The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam was now copying the policy of Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) in the matter of prohibition, said Anbumani Ramadoss, chief ministerial candidate, on Sunday.
Addressing a political conference of ‘Pandiya mandalam’ at Vadipatti near here, Dr. Anbumani, in a reference to DMK president Karunanidhi's announcement that the first signature would be in the order to clamp prohibition in the State if voted to power, said that no party, except the PMK, had a right to demand total prohibition.
The PMK had been fighting for this in the last three decades and the DMK had now suddenly jumped into the anti-liquor bandwagon.
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Dr. Anbumani said that it was time to bring about change to rescue Tamil Nadu from the clutches of the two major Dravidian parties as otherwise the State would plunge into abysmal depths. Tamil Nadu could not boast of an ancient past as its recent history was replete with scams and scandals, making it a laughing stock. He appealed to the people to give him a chance to make it liquor-free and corruption-free.
People, he said, would not believe the assurance of the DMK or AIADMK to provide corruption-free governance. “Tamil Nadu now yearns for a change in government, politics, political culture and standard of living of its people,” he said.
“Bring about change. I'll deliver development. The PMK is for decent and development politics,” the former Union Minister said.
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The party founder, S. Ramadoss, by way of answering his critics of PMK’s ability to bring about change, recalled how the Janata Party came to power at the Centre in 1977 and the Aam Aadhmi Party won in Delhi. He claimed that the PMK always played the role of a creative, critical and constructive opposition and it was the real opposition in Tamil Nadu now. He accused the Dravidian parties of neglecting south Tamil Nadu that resulted in its backwardness.
G. K. Mani, president, claimed that the PMK had grown in all regions and could not be labelled as a party of north Tamil Nadu.There was also no reason to brand it a casteist outfit.