After his party’s poll debacle in 2011, PMK founder S. Ramadoss took the decision to keep away from both the DMK and the AIADMK. While many thought it was only grand posturing and that the party would eventually join either of the two Dravidian parties, Mr. Ramadoss stuck to his word. Going one step further, the party has declared Anbumani Ramadoss as its chief ministerial candidate and is now going it alone in the Assembly election. As his son filed the nomination papers from Pennagaram on Monday, the senior Ramadoss opened up to The Hindu.
With the emergence of a five-way contest, has your strategy of placing the PMK as the alternative failed?
As far as we are concerned, the battle now is only between the AIADMK and the PMK. The DMK is nowhere in the picture. It has lost all its credibility. When he started his campaign from Chennai, DMK president M. Karunanidhi urged the people to end the corrupt rule of the AIADMK. But sitting right next to him was Dayanidhi Maran, against whom there are multiple cases of corruption. How will the voters take them seriously? The DMK propaganda secretary [A. Raja] spent over a year in prison in the 2G case! If not for money power, the AIADMK will also be out of the race.
What about the DMDK-led ‘Third Front’. Have they not grabbed the headlines from the PMK and are now seen as the third major force?
Any front needs a credible and strong leadership to capture the imagination of the people. Can you say Vijayakant is such a leader? People are now regarding him as a humour element in the elections. His base has completely eroded. The public will not repose their faith on such a person. What was his performance as Leader of the Opposition? On the other hand, Anbumani has a track record as Union Health Minister. Show me one Minister who has won four international awards for his work. Who had the courage to fight the tobacco lobby and ban smoking in public? This is the difference.
But the PMK is largely regarded as a party of the northern districts. How can you be so sure of winning?
The thirst for change among the people has grown immensely, thanks to 50 years of corrupt rule by the DMK and the AIADMK. This current government is perhaps the most corrupt. In such a situation, people will gravitate towards a party with the most credible policy and leader. We have provided both. I assure you we will not win less than 100 seats. You can expect us to win much more and form the government.
You say that by promising prohibition, you have earned the trust of women. But are you not afraid of losing the votes of men, given how prevalent the drinking habit is?
I have been campaigning for prohibition for the past 35 years. But just before elections, the AIADMK and the DMK have promised it. You tell me who the people will consider credible. They speak of banning alcohol when their own people run distilleries. This is a joke. Men drink because there is free availability of liquor. Thousands of men I’ve met say that if there is no liquor they won’t drink. They see that it would help their families and save their incomes. Also, we have promised de-addiction centres and rehabilitation of addicts. As a doctor, I am aware of how to treat patients.
PMK is accused of being anti-Dalit and your opponents cite the recent incidents in Northern districts…
The media has been unjustified in its criticism. The PMK has fought for so many issues over the years. There is no party that can claim to have conducted so many protests and movements like the PMK. But all that is never projected. You refer to the record of Anbumani as Union Minister and see how many things he has done for the Dalits. I myself had been in the forefront of the fight against caste discrimination. This is simple. The opposition has nothing else to accuse the PMK of. The media has also, unfortunately, stamped us as a caste-based party. Read our manifesto and see its quality. No other party has such a vision.
