PMK Founder Ramadoss Hands Over Responsibility To Anbumani After Retirement

Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder Dr. S. Ramadoss announced his retirement from active politics on Saturday, marking the occasion of his 88th birthday and declaring that the party's leadership would henceforth rest entirely with his son, PMK president Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss. The announcement was made during a birthday gathering at Ramadoss' Thaiyur Estate near Tindivanam, where Anbumani visited his father earlier in the day to seek his blessings, marking a rare public appearance by the two together following months of visible strain in their relationship.

Addressing party workers and supporters at the event, Ramadoss described his decision as one of "political renunciation," stating that he would no longer speak on political matters or involve himself in the party's affairs going forward. He said he would continue to welcome visitors and inquire about their well-being but asked that political discussions no longer be brought to him. His remarks were met with applause from the party cadres present at the gathering.

The announcement carries particular significance given the prolonged and highly public rift between Ramadoss and Anbumani that had unsettled the PMK in recent months. Differences over the party's organizational structure, leadership approach, and decision-making processes had led to open disagreements between father and son, with rival factions forming within the party as a result. The internal discord had raised broader questions about the PMK's future direction and electoral strategy, prompting repeated calls from senior leaders and party workers for reconciliation between the two leaders.

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Although both Ramadoss and Anbumani had publicly characterized the disagreements as internal party matters, the dispute fueled ongoing speculation about a potential split within the Vanniyar-based regional party. The divide had also played out visibly among supporters, with rival camps staging competing demonstrations in a further sign of the depth of the internal conflict. Saturday's birthday event, and Ramadoss' announcement made in his son's presence, is being widely interpreted as a symbolic handover of political responsibility to Anbumani and a deliberate effort to bring closure to months of internal tension within the party.

Political leaders from across party lines extended birthday wishes to Dr. Ramadoss following the announcement, acknowledging his decades-long public life and his role in building the PMK into a significant regional political force in Tamil Nadu. His retirement brings to a close an era spanning more than four decades in Tamil Nadu politics, and attention now shifts to how Anbumani Ramadoss will consolidate leadership and steer the party's direction in the years ahead.

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