Chennai: BJP’s estranged ally PMK on Saturday extended an open invitation to all political parties barring the ruling AIADMK and opposition DMK to end the Dravidian rule in the state while declining to accept the leadership of the BJP in the ensuing Assembly election.
PMK’s chief ministerial candidate Dr Anbumani Ramadoss has decided to throw his hat in the ring.
Dr Anbumani who won from the Dharmapuri Lok Sabha Constituency when his party aligned with the BJP in 2014 Lok Sabha election, announced to contest the Assembly polls but declined to reveal the constituency from where he would contest.
“The party will make an announcement soon. On our own we have decided to contest from all the 234 Assembly constituencies. I appeal to all the political parties to put up a united fight to dislode the Dravidian party rule in Tamil Nadu,” he said on Saturday.
But the BJP here which had given a call to establish non-DMK, non-AIADMK rule in Tamil Nadu during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections when it had forged a grand alliance is now keen only on retaining the few remaining allies. According to sources, the party high command is likely to allow Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan to continue as party president and face the election. The party is yet to finalise alliance.
“We have not approached anyone (for forging alliance) and don’t intend to. We will welcome which ever party is willing to accept our leadership,” he said. While speaking to reporters Dr Anbumani alleged that as opposition party leader Vijayakanth had hardly done anything for the people.
“He has been silent all these years and now he is awake because of the upcoming Assembly elections,”. Anbumani charged on Saturday.
“People have taken a wise decision to opt for change and the December inundation has only made their resolution firm on dislodging the AIADMK rule,” he claimed.
Claiming the PMK on its own could not make impact, BJP state vice president M. Chakravarthy said the BJP is still a force in the state and is capable of ushering in change for the better. On Vijayakanth, he said, “he will lose his credential if he joins DMK.”
