Tamil Nadu: Ramadoss Bids Adieu To Politics

Announcing his retirement at his Thailapuram Gardens in Villupuram district where he had made several declarations and political war cries by regularly meeting the local media representatives and also the State-level media persons who would travel all the way from Chennai to record his view and plans for the State, Ramadoss said he would not more talk politics or interfere in the activities of the PMK.

Ramadoss came into public life as a doctor providing low-cost healthcare to the rural and backward population of Villupuram district and was also dabbling in politics by highlighting the backwardness of his Vanniayar community and seeking redress through social justice. After working hand in hand with leaders of the Vanniyar community in the initial years, he launched the Vanniyar Sangam in 1980.

The Vanniyar Sangam came into limelight grabbing national headlines when it launched a massive agitation in 1987, paralyzing entire north Tamil Nadu by stopping vehicular movement on the national highway and several protests, leading to police firing, demanding an exclusive reservation for the community in government jobs and admissions in educational institutions.

While the State government of the day, led by AIADMK founder M G Ramachandran, put down the protests with an iron hand, M Karunanidhi of the DMK who took over the reins of the State in 1989 carved out the ‘most backward classes’ category from the Backward Classes that were enjoying 50 per cent reservation.

That 20 per cent exclusive reservation for MBCs helped many youths from the Vanniyar community get government jobs and admission in educational institutions. Then he launched the political party, the Pattali Makkal Katchi that became part of the NDA government led by A B Vajpayee. Since then, Ramadoss ensured that the PMK had ministers in the Union Cabinet under different governments and even made his son, Anbumani Ramados, the Minister for Health in 2005.

When the father and son were at loggerheads recently after a domestic fallout, which led to a split in the party itself, Ramadoss regretted that decision of making Anbumani Ramadass a Union Minister at the age of 35. But recently the father and son patched up and PMK now has four MLAs in the State.

Though Anbumani Ramadoss has been running the party for quite some time, the announcement of Ramadoss that he was stepping aside, has saddened those leaders of the party who stood by the father during the dispute since they had antagonized the son then.

With the wife of Anbumani Ramadoss, Sowmiya Anbumani, leading the PMK in the Assembly, the party has come completely under the total control of the son now.