as 21', PMK president Anbumani urges
CHENNAI: Pattali Makkal Katchi president Dr Anbumani Ramadoss on Monday welcomed the Karnataka government's decision to raise the minimum legal age for tobacco consumption from 18 to 21, calling it a commendable and progressive move that sets a precedent for the rest of India. In a statement, Anbumani said the Karnataka Assembly had amended Sections 4 and 4A of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), effectively banning smoking in public places and raising the penalty for violations from Rs 200 to Rs 1,000. The amended law, which has received Presidential assent, has now come into force across Karnataka. While appreciating Karnataka's initiative, Anbumani criticised Tamil Nadu for repeatedly ignoring appeals to enact similar legislation. He urged both the union and state governments to adopt the same age limit of 21 for tobacco use. Anbumani also suggested a phased approach — raising the minimum age by one year annually — with the goal of turning Tamil Nadu into a tobacco-free state in the near future.
India Today
29-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Rift widens in BJP Tamil Nadu ally as founder says son ‘lying without shame'
A rift within the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), a prominent political party in Tamil Nadu, has emerged publicly after the party's founder, S Ramadoss, made serious allegations during a press conference against his son and current party leader, Anbumani with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, the PMK has a strong base among the Vanniyar community in the northern districts of Tamil addressing the media, a visibly distraught Ramadoss Sr hinted at internal sabotage and a struggle for control of the party, stating that his son Anbumani has been a significant hindrance to its development. Saying that he saw the way Anbumani questioned what he had done to warrant the change in his party role. 'This is nothing but diversionary tactics. He is hiding his mistakes and attempting to get sympathy from party men,' and trying to avoid accountability for his actions, the senior Ramadoss also openly expressed regret over his past decision to elevate Anbumani to Union Minister, asserting that Anbumani has since made 'a lot of mistakes' and caused widespread confusion within the party ranks. 'Honestly, the real mistake was mine. I made him a Union Minister at just 35. But it was Anbumani who chose to escalate things,' the party founder emotional outburst included allegations that Anbumani had attempted to isolate him from party cadres and that his son 'will lie without shame'.The PMK founder was also clear about the transition of power. 'The party will, however, go to Anbumani's hands.'The widening chasm between father and son reportedly intensified following the founder's decision to appoint his daughter's son, Mukundan, to a key party position. This move sparked a public confrontation at a general council meeting in Puducherry in December elder Ramadoss also mentioned the incident: 'You all saw what happened at the general body meeting in Puducherry. I appointed Mukundan to assist me at home and support Anbumani in party affairs. Was it right for him to slam the microphone onto the table as if he were throwing it at me?'During the December meeting, Anbumani openly challenged his father's decision, questioning Mukundan's experience and suitability for the role — a moment that insiders describe as a stark display of their growing Sr claimed that Anbumani's actions at this 'Pondy meeting' effectively 'broke the party in a split second.'Further highlighting the internal turmoil, a recent meeting convened by Ramadoss Sr reportedly saw strikingly low attendance from district leaders, with reports suggesting that many functionaries were siding with Anbumani.
The Hindu
29-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Making Anbumani a Cabinet Minister was my mistake: PMK founder Ramadoss
Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder S. Ramadoss on Thursday (May 29, 2025) accused his son and party 'working president' Anbumani Ramadoss of having functioned in a 'no holds barred' manner and disregarding qualities of leadership, affecting the growth of the party. At a press conference at his Thailapuram residence near Puducherry, Mr. Ramadoss launched a blistering attack on his son. 'It was my mistake that I had made Anbumani a Central Cabinet minister when he was 35 years old,' said Mr. Ramdoss, who had recently declared that he was taking over as 'party president,' a post that was held by Mr. Anbumani. Referring to Mr. Anbumani's speech at a meeting in Dharmapuri recently, where he stated that he was under mental stress and at a loss to understand why he was removed from the post of PMK president, Mr. Ramadoss said his son has been coming out with such statements only to to distract the party and its rank and file to garner sympathy. This, he said, only raises concerns. 'Lacks leadership qualities' Mr. Ramadoss said when he made an attempt to appoint his grandson Mukunthan as the youth wing secretary of the party during the general council meeting held near Puducherry, Mr. Anbumani had publicly protested it. 'This tarnished the image of the party, and everyone was visibly shocked,' he said. The manner in which Mr. Anbumani flung the mic onto the table, 'which barely missed hitting me on the head' was an 'unseemly act', and all those present at the meeting had witnessed it. This showed that he lacked leadership qualities, Mr. Ramadoss said. The senior leader, who was instrumental in floating the PMK, said Mr. Anbumani had only 'shattered a big mirror with his demeanour'. Mr. Ramadoss recalled how he built the party by visiting more than 95,000 villages to develop the roots of the organisation amongst the public. 