Hectic parleys are underway to broker peace between Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder Dr S Ramadoss and his son Anbumani Ramadoss. Anbumani Ramadoss met RSS ideologue and auditor S Gurumurthy at his residence on Thursday night, June 5, and held an hour long discussion regarding the leadership dispute in the PMK.
A top source in PMK confirmed that a meeting between Gurumurthy and Anbumani Ramadoss took place at the former’s residence. “After Auditor Gurumurthy met Dr Ramadoss and heard his concerns, he had to talk to the other side as well. The discussions are underway,” the leader added.
Sources told TNM that Gurumurthy's discussion with Anbumani Ramadoss largely revolved around the issue of the PMK party president post. “Anbumani has conveyed that he wants to continue as the president of the party and does not want to be downgraded.”
On Thursday, TNM reported that Dr Ramadoss has laid down a few conditions for a truce, one among them being that Anbumani Ramadoss should come forward to give up his president’s post and work under his guidance and leadership as the founder of the party.
Sources also added that the visit of Anbumani Ramadoss to the Thailapuram residence of Dr Ramadoss on Thursday morning was not cordial. “Anbumani Ramadoss came with a request to not involve third parties in the dispute and wanted to hold talks directly with Ramadoss. The request was rejected by the founder,” the source added.
Ramadoss also held discussions with senior leaders of the party, including GK Mani and headquarters secretary Anbalagan, till late night on the developments. “Anbumani Ramadoss’s visit to Dr Ramadoss’s residence is a positive development, and we are hopeful that a resolution will be arrived at soon,” GK Mani told TNM.
A suggestion has been made to both leaders to hold separate press conferences in Chennai indicating their willingness to resolve the issue. This is being planned during Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Tamil Nadu, scheduled for June 7 and 8.
The leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is closely monitoring the developments unfolding in the PMK. A BJP leader told TNM that Union Minister Amit Shah is keen on finalising the NDA alliance in Tamil Nadu by the end of June. “The unexpected developments in the PMK have become a cause for concern now,” the source said.
Commenting on the developments, Tamil Nadu State BJP president Nainar Nagendran maintained that the BJP is not directly involved in initiating peace talks between Dr Ramadoss and his son. Responding to a direct question about the role of Gurumurthy, Nainar said, “Auditor Gurumurthy’s actions are always to ensure good things happen for the country and for the state,” he said.