Latest news with #S.Ramadoss
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
PMK founder Ramadoss seeks ban on Anbumani's upcoming padayatra
The ongoing tussle between Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder S. Ramadoss and his son and party leader Anbumani Ramadoss has intensified, with the former lodging a complaint with the Director-General of Police seeking effective measures to prevent the latter's upcoming 100-day padayatra 'to reclaim the rights of the Tamil people.' Speaking to reporters at his Thailapuram residence near Tindivanam on Thursday (July 24, 2025), Mr. Ramadoss said the police should prevent Mr. Anbumani from taking out the padayatra (scheduled to be held from July 25) across the State as it would give rise to law and order issues in north Tamil Nadu. He also sought police intervention to prevent anyone from using the PMK flag during the yatra. Mr. Ramadoss reiterated that his name should not be used by his son in any context, though he may use his initial. Mr. Ramadoss said he had assumed charge as 'party president' on May 30, 2025. The executive and administrative committees were revamped and the list of office-bearers, including the honorary president, treasurer, and general secretary have been furnished with the Election Commission of India (ECI). 'I have duly appointed office-bearers to run the party and if anyone prevents them from doing their duties or falsely claims to be office-bearers, they will referred to the Disciplinary Action Committee and expelled from the party,' he said. Referring to the alleged planting of a bugging device beneath his chair at his residence, Mr. Ramadoss said it was the most obnoxious development in Tamil Nadu, the kind of which was never experienced by any leader in the State. The PMK founder said he had information that the bugging device was imported from the United Kingdom, and is also said to be available in Bengaluru. He wanted the police to expedite the probe into the case.
The Hindu
22-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Anbumani to kickstart 100-day Statewide tour from Thiruporur on July 25
The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) on Tuesday announced its leader Anbumani Ramadoss will embark on a 100-day Statewide tour starting from July 25 at Thiruporur near Chennai. The tour will commence on the birthday of his father and PMK founder S. Ramadoss, which the party celebrates as Pasumai Thaayagam Day. His tour will cover key constituencies and conclude in Dharmapuri on November 1, observed as Tamil Nadu Day, a party statement said. His tour seeks to 'reclaim' ten key rights for the people, including right to social justice, women's right to live free from violence, right to employment, right good governance and public services, right to health and education, the statement said. In the first phase between July 25 and August 4, Dr. Anbumani will tour Thiruporur, Chengalpattu, Uthiramerur, Kancheepuram, Sriperumbudur, Ambattur, Maduravoyal, Gummidipoondi, Tiruvallur, Tiruttani, Sholinghar, Ranipet, Arcot, Vellore and Vaniyambadi Assembly constituencies, the statement added.
The Hindu
10-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Those who ignore my words should not bear my surname: PMK founder Ramadoss
Pattali Makkal Katchi founder S. Ramadoss on Thursday said those who refused to heed his words should not use his name as their 'middle' or 'last' name. His statement comes against the backdrop of the ongoing feud with his son and party leader Anbumani Ramadoss. Talking to journalists at Kumbakonam he said those who did not want to act as per his words or directions should not use his name. 'They can use the first letter of my name Ramadoss as initial though, he added in an obvious reference to Mr Anbumani.. Taking a dig at the PMK Thanjavur north district secretary, who is also the Chairman of Aduthurai Municipality, for displaying a photograph of Mr Anbumani n the stage where the Thanjavur-Tiruvarur district general council meeting of the PMK and the Vanniyar Sangam was held, said he would have displayed the photograph 'due to his affection towards When asked to respond to BJP leader, H. Raja's statement that it would be a treat to watch if the father and son worked together, he said, it was his (Raja's) wish. Responding to a follow up question whether Mr Raja's wish would become a reality, he replied by singing the first few words of a Tamil movie song – 'poga poga theriyum' (it shall be known in future).
