Only 13 of the 230 district secretaries of the Tamil regional party attend the conference; according to sources, many are upset because he publicly expressed his disagreements with his son Anbumani.
In a bid to reassert his authority over the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), founder Dr S Ramadoss convened a meeting of all 230 district secretaries and presidents on Friday at his Thailapuram farmhouse near Tindivanam in Tamil Nadu’s Villupuram district. However, only 13 leaders attended, highlighting the growing tensions within the party following a public fallout between Ramadoss and his son, former Union Minister Anbumani Ramadoss.
The 85-year-old leader downplayed the poor attendance, attributing it to fatigue among party members after the Chithirai Pournami Youth Conference in Mamallapuram on May 11. “Some called and said they were tired,” Ramadoss told reporters.
Party insiders, however, paint a different picture. Many district leaders were reportedly upset by Ramadoss’s public criticism of Anbumani during the Mamallapuram rally. They viewed his remarks as a personal attack aired in public, which they felt was demoralizing and inappropriate for party unity. “What was said on stage should have been resolved privately,” a party source remarked. “It felt like a family dispute masquerading as party business.”
The meeting followed Ramadoss’s decision to remove Anbumani as party president, appointing him “working president” while assuming the title of “founder-president” himself. Ramadoss claimed Anbumani was invited to the meeting, even suggesting he might be “on the way,” but Anbumani did not attend.
The rift between father and son appears rooted in both personal and strategic differences. Anbumani advocates maintaining the PMK’s alliance with the NDA, while Ramadoss is reportedly considering realigning with either the DMK or AIADMK. This divergence in vision has deepened the ideological and generational divide within the party.
Ramadoss dismissed suggestions of internal divisions, stating, “There are no factions in PMK. You see groups at music concerts, not here. The lion’s strength and aggression remain intact.” He set an ambitious goal of winning 50 seats in the 2026 Assembly elections, boasting, “I’ve taught them how to win elections even while lying down.”
Yet, with only a fraction of the party’s leadership present and growing discontent over his public handling of the dispute with Anbumani, Ramadoss’s grip on the PMK appears increasingly tenuous.
