Anbumani Ramadoss blames DMK for family feud within Tamil Nadu regional party

Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) leader Anbumani Ramadoss accused the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) of being behind the ongoing turmoil in his party, calling it an attempt to destabilise PMK and weaken the Vanniyar community ahead of the 2026 elections.

The remarks come amid a week-long internal power struggle between Anbumani and his father, PMK founder S Ramadoss, with the latter removing several Anbumani loyalists from key party posts.

On Sunday, Anbumani, who had issued a public apology to his father on Father’s Day (Sunday, June 15), turned his attention to the DMK, blaming the party for fuelling the discord.

“DMK is manipulating the media to degrade PMK and divert attention from public anger against the government,” Anbumani alleged, adding, “The Chief Minister does not even know what’s happening in the state. To deflect from that, DMK is targeting parties like ours. But these efforts will not succeed.”

He claimed the DMK grew fearful after witnessing the turnout at the recent Chithirai Thiruvizha event and has since sought to weaken PMK and the Vanniyar community. “I told the people openly that DMK betrayed the Vanniyar community. For four years, they led us to believe they would provide additional reservation. But in the end, they cheated us,” he said.

Anbumani also warned of internal betrayal, stating that some party members were working against PMK’s interests by collaborating with the DMK. “Fake news and misinformation are being spread about us on social media. There are betrayers within the party, and they will be exposed. DMK knows it cannot face us directly, so it is using others to do its work,” he claimed.

He further added that neither he nor his father should be held responsible for the present confusion, and that the “real villain” was the DMK.

“I can never betray my party. If that happens, it will be the last day of my life,” he added.