Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) Youth Wing leader Anbumani Ramadoss defended PMC over its alliance with the ruling AIADMK in a press conference in Chennai.
He said, “Allying with AIADMK was a mutual decision taken by all our party workers, with consensus from all and under the leadership of Sr Ramadoss”
“If alliances can’t happen between two such parties, then nobody in the country can be in an alliance. Akhilesh Yadav and Mamata Banerjee were against each other but today didn’t the Bahujan Samaj Party join hands with them? In Maharashtra, Sharad Pawar quit the Congress but today he has joined hands. Chandrababu Naidu was strongly opposed to Congress, today they are together.”Anbumani Ramadoss
PMK Accused of Hypocrisy
PMK has been accused of being hypocritical over the alliance as they had earlier accused the AIADMK of corruption and even petitioned the state Governor to seek action, but are now allying with the party before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
He said that the party remains steadfast on the anti-corruption issue and would support “anti-graft action against the state ministers” if the corruption charges were proven true, reported PTI.
“We’ve given a list to the governor on several allegations, and we still stand by that. Let CBI enquire and investigate, if proven true with evidence then I myself will ask the concerned to step down,” he added.
Ramadoss asserted the party’s commitment to the people of Tamil Nadu. He said, “Earlier we revolted from outside, now under the alliance we will push for fulfilling people’s rights.”
“Our intention is to retrieve and uphold the rights of Tamil Nadu and its people.”Anbumani Ramadoss.
Charter of Demands Given to AIADMK
Ramadoss said that there was a ten-point charter of demands PMK had given to the AIADMK before confirming the tie-up.
He said, “Right now there are no major stalwarts in TN like Jaya and Kalaignar. Over the past eight years, we’ve not been appreciated. We’ve not been given the rightful importance which we should’ve been given. We believe that these 10 demands put forth with ADMK, can be fulfilled under their alliance, hence the decision.”
Some of the demands in the charter included implementing prohibition and ensuring the release of the seven including Perarivalan and other convicts from the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, discarding NEET from TN, providing better irrigation facilities, tackle the Cauvery issue at delta regions, and hinder the Mekedatu dam project.
“Today all political parties in Tamil Nadu are asking for complete ban of liquor but we were the ones who have been asking for this from the beginning.”Anbumani Ramadoss
Ramadoss said that Chief Minister and AIADMK Joint Coordinator K Palaniswami agreed to ‘consider’ most of the demands.
Alliance Factored Majority View
He added that the alliance decision was also taken factoring in the "majority view" in his party. His father and PMK founder leader S Ramadoss had held discussions with a large number of workers, functionaries and office-bearers, he added.
Admitting that the party had in the past decided not to align with either DMK or AIADMK, the PMK youth wing leader said the situation has, however, changed, following the demise of AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa and former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi of DMK, reported PTI.
"We stuck to that (position of not aligning with the two Dravidian parties) for eight years (since 2011). Today the situation is different. Today our rights have to be retrieved," he said.
Hitting back at DMK President M K Stalin for his criticism of PMK, Anbumani Ramadoss said he was perhaps afraid of the AIADMK-led alliance's victory prospects.
He said even the DMK had approached the PMK for a possible alliance, according to PTI.
Claiming that the AIADMK-led alliance, which also has the BJP, will sweep the coming polls, Anbumani Ramadoss said it will be easier to ensure Tamil Nadu's welfare by being part of the NDA if it forms the next government at the Centre.
“We have never been an alliance with AIADMK before. But now we are. We have been fighting for this so far from the outside, but now that we are within the party, we will be able to implement this better.”Anbumani Ramadoss.
(With inputs from PTI)
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