Dr S. Ramadoss skipped Narendra Modi’s rally seeking support for PMK’s candidates.
PMK leader and Dharmapuri candidate Dr Anbumani Ramadoss hugs BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi at an election rally in Krishnagiri (Photo : DC)
Chennai : In a snub to BJP, PMK founder Dr S. Ramadoss on Wednesday skipped saffron party’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s rally in Krishnagiri seeking support for PMK’s candidates. Dr Ramadoss campaigned for his party’s Arani candidate A. K. Moorthy on Wednesday even as Modi sought support for his party’s eight candidates including Dr Anbumani (Dharmapuri) and G. K. Mani (Krishnagiri) seated on the stage.
A senior PMK leader said ‘Doctor Ayya’ campaigned for Mr Moorthy in Arani town and adjoining villages. “He is meeting people informally and chatting with them,” the leader said, adding that he preferred to keep away from conventional style of addressing election rallies to give personal touch by meeting public directly. BJP national secretary Dr Thamilisai Soundararajan dismissed Dr Ramadoss’s absence in Modi’s rally as a non issue. “Due to health reasons, Dr Ramadoss is not campaigning in Lok Sabha polls. Besides, Dr Anbumani has been representing PMK in all NDA meetings,” she said. When asked about Dr Ramadoss’s campaigning in Arani on Wednesday, she said she was not aware of it.
Dr Ramadoss, who has refused to campaign for other NDA allies, will be campaigning in Arakkonam on Thursday before leaving for Dharmapuri to continue to canvas support for his son Anbumani. PMK founder has already campaigned in Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri and Tiruvannamalai. Unable to accept his party’s alliance with DMDK led by Vijayakanth, Dr Ramadoss has been keeping away from active campaigning in Lok Sabha polls ever since BJP chief Rajnath Singh declared formation of National Democratic Alliance in the state.
A senior leader of PMK said party chief was not against BJP led alliance in the state but was taken aback by the allotment of seats in its strongholds Cuddalore, Villupuram and Salem to DMDK. Interestingly, PMK has fielded its candidate R K R Anantharaman in Puducherry Lok Sabha seat against AINRC’s candidate R. Radhakrishnan supported by BJP. PMK was also able to rope in support of DMDK and MDMK.
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