The DMK on Wednesday came down heavily on former Union Minister Anbumani Ramadoss, saying he must think twice before launching an offensive against DMK treasurer M.K. Stalin because he could secure a Rajya Sabha seat and became a Minister only with the support of the DMK.
Joining issue with Dr. Anbumani, former DMK MLA Thamaraiselvan said it was strange that the former Union Minister was talking about corruption when a charge-sheet had been filed against him in connection with irregularities in granting permission to the Indore Medical College.
In his open letter to Mr. Stalin, Dr. Anbumani had said that both the DMK and the AIADMK were the two sides of the same coin when it came to corruption and Mr. Stalin had no locus standi to criticise Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam.
On the PMK’s consistent demand for total prohibition in Tamil Nadu, Mr. Thamaraiselvan said if Dr. Anbumani was socially conscious, he could have moved a private Bill in support of prohibition when he was the Union Health Minister.
“Why are you not demanding prohibition in the neighbouring Puducherry? Have you ever made a demand for allocating two per cent reservation for Vanniyars in government jobs when you were a Union Minister,” he asked in a statement.
Mr. Thamaraiselvan also accused PMK founder S. Ramadoss of “cheating the Vanniyars” after promising them that neither he nor members of his family would enter politics.
“It was our leader who uplifted the Vanniyars by announcing 20 per cent reservation for the Most Backward Classes in Tamil Nadu. He could have done it unilaterally. But he announced after consulting Dr. Ramadoss and also ensured a berth for a Vanniyar in the Union Cabinet,” Mr. Thamaraiselvan said.
