CUDDALORE: A day after news emerged that the Election Commission of India (ECI) had recognised Dr Anbumani Ramadoss as the president of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), the party’s founder, Dr S Ramadoss, on Saturday accused his son of bribing the Commission to retain control of the party.
Dr Ramadoss said he has challenged this “conspiracy” in the Delhi High Court, where a hearing is scheduled for Monday.
Speaking at a meeting in Cuddalore on Saturday, the octogenarian leader alleged that Dr Anbumani’s faction had secured a favourable ruling from the poll body through illicit means. Accusing his son of earlier “buying out” several party functionaries, he said, “You (Dr Anbumani) have now bought the Election Commission itself.”
“They say money can do anything; here, money has reached all the way to the Election Commission. Even if we tell the truth, the Commission does not understand.”
The ECI, in its recent communication to Dr S Ramadoss, stated that his son was the president of the PMK as per its records, with his tenure valid until August 1, 2026, while rejecting Dr S Ramadoss’s claim that he himself was the party president.
Launching an all-out attack against his son, the veteran leader recalled that when he was hospitalised last month for a cardiac evaluation, Dr Anbumani came to the hospital but only enquired about his health with the doctor and left without meeting him. He noted that 81 people, including senior PMK leaders and members of various parties, had visited him.
He said his son had taken everything away from him except his life. Having appointed his daughter, Srikanthi Parasuraman, as Working President to assist him, Dr S Ramadoss declared that Dr Anbumani’s “political journey is finished.”
“You may have bought the Commission, but you cannot defeat Ramadoss,” he said, asserting that the party’s grassroots firmly remained with him.
He added that the party would organise a massive protest demanding internal reservation for the Vanniyar community on December 12.