Anbumani challenges Stalin to public debate

May 07, 2015 12:00 am | Updated 08:10 am IST - CHENNAI:

Former Union Minister and PMK MP Anbumani Ramadoss on Wednesday challenged DMK treasurer M.K. Stalin to participate in a public debate over what he had called the DMK’s contribution to the development of the State and the welfare of Sri Lankan Tamils in the past 50 years.

In an open letter, Dr. Anbumani said Mr. Stalin, instead of responding to his allegations, had used former DMK MP Thamaraiselvan to join issue with him.

“Even in the Assembly, you hid yourself behind the DMK MLAs instead of leading from the front. Now you have asked Mr. Thamaraiselvan, defeated by me in Dharmapuri Lok Sabah constituency, to answer my questions,” Dr. Anbumani said.

The PMK leader also took exception to the DMK’s claim that he could not have become a Rajya Sabha member and Minister in the Union Cabinet without the DMK’s support. He said that he was elected to Rajya Sabha as part of the electoral agreement between the DMK and the PMK. It was not a gift from the DMK.

As Union Minister of Health, Dr. Anbumani said, he introduced the 108 ambulance service and waged a war against tobacco lobby and won four international awards for his contributions.

On the allegations that he was implicated in connection with the case granting permission to Indore Medical College, Dr. Anbumani said the charge-sheet had not pointed any accusing finger at him. “The only allegation is that officials have not followed the procedures when it came to granting permission,” he said.

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