India Today
18-06-2025
- Politics
- India Today
How Ramadoss vs. Ramadoss makes PMK a divided house
This Father's Day (June 15), Pattali Makkal Katchi (Proletarian People's Party or PMK) president Anbumani Ramadoss struck a rare emotional chord when he posted the following message on social media: 'Fathers are always flames of sacrifice. If creation is a mother's role, nurturing with love is the sacred duty of the father. Let us not honour fathers just on this day—but every day.' Coming amid a public and painful power struggle with his father, party founder S. Ramadoss—the most turbulent chapter in the PMK's history—the message read more like an offer of truce than just a tribute.A few hours later, addressing a general council meeting in Thiruvallur, Anbumani apologised to his father: 'If you're upset with me, please forgive me. There's nothing wrong in asking for forgiveness from a father.' The apology, though, came with a caveat—he would not step down as party president. 'As a son, it is my duty to ensure you live long with health and happiness. Ayya underwent bypass surgery 10 years ago and now deals with blood pressure and diabetes. He should not be stressed. Just give orders, and I will carry them out—as your son and as the party president,' Anbumani PMK, once a potent force rooted in Vanniyar assertion and social justice rhetoric, is now caught in an unprecedented leadership conflict. The feud between the founder and his son has not only divided the party but also exposed its decline from a grassroots movement to a dynastic, alliance-dependent out of a Vanniyar agitation for the Most Backward Classes (MBC) reservation quota, the PMK was the political culmination of the community's rise up the social ladder. Violence during the protests of 1987, which led to 21 deaths, gave S. Ramadoss immense symbolic capital, setting the stage for the PMK's formation in 1989. Over time, however, the universalist vision of social justice narrowed into a tight grip over Vanniyar identity, sacrificing broader appeal for sectarian consolidation. Through the 1990s and early 2000s, the PMK allied with the DMK and the AIADMK at different times, guided more by electoral arithmetic than ideology. It reached its peak in 2004, with Anbumani becoming Union health minister in the United Progressive Alliance government. But the party's support began to erode in the years that followed, thanks to regressive casteist positions, opposition to inter-caste marriages, and its role in the infamous 2012 Dharmapuri incident in which a Dalit youth's death and anti-Dalit violence shook Tamil 2016 bid to reposition himself as a moderniser—under the slogan 'Change. Progress. Anbumani.'—was a slick, media-savvy campaign that won attention but not trust. Yet, since becoming party president in 2022, Anbumani has steadily tightened his grip, bypassing the old guard and forging direct relationships with district-level tensions between father and son boiled over in December 2024, when S. Ramadoss named his daughter's son Mukundan as youth wing leader at a party meeting. Anbumani, visibly angry, denounced the appointment as dynastic—a striking irony given his own elevation was engineered by his April this year, the rift deepened as the founder declared himself party president, insisting that Anbumani step down and continue only as working president. Anbumani refused. Efforts at mediation by senior leaders and political intermediaries, including RSS ideologue S. Gurumurthy, failed to make headway. While his father maintained he would remain party chief 'so long as he is alive,' Anbumani pressed ahead, consolidating his base through grassroots meetings and subtle signalling of a generational the PMK's general council meeting in Kancheepuram more recently, Anbumani blamed the ruling DMK and unnamed 'conspirators within' the PMK for the ongoing unrest within his party. Without offering concrete evidence, he accused the DMK of seeking to electorally weaken the PMK by engineering internal rifts. Referring to repeated unfulfilled promises of internal reservations for the Vanniyars, he accused Chief Minister M.K. Stalin of having 'betrayed' the community. He also claimed the DMK's fear of losing Vanniyar votes after witnessing recent mobilisations had prompted renewed efforts to destabilise the Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) president Thol. Thirumavalavan, while reiterating his ideological opposition to the PMK, pointed out that it was the only non-Dalit party to add blue to its flag, erect statues of Ambedkar in the northern districts of Tamil Nadu, and include in its constitution a provision that the general secretary of the party must be a Dalit. 'It is sad that a party with roots in progressive politics is now looking to right-wing forces for mediation. In fact, movements like the PMK had played a key role in gatekeeping against the right wing in Tamil Nadu,' he the emotional overture on Father's Day, though headline-worthy, did not bridge the chasm. Even as Anbumani held meetings in Thiruvallur and Chengalpet, his father convened a parallel gathering in Thailapuram, dismissing party general secretary Vadivel Ravanan—a known Anbumani loyalist—and appointing Murali Shankar in his fact, the seeds of discord were sown even before the current crisis, during the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha election. Anbumani was reportedly inclined towards aligning with the BJP, hoping to leverage his 'development' image and national connections. In contrast, his father was said to favour an alliance with the AIADMK, with whom he shared a longer and more traditional political rapport. The disagreement widened the rift between the with the BJP and the AIADMK now back in the same alliance ahead of the 2026 assembly election, the PMK is almost certain to join the front. But the unresolved leadership struggle raises a critical question: which Ramadoss will negotiate the terms. With the 2026 election fast approaching, the PMK risks entering the fray as a divided to India Today Magazine
The Hindu
13-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Anbumani to go on 100-day padayatra across the State to ‘reclaim rights' of people
Despite the ongoing feud with his father and PMK founder S. Ramadoss, over who gets to control the party, PMK 'president' Anbumani Ramadoss on Friday announced he would walk across Tamil Nadu for 100-days from July 25 until November 1 'to reclaim the rights' of Tamil people, which, according to him, was taken away by the DMK government. In a statement, he alleged the government shirked its duty to safeguard social justice and 69% reservation in Tamil Nadu. Uninhabitable State He claimed that the safety of women in schools, universities, on roads, and in factories had been compromised; education had become commercialized. Drugs and alcohol had proliferated among youth ; and farmers were being neglected, with their lands being seized and handed over to corporations. 'Due to environmental degradation, lack of transportation facilities , and clean air, Tamil Nadu is turning into an uninhabitable State. Due to the lack of initiatives to uplift backward regions in terms of education and industrial development, parts of the State remain stagnant and underdeveloped. Overall, the promises of progress have resulted in disappointment,' he said. 'The DMK government has failed to fulfil its promises, including providing 5.5 lakh jobs and ensuring 75% job reservation for Tamils in private employment. In the last four years, not even a single medical college has been built. There has been no increase in the number of medical seats; government hospitals lack doctors; free wards are gradually being converted into paid ones, thus stripping the poor of their right to treatment,' he alleged. Dr. Anbumani said it is important for the PMK to create awareness among the people about the atrocities of the DMK government. The padayatra would focus on the right to social justice, women's right to live a life free from violence, right to employment, right to pursue farming and food, right to demand development, right to access public services, right to health and education, right to live a life free from alcohol and drugs, right to sustainable development and right to a healthy environment.
