At 88, Ramadoss leaves politics, ending era that reshaped Tamil Nadu’s reservation debate, its caste politics
On Saturday, as he turned 88, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder Dr. S. Ramadoss attempted to answer that question with unusual simplicity.“I am retiring from politics,” he told party workers gathered at Saraswathi College near Tindivanam. “From today, I will not speak about politics or interfere in political matters. Anbumani will take care of politics. His wife will also support him. Those who come to meet me should not discuss politics with me.”The declaration, delivered during a birthday programme that also marked the planting of 88 saplings, formally transfers the political movement he built over four decades to his son, PMK president Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss. Citing recurring vertigo, Ramadoss asked visitors henceforth to enquire only about his health — not politics. “I am suffering from vertigo. I was eager to meet all of you and have come here,” he said. “The relationship between you and me will never change.” The announcement comes barely weeks after father and son ended a bitter leadership struggle that had split the PMK into rival camps, with both publicly differing over organisational control, alliances and the party’s future. Their emotional reunion at Thailapuram last month signalled reconciliation. Saturday’s announcement transformed reconciliation into succession.
Discussion (0)