SALEM: Former Salem West MLA Arul Ramadoss on Thursday ruled out accepting PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss as the party's leader, and indicated that a decision on the future political course of functionaries and cadre loyal to PMK founder S Ramadoss would be announced soon.
Addressing reporters after a consultative meeting of Ramadoss supporters held under the banner 'Let us Unite, Let us Coordinate' at a private hall in Suramangalam, Arul said those who had stood by Ramadoss during the party's internal split had unanimously rejected Anbumani's leadership.
"We can never accept Anbumani as our leader. There is no scope for such a discussion. We have sought the views of party functionaries and cadre from across the state and will review their opinions before arriving at a decision," he said.
Arul said Ramadoss would continue to remain their leader and inspiration, recalling that he had been associated with the PMK founder for over 37 years. "Ramadoss has now chosen to step away from active politics. Therefore, we are exploring other options for our political future," he said.
He added that a decision would soon be taken on whether to float a new political party or join another political outfit. According to him, leaders of major political parties, including the DMK, AIADMK and TVK, had approached the group with invitations to join them.
Earlier, addressing the consultative meeting, Arul said he had worked alongside Ramadoss since 1989 and credited him for his political career, including making him an MLA. He claimed to have organised meetings addressed by Anbumani from 1999 to 2025 and said he had been imprisoned 18 times, including once under the Goondas Act, for party-related agitations.
He alleged that despite these sacrifices, he was insulted by Anbumani and maintained that the group would not accept his leadership under any circumstances.