VILLUPURAM: Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder Dr. S Ramadoss on Thursday levelled serious allegations against his son and party president Anbumani Ramadoss, accusing him of internal sabotage, misconduct, and disrespect towards party veterans. Addressing the media at his residence in Thailapuram near Tindivanam, Ramadoss said he was compelled to speak out after Anbumani “feigned ignorance” over his removal as party president in an attempt to mislead cadres and garner sympathy.
At a press conference at his Thailapuram residence, Ramadoss launched a blistering attack on his son. "To be honest, it wasn't Anbumani who made a mistake. It was me. I went against my own principles and made him a Union Cabinet Minister at the age of 35. That was my mistake," the PMK patriarch said.
He also alleged that Anbumani sparked internal disputes and was always the first to attack.
“I asked Tamil Kumaran, son of PMK Honorary President GK Mani, to contribute to the party’s growth. I gave him an appointment letter. But Anbumani tore it up and demanded his resignation over a phone call. PMK youth wing chief Mukundan was also treated in the same humiliating way during the general body meeting."
Referring to the party meeting in Puducherry, he said, "Who behaved without basic decorum? Who overturned the stage setup, ignoring basic civility and party norms? I appointed Mukundan as the youth wing leader to assist me and help Anbumani with the party. But like a ball bouncing off a wall, opposition to his appointment was immediately voiced from the stage."
In a statement dated Thursday, Mukundan officially resigned as the leader of the party's youth wing.
On the differences of opinion with regards to alliances, Ramadoss said, "I wanted an alliance with AIADMK for the 2024 elections. Anbumani had spoken with Edappadi Palaniswami and confirmed the alliance. But suddenly, Anbumani and and his wife Sowmya came to Thailapuram and cried to me, insisting on an alliance with the BJP. They cried for a long time, and I was left with no option."
"An AIADMK-PMK alliance would have been a natural one. Had it materialised, PMK might have won 3 seats and AIADMK 7. Anbumani said that if we were to refuse a BJP alliance, I should be the one to take the blame," he added.
He also accused Anbumani of attacking his mother during a family gathering.
"During Pongal this year, when our family was talking together at home, Anbumani’s mother asked him, 'If he had made your second daughter the youth wing leader, would you have stayed silent?' Anbumani, in response, picked up a bottle and threw it at his mother. Fortunately, it hit the wall and not her."
He also questioned Anbumani’s move to open a separate office in Panayur, saying, “Anbumani gave out his phone number and said he has opened an office there, inviting people to meet him. Who dragged matters that should have been handled within four walls into public view? Who broke the PMK, a party that had been built over years, in a single moment? Is this how a party functions?”
The PMK founder claimed the party’s 19-member executive committee had been sidelined. “Anbumani neither listens to them nor allows them to express their views,” he said. He further alleged that Sowmya Anbumani had urged him to remove GK Mani from the post of party president.
Ramadoss also accused Anbumani of consistently showing disrespect toward senior party leaders, including the late Kaduvetti Guru.
“I have led this movement for 45 years with discipline and dignity. But now, the very calf I raised has turned on me. I am shattered,” he said.