CHENNAI: PMK president Dr Anbumani Ramadoss has blamed the AIADMK for forcing the party to sign a poll pact in 2019 for implementing the 10.5% reservation for Vanniyars.
Campaigning for North Chennai BJP candidate Paul Kanagaraj on Monday, Anbumani said, “The PMK extended its support to the AIADMK to win nine MLA seats when the state faced a by-election for 22 seats in 2019 along with the last general election. This played a major role in stabilising Edappadi Palaniswami’s government. The PMK gave a lifeline to the erstwhile AIADMK government by helping it win five seats in the northern districts, where our party has its vote bank.”
Highlighting PMK’s struggle for Vanniyar quota, Anbumani spoke on submitting 10 demands, including conducting caste census and Vanniyar reservation, to Palaniswami when he was chief minister. Despite several protests and meetings with Palaniswami, no action was taken, he alleged.
Anbumani also questioned the genuineness of the AIADMK government in accepting the quota demand just hours before the ECI announced the poll schedule in 2021. Anbumani condemned the AIADMK for introducing a ‘flawed reservation bill,’ which was invalidated by the Madras High Court.