PMK to go it alone in TN Assembly polls

In a shift in its strategy, National Democratic Alliance constituent Pattali Makkal Katchi, which had been pushing for a rainbow alliance led by it for next year’s Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, on Saturday said the party would go it alone and contest all 234 seats.

“We are emerging as an alternative (to AIADMK and DMK)…we will contest in 234 constituencies,” PMK’s founder-leader Dr. S Ramadoss told reporters here.

His announcement marks a change in the party’s stand as PMK had been mooting an alliance led by it as an alternative to the Dravidian majors —— AIADMK and DMK, which have been ruling the state alternately since 1967.

The party’s General Council meeting, held in Chennai in November last, had adopted a resolution saying it would forge a political front by organising parties committed to the growth of the state.

Dr. Ramadoss had then invited eight smaller parties to be part of the front, virtually elbowing out the BJP.

PMK had contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in the state as part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and won one seat, but its relationship with BJP turned sour later with the regional party criticising the Narendra Modi government on various issues such as ‘Hindi imposition’.

Dr. Ramadoss evaded a direct reply when asked about BJP leader L Ganesan’s recent statement that PMK would come back to the NDA fold during the elections, and said his party was emerging as “an alternative” and would contest all seats.

He claimed that the land acquisition process followed in Tamil Nadu was “more dangerous” and asked the people to be cautious, saying it would “destroy” the agriculture sector.

The central government had given up the Land Bill and left it to the respective states for framing their own acts. .

“Such a step of the Centre is dangerous and posed a threat to agriculture lands,” he added.

Source: PTI