Chennai: PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss was unanimously re elected as PMK president for another year at the party’s general council (GC) on Wednesday. The incumbent general secretary Vadivel Ravanan and treasurer M Thilagabama will also continue as general secretary and treasurer for another year.This was the first GC meeting held after PMK founder S Ramadoss announced his retirement from politics. Since Ramadoss and Anbumani joined hands recently ending their 20 months of rift, some of the supporters of senior Ramadoss also attended the general council. PMK’s first president Dheeran, who was with Ramadoss, also attended the GC meeting. However, former PMK president G K Mani and former MLA R Arul were absentSpeaking at the meeting, Anbumani accused the Congress and BJP of “jointly conspiring” against Tamil Nadu over the Mekedatu issue and urged chief minister C Joseph Vijay to convene an all-party meeting to protect the state’s Cauvery water rights.“The Congress and BJP are together hatching a conspiracy to stop water from reaching Tamil Nadu. If laying the foundation stone helps them win elections in Karnataka, they are ready to do it,” he said.Referring to TNCC president B Manickam Tagore’s criticism that Anbumani should talk with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Anbumani said such criticisms were not new to PMK. “We have seen police firing, lathi charges and jail. We are carrying out