Thirumavalavan has to choose between Ambedkar and DMK alliance: Anbumani

Anbumani Ramdoss. File
| Photo Credit: S.R. Raghunathan

Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) president Anbumani Ramadoss on Monday (December 2, 2024) criticised Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) founder Thol. Thirumavalavan for withdrawing from the launch of a book titled ‘Ellarukkumana Thalaivar Dr. Ambedkar’ by Vikatan Publications and Voice of Commons on December 6, during which he was to receive a copy of the book from Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) founder and actor Vijay, in Marakkanam.

Speaking to reporters, the PMK leader said that Ambedkar was the party’s ideologue and it was not right to restrict him as a leader of only Scheduled Caste communities.

“Dr. Ambedkar is a national leader just like Mahatma Gandhi. Can anything give more happiness than releasing a book about him? If Thirumavalavan is withdrawing from the event… does he not respect Dr. Ambedkar? Let Mr. Vijay release the book. What is there? He must think about it whether he is with Dr. Ambedkar or DMK,” he said.

Dr. Anbumani also criticised the DMK government for not addressing the so-called ‘secret meeting between Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and Gautam Adani’ and underlined the opinion of the Supreme Court judges that they fear V. Senthilbalaji, who took over as Minister immediately after coming out on bail in an alleged money laundering case, would threaten the witnesses in the case.

“We have been saying this continuously but he has been portrayed as a freedom fighter and a martyr by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin,” he claimed.

VCK responds

Responding to Mr. Anbumani’s remarks, VCK general secretary D. Ravikumar said: “Our leader has not withdrawn from the function… he has agreed to release the book, but he does not want to do it with Mr. Vijay. This is the decision of the publication, not ours. We have doubts over Vijay’s commitment in safeguarding the ideals of the Constitution. On the one hand, he holds the Indian Constitution and on the other, he receives the Bhagavad Gita, which Dr. Ambedkar himself has criticised. This shows that he has neither studied Dr. Ambedkar nor read the Bhagavad Gita.”

Mr. Ravikumar said the PMK, “which has diverged from Dr. Ambedkar’s ideals,” should speak about why his statues continue to be inside metal cages, demand those cages to be removed, and protest against those who desecrate his statues.

“Dr. Ambedkar is a leader for the country as a whole. Only in Tamil Nadu, we find Dr. Ambedkar’s statues are being desecrated and they have to be protected inside cages. When his statues are being desecrated, PMK neither criticises those who do it nor protests against the act. It has always been the VCK that protests against such incidents,” he said.

He added, “I am not accusing the PMK of commodifying him… when the PMK erected Dr. Ambedkar statues in the past, I personally know they did it with utmost sincerity. But PMK has diverged from those Ambedkarite ideals. Now, when they erect statues of Periyar, Dr. Ambedkar and Marx, when they don’t subscribe to their ideals, they are only commodifying them.”