'I was bereft of food and drinking water while visiting the villages, and all this came to naught and was tarnished by Mr. Anbumani,' he lamented. Alleging that Mr. Anbumani continued to pose a hurdle in the party's growth by committing several mistakes, Mr. Ramadoss said he had appointed Tamil Kumaran, son of party honorary president G.K. Mani, for the party's development and had issued the appointment order to him. However, Mr. Anbumani asked Mr. Kumaran to resign from the post immediately. 'He also called me over the phone and prevailed upon me to ensure that Mr. Kumaran, who had come with his family to attend the general council meeting, did not take part in it,' he said. Mr. Kumaran's family was humiliated and Mr. Anbumani did not even allow them to attend the deliberations, said Mr. Ramadoss. Mr. Anbumani also disrespected senior functionaries, including Mr. Mani and late Vanniyar Sangam president Kaduvetti J. Guru. He alleged Mr. Anbumani, while participating during the Pongal celebrations at Thailapuram, had made an attempt to attack his mother by hurling a bottle, though it did not hit her. He reacted this way when his mother said that Mr. Anbumani would have kept quiet if his daughter was appointed as the youth wing secretary. 'Forced alliance with BJP' Stating that the PMK and the AIADMK were natural allies, and had they contested the previous Lok Sabha polls in 2024 as an alliance, they would have bagged 10 seats, he said. But Mr. Anbumani insisted that the PMK work out a pact with the BJP and argued that if it did not do so, 'you (Ramadoss) would face a situation of doing the last rituals for me,' Mr. Ramadoss alleged. Mr. Ramadoss also alleged that both Mr. Anbumani and his wife Sowmya Anbumani had 'clung to his feet' and insisted that the party formed an alliance with the BJP in 2024.
The Print
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The Print
How a father-son feud threatens to split PMK before 2026 Tamil Nadu elections
'We wish it does not happen. But the rift between the father-son does not seem like it will end anytime soon, since Anbumani is not even willing to have a conversation with Ramadoss,' a senior PMK leader, who joined the party under Ramadoss's leadership in 1989, told ThePrint. Although the party leadership maintains all is well, PMK workers fear the party may split if the differences between S. Ramadoss and his son, Anbumani, continue until the 2026 assembly election. Chennai: A simmering spat between the founder of Tamil Nadu's Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and his son has raised tensions among party workers and sparked fears of a split in the party ahead of the 2026 assembly elections, unless a resolution is reached soon. The latest flashpoint came in April when Ramadoss called a district-level functionaries meeting at his farmhouse in Thailapuram in Villupuram district. Of the 220 functionaries, only 13 attended the meeting, reinforcing that the majority of the party functionaries backed Anbumani. The party's treasurer M. Thilagabama, a staunch supporter of Anbumani, alleged that Ramadoss is being misled by a few seniors, including G.K. Mani, the PMK's honorary president. 'Because of his old age, Ayya (Ramadoss) is not able to concentrate on all the things happening inside the party. People like G.K. Mani are making use of it, and he is being misled,' Thilagapama told ThePrint. Founded in 1989, the PMK largely represents the Vanniyar community, a Most Backward Community (MBC) in the state. Tensions between the father and son first surfaced during the party's general council meeting in Villupuram on 28 December, 2024, over a dispute concerning the appointment of P. Mukundan, son of Ramadoss's elder daughter, Gandhimathi, as the party's youth wing president. The rift deepened after Ramadoss removed his son as party president and named him working president on 10 April. Ramadoss declared himself as party president and said that G.K. Mani would continue as honorary president. The development came just a day before BJP senior leader and Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to Tamil Nadu to announce the revival of its ties with the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) on 11 April. Party sources privy to the development told ThePrint that Ramadoss was not in favour of announcing a decision to join any alliance a year before the election, as it would reduce the party's bargaining power. Although the PMK joined hands with the BJP-led NDA in the Lok Sabha elections a year ago, the party said it will take a call on the alliance for the 2026 assembly elections by next year. The senior leader quoted above told ThePrint that Ramadoss was not in favour of joining the alliance with national parties for the assembly election as it was against his ideology. 'He always wanted to join hands with either of the Dravidian parties to gain a foothold in the state. It was because of his strategy that the PMK, at one point, had a vote share of over 10 percent in the northern districts in the state,' the senior leader told ThePrint. 'It was reduced to less than 5 percent in the last assembly election,' the leader added. G.K. Mani told ThePrint the issue would be resolved amicably. 'Our Doctor Ayya and Chinnayya Anbumani will soon meet in person and will discuss everything. It is an internal party matter and things will be sorted soon. There was a rumour that our Ayya (Ramadoss) is going to get signatures from all the district secretaries and is going to remove Anbumani from the party, but it is not true,' Mani said. Also read: Tamil Nadu's Anganwadi workers are drowning in data duties. Apps, OTPs & digital surveillance 2026 Assembly election crucial for PMK Political analyst Raveendran Duraisamy told ThePrint that the rift gained prominence as the party faces a crucial test in the assembly election. 