The PMK Founder S Ramadoss’ game plan of invoking the caste card to regain the party’s lost ground seems to have boomeranged and rattled the rank and file of his own political outfit. On Friday, the party’s two-time Lok Sabha MP and former Minister of State for Petroleum E Ponnuswamy announced his decision to leave active politics altogether.
Ponnuswamy’s announcement came at a press conference held in Chennai, in which he said he was quitting the PMK over his discomfiture with the direction that the party had been taking of late.
Ponnuswamy has now joined a list of leaders from the Scheduled Castes to leave the PMK over Ramadoss’ demand for amendments to the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
“I am not able to accept Ramadoss’ demand for changes to the SC/ST Act. I am unable to accept some decision that the party has made on the lines of community. I also cannot accept some statements made on certain communities and marriage. So, I am quitting active politics entirely,” said Ponnuswamy.
He added that he had discussed this with Ramadoss and his son Anbumani and that he would now focus on social activities and on his writings.
Ponnuswamy had been elected to the Lok Sabha twice - in 1999 and 2004 - from Chidambaram constituency, which was reserved for SC candidates. He had served as Minister of State for Petroleum for a period of 16 months between 1999 and 2001.
He had also served as a member of a wide range of Parliamentary committees such as Energy, Home Affairs, Defence, Rural Development, Railways, Telecommunications and Commerce. He had also been the PMK’s deputy leader in the Lok Sabha from 2004.
