CHENNAI: The general council of Pattali Makkal Katchi, convened by Dr Anbumani Ramadoss at Mahabalipuram on Saturday, elected him as the president as his three-year tenure ended in May this year.
Addressing the meeting, Anbumani said that he was assuming the post out of a sense of duty and not out of desire, and blamed intermediaries for intentionally preventing any reconciliation with his father and party founder Dr S Ramadoss. Referring to one of the resolutions passed in the meeting, Anbumani said that his party is clear that the DMK should not return to power in the 2026 Assembly election. He, however, said that the party would decide on who should form the government and form a “mega” alliance accordingly.
His remarks gather significance as it indicated that he was keeping options open about aligning with either the AIADMK-BJP alliance or form an alliance with actor Vijay’s TVK, although he had contested the 2024 Lok Sabha election as part of the BJP-led NDA. “We will come to power. The alliance will be in line with your wishes,” he told the attendees, to rousing cheers.
The meeting was convened after the Madras High Court cleared the deck by dismissing the petition filed by Murali Shankar, the general secretary appointed by Dr Ramadoss amid the ongoing tussle with his son, after a day of high drama with Justice N Anand Venkatesh speaking to both the father (via video conference) and son (in person) separately in private, in a bid to resolve the dispute.
Stating that he felt no joy when he heard about the verdict, Anbumani said, “I did not feel happy at all. I was pained. Who are we getting this verdict against? Against our own,” he asked. He added that his father will forever remain the guiding force of the party and said he will surely join the rest present at the meeting soon. A chair reserved for the party’s founder, Ramadoss, was placed vacant next to Anbumani at the meeting.