Despite the ongoing feud with his father and PMK founder S. Ramadoss, over who gets to control the party, PMK ‘president’ Anbumani Ramadoss on Friday announced he would walk across Tamil Nadu for 100-days from July 25 until November 1 ‘to reclaim the rights’ of Tamil people, which, according to him, was taken away by the DMK government.
In a statement, he alleged the government shirked its duty to safeguard social justice and 69% reservation in Tamil Nadu.
Uninhabitable State
He claimed that the safety of women in schools, universities, on roads, and in factories had been compromised; education had become commercialized. Drugs and alcohol had proliferated among youth ; and farmers were being neglected, with their lands being seized and handed over to corporations.
“Due to environmental degradation, lack of transportation facilities, and clean air, Tamil Nadu is turning into an uninhabitable State. Due to the lack of initiatives to uplift backward regions in terms of education and industrial development, parts of the State remain stagnant and underdeveloped. Overall, the promises of progress have resulted in disappointment,” he said.
“The DMK government has failed to fulfil its promises, including providing 5.5 lakh jobs and ensuring 75% job reservation for Tamils in private employment. In the last four years, not even a single medical college has been built. There has been no increase in the number of medical seats; government hospitals lack doctors; free wards are gradually being converted into paid ones, thus stripping the poor of their right to treatment,” he alleged.
Dr. Anbumani said it is important for the PMK to create awareness among the people about the atrocities of the DMK government. The padayatra would focus on the right to social justice, women’s right to live a life free from violence, right to employment, right to pursue farming and food, right to demand development, right to access public services, right to health and education, right to live a life free from alcohol and drugs, right to sustainable development and right to a healthy environment.
Published – June 14, 2025 12:56 am IST