'The upcoming 2026 election is crucial for the PMK and it is a battle of survival for the party since its vote share has dwindled in the northern part of Tamil Nadu,' said Raveendran. 'The PMK, which gained its vote share by eating into the votes of the DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) since 1991, has now given up its vote share to the AIADMK,' he added. According to Raveendran, the AIADMK's move to introduce 10.5 percent reservations for Vanniyars in the MBC quota—later struck down by the Madras High Court—had shifted the loyalty of Vanniyars towards the AIADMK. 'In order to gain the lost vote share, the party has to work strongly among the Vanniyar community and it has to part ways from the NDA alliance. If it continues to be in the NDA, the alliance parties will eat into the PMK's vote share,' Raveendran said. However, political analyst N. Sathiya Moorthy said the dispute represented a generational shift in political strategy. 'Although being the son, Anbumani has closely seen the alliance strategy of his father Ramadoss, he is now not ready to accept the old practice of deciding the alliance at the last minute,' Sathiya Moorthy said. 'Since the VCK is with the DMK alliance, the PMK has no choice but to join with the AIADMK-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Hence, Anbumani wants to take the lead in announcing the alliance. However, Ramadoss is hesitating to increase the bargaining power, which Anbumani probably feels is pointless,' he added. PMK's electoral performance Dr Ramadoss, a practicing doctor, came to public life in 1980 when he formed the Vanniyar Sangam, a coalition of all Vanniyar organisations. The Vanniyar Sangam, led by Ramadoss, organised huge protests in 1987 demanding Most Backward Caste status for the Vanniyar caste. Hoping to tap the support for the agitation, he founded the Pattali Makkal Katchi in 1989. The party first contested the 1991 assembly election, where it fought 194 seats and won only in one constituency, securing about 5.89 percent of the votes. In 1996, the party formed a third front and contested about 116 seats, winning about four seats and securing a vote share of about 5.4 percent. For the first time, in 2001, the party aligned with the AIADMK and contested 27 seats. It won 20 seats with a 5.56 percent vote share. In 2006, the PMK joined hands with the DMK and contested 31 seats. However, it only won 18 seats with a vote share of 5.39 percent. In 2011, the PMK continued in the DMK alliance and contested 30 constituencies, but won only in three. Its vote share was still 5.23 percent. In 2016, the party contested alone in all 234 constituencies, resulting in a rout with a vote share of 5.36 percent. In 2021, the PMK joined the NDA alliance and contested 23 seats, winning five with a vote share of 3.80 percent. (Edited by Sugita Katyal) Also read: With Kanimozhi, A Raja among 7 new zonal in-charges, DMK steals a march in 2026 TN poll prep
Indian Express
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Poor show at meet blow to S Ramadoss in PMK internal fight, he thunders: ‘Lion's legs not weak'
In an attempt to reassert authority over his party, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder Dr S Ramadoss on Friday convened a meeting of all 230 district secretaries and presidents at his Thailapuram farmhouse near Tindivanam in Tamil Nadu's Villupuram district. However, only 13 turned up, a strikingly low attendance that underscored the deepening unease within the party following an open fallout between Ramadoss and his son and former Union Minister Anbumani Ramadoss. Ramadoss, 85, downplayed the no-show, attributing it to exhaustion among the cadre following the party's Chithirai Pournami Youth Conference in Mamallapuram on May 11. 'Some of them called me and said they were tired,' he told reporters. 'That's all.' But party insiders tell a different story. According to them, several district leaders were upset with Ramadoss's public remarks at the rally, where he criticised Anbumani. What should have been a private family matter, they said, was aired in public, an act many viewed as unnecessarily humiliating to Anbumani and demoralising to the rank and file. 'What Ramadoss spoke on stage should have been settled at home,' said a source with knowledge of discussions in the party. 'It felt like a personal attack dressed up as party business.' The meeting was the first since Ramadoss ousted Anbumani as party president, naming him 'working president' and reclaiming control under the title of 'founder-president'. Despite claiming that a formal invitation was sent to Anbumani — 'he may be on the way,' Ramadoss said — Anbumani did not attend. The rift appears to be both personal and strategic. Anbumani has favoured a continued alliance with the NDA, while his father is said to be considering a return to either of the Dravidian majors, DMK or AIADMK. The split in vision has only widened the generational and ideological chasm between the two. Ramadoss, however, has brushed aside talk of an internal feud. 'There are no factions in the PMK. You find groups only at music concerts. The lion's legs have not weakened, and neither has its aggression,' he said. Setting the tone for the road ahead, he declared a target of winning 50 seats in the 2026 Assembly polls, claiming, 'I have taught them how to win elections even while lying down.' However, with only a fraction of the party's district leadership by his side, and a growing perception that his speech at the rally crossed a line, the veteran leader's display of control appeared more fragile than before.
