Ramadoss removes son Anbumani as PMK chief, takes the post for himself

CHENNAI: Nearly four months after PMK founder S Ramadoss and his son Anbumani Ramadoss clashed in front of the party cadres at a special general council meeting held in Puducherry in December 2024, the senior Ramadoss dethroned Anbumani to induct himself as the party president.

Addressing media persons in Thailapuram on Thursday, Ramadoss announced that Anbumani, hitherto the PMK president, has been relegated to the newly created executive chairman post.

"As founder of the PMK, I take the post of the president. Anbumani Ramadoss, who is presently the president of the party, will be appointed as the executive president to work toward winning elections," he said.

The other leaders of the party, including honorary president GK Mani, who had relinquished the post for the founder's son in May 2022, will remain in their respective posts.

Party sources said the announcement came as a shocker to everyone, including Anbumani. Since the inception of PMK, Ramadoss has avoided holding party posts and instead remained as a guide who also called the shots.

Only a few minutes before the announcement, Anbumani, in his capacity as the party president, had issued a statement demanding the government to hand over appointment orders to candidates selected to various jobs in the Transport department.

"This is definitely a setback to the party as we do not know how Anbumani would react. We hope the issue will be sorted out sooner. The father-son bond may see them patching up," one of the cadres said on the condition of anonymity.

Asked whether the appointment of Mukundan Parasuraman, Ramadoss’s grandson, as president of the party's youth wing in the Puducherry meeting and subsequent public spat is the reason for the relegation, the functionary explained they are all assumptions.

"Soon after the clash, Anbumani met Ramadoss in Thailapuram and resolved the issue. Also, the opening of his office in Panaiyur was not a fallout of the clash as Anbumani had been searching for an office space in the city for more than six months to carry out party works," he said.

It may be recalled that there were rumours about Ramadoss and Anbumani not seeing eye to eye for the past few years.

Trouble brewing since ’24 LS polls

The difference of opinion between the two was more palpable during the alliance negotiations for the recent Lok Sabha polls. While Ramadoss wanted to align with the AIADMK, Anbumani preferred the BJP-led alliance. Anbumani managed to convince the party to go with the BJP and fielded his wife Sowmya Anbumani in Dharmapuri constituency, but the decision proved to be disastrous for the party.

Party sources revealed that Ramadoss announced some protests after the Lok Sabha election failure against the state government without informing Anbumani.

The rift came to the fore when Ramadoss appointed his grandson and Anbumani's nephew Mukundan as president of the party's youth wing.

When Anbumani expressed discontent over the appointment, Ramadoss rebuked him saying he was the party's founder and no one can continue in the party if they fail to listen to him. "Anyone who does not agree can leave (the party)," he had said.

THE FATHER-SON RIFT

The difference of opinion between the father and son became prominent during the alliance talks for the 2024 LS polls

Ramadoss wanted to align with the AIADMK and Anbumani preferred to go with the BJP-led alliance

The party went with Anbumani’s suggestion and the decision proved disastrous

The rift came to the fore when Ramadoss appointed his grandson Mukundan as the party's youth wing president

Anbumani expressed his discontent which antagonised Ramadoss who said anyone who does not agree can leave