S Ramadoss to launch statewide tour as PMK rift deepens

Chennai, Sep 11 (IANS) Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder S. Ramadoss is preparing to embark on a statewide campaign titled 'Gramaigalai Noki Payanam' in the run-up to Tamil Nadu Assembly elections next year.

The schedule for the tour is expected to be unveiled shortly, marking another chapter in the unfolding power struggle within the party.

The development comes at a time when his son and PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss is already on a parallel campaign trail. Since July 25, Anbumani has been travelling across districts meeting people under the banner of the 'Tamil Nadu People's Rights Retrieval Yatra'.

Both leaders' independent campaigns have brought the party's internal fissures into sharper focus, with cadres and supporters left divided.

The rift between father and son has been widening since December last year, when a special general council meeting in Villupuram became the flashpoint.

At that meeting, Ramadoss announced his grandson Mukund as the youth wing leader - a move strongly opposed by Anbumani.

Tensions escalated further in May during the Vanniyar Sangam conference, where Ramadoss asserted that he remained the PMK's supreme leader and would take all crucial election-related decisions. This effectively sidelined Anbumani, who was described only as the party's general secretary.

Since then, the two camps have functioned almost as rival factions.

Separate general council meetings have been convened, parallel appointments issued, and competing claims made over the party's official structure.

Both sides have moved the courts over ownership of the party's name and its election symbol - the mango.

A caveat filed by the Dr. Ramadoss faction in the Madras High Court is likely to come up for hearing soon, setting the stage for yet another round of confrontation.

As Tamil Nadu inches closer to Assembly elections, the PMK's internal battle appears far from resolution.

With both leaders determined to assert their authority and command grassroots loyalty, the coming months may see the party struggle to present a united front before the electorate.

--IANS

aal/svn