After Ramadoss’ Pattali Makkal Katchi signed an alliance with the ruling party AIADMK on Tuesday, PMK’s state vice president, actor Ranjith announced that he was quitting the party.
The actor met the press in Coimbatore and said that he was anguished by the decision of the party to align with AIADMK. He said, “The PMK’s decision to have an electoral understanding with the AIADMK has shattered my dreams of working for the betterment of Tamil Nadu. It is a painful decision, but nevertheless, I had to take it because the PMK has changed its ideology and principles like somebody changing a shirt.”
“Until recently, the PMK was a harsh critic of the ruling AIADMK on several issues. It had criticised the AIADMK government on the issue of prohibition, but has now joined hands with the very regime that sells liquor.” He further pointed out that the PMK leader who attacked AIADMK leadership for the gutka scam, has now chosen to ally with the same party. He said, “I cannot digest such low grade politics.”
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PMK has betrayed the people of Tamil Nadu who had many hopes from the party, he said. “On the issue of the Salem-Chennai green corridor project, the PMK had conducted signature campaigns and opposed the AIADMK government for taking up the project. Now, by joining hands with the AIADMK, it has betrayed the people.”
“When Ramadoss contested the 2016 Assembly election with the ‘Maatram, Munnetram, Anbumani’ slogan, lakhs of youth rallied behind him with the hope of [creating] a better Tamil Nadu. But by aligning with the ruling party, he had dashed their hopes,” he added.
Actor Ranjith was with the AIADMK for few years, and strongly backed the current Deputy Chief Minster O Paneerselvam when he opposed VK Sasikala’s family. After OPS merged with AIADMK again, Ranjith left the party and joined PMK as the state vice president.