The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) will seek to contest 50 Assembly seats across the State, including the southern districts, and its decision on entering into an alliance will be disclosed by the end of this month or the first week of February, party founder S. Ramadoss said on Wednesday.
The PMK's alliance choice would be based on who should not come to power rather than on who should, Dr. Ramadoss said. The electorate should carefully decide on who should be prevented from getting a five-year mandate, he said at a press conference at Thailapuram near here. Asked to spell out which alliance should not come to power, Dr. Ramadoss said the party would soon take a call on it. To a question on whether the party had shifted its earlier position that the PMK would be part of the “winning alliance,” he replied that ultimately the verdict rested with the electorate.
When it was pointed out that Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi had spoken of exchange of feelers between the DMK and PMK, Dr. Ramadoss said that the former had indicated this only to presspersons. Referring to the soaring prices of vegetables, Dr. Ramadoss suggested formation of a separate cell to monitor prices and nab hoarders and speculators. Those indulging in speculation should be detained under the Goondas Act. He called for setting up of a cold storage chain to protect farmers from contingencies that might force them to go for distress sale and to help them get remunerative prices for their produce.
Dr. Ramadoss further said that during the farming season, workers registered under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme should be deployed in agriculture and their wages shared on a 50-50 basis by farmers and the government.
