CHENNAI: Veteran politician Panruti S Ramachandran (88), who had been supporting former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, on Thursday launched his own political party, the MGR Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MGR ADMK).
However, Ramachandran announced that his party will not contest elections, and party office-bearers who wish to contest can do so as independent candidates with the support of a political party that supports the ideologies of the MGR ADMK.
Though he avoided expressing his support for TVK president Vijay while answering questions, Ramachandran said the current elections are between the DMK and the TVK, a stance Vijay has repeatedly reiterated.
Responding to a question as to whether he was firm on his stance that his party would not support any political party in the forthcoming Assembly elections, Ramachandran hastened to say, "I shall support movements that subscribe to the objectives I have outlined."
“I am not in a position to repose complete trust in anyone and align myself with them. In other words, I am cautious - once bitten, twice shy,” he added.
To questions on OPS, Ramachandran said, "The OPS chapter is over." Asked whether deserting Panneerselvam when elections are approaching was right, Ramachandran said, "Politics is not about an individual. It is immaterial what happens to an individual. On the contrary, what happens to the people and the State is of paramount importance."
“Should we sacrifice our lives for the sake of OPS? Should we waste our lives? (for the sake of OPS),” he went on.
Asked whether he considered the period spent with Panneerselvam a waste, Ramachandran said, "No. We were together. I don't know what decision he would take (regarding the elections). So, I bid adieu, wishing him well”
Questioned what forced him to launch a political party, giving up his wish to unify the AIADMK, Ramachandran said, "Political parties have become enterprises now. So, you can’t achieve much through political parties."
Questioned about whom this election is being fought, Ramachandran said, "I was the first to say that. The current election is a fight between the DMK and the TVK."
The party will be formally launched at a public meeting in Kancheepuram on February 23. The party's policies and ideologies would be announced at that meeting.
Panruti S Ramachandran (88) has a political career spanning nearly six decades. Hailing from Panruti, he entered politics through the Dravidian movement and was first elected to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly in 1967 from the Panruti constituency as a DMK candidate.
Over the years, he emerged as an experienced administrator, holding key ministerial portfolios, including Transport, Public Works, Electricity, and Industries, in successive governments. After parting ways with the DMK, he joined the AIADMK under MG Ramachandran and later associated himself with the PMK, under whose banner he was elected in 1991.
Ramachandran subsequently floated and was associated with smaller political formations, including the Makkal Nala Urimai Kazhagam. In the 2000s, he joined the DMDK, serving as its presidium chairman and as Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly.
Ramachandran returned to the AIADMK in 2014, after resigning from the DMDK, when J Jayalalithaa was its general secretary. However, he was expelled from the AIADMK by its general secretary, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, in September 2022. Later, Ramachandran associated himself with Panneerselvam till launching his new political party.