CHENNAI: PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss reaffirmed that the ‘Mango’ is the official election symbol of the Pattali Makkal Katchi and said no one could claim otherwise. He accused those close to party founder S Ramadoss of acting as ‘DMK agents’ for personal gain and reiterated that the Election Commission had authorised only him to sign Form A and Form B.
"All my life, I have been true to Ayya, and I will remain so. A few individuals close to Dr Ramadoss of acting as ‘DMK agents’ for personal gain. They are tarnishing Ayya’s name for their selfish interests," he said, while addressing district secretaries and functionaries in Chennai.
His comments come in the backdrop of PMK founder Dr S Ramadoss reportedly writing a letter to the Election Commission stating that the Mango symbol belongs to his leadership.
Anbumani urged district secretaries to focus on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, saying it was an opportunity to consolidate the PMK’s voter base.
“You must ensure that no voter supporting our party is left out of the list. Once the draft rolls are released, check them carefully and take immediate steps to correct any omissions,” he said.
He added that he planned to meet district leaders every month to review progress and ensure coordination.
PMK leader urged party cadres to launch a massive and disciplined ‘fill jail protest’ across all 234 Assembly constituencies (for failing to implement Vanniyar reservation) to ensure the defeat of the ruling DMK in the forthcoming elections.
Calling for a Statewide peaceful protest, he said, “Lakhs of people must take part, even if it means going to jail. This should be a disciplined movement without any disturbance or violence. Through this struggle, we must ensure that the DMK faces defeat.”
“Our party has better principles and policies than the DMK, but during elections, they work with precision at the booth level while we relax after months of effort. If we bridge that gap, we will certainly win,” he said. He added that if cadres worked systematically, “we can secure at least a hundred additional votes per week in every booth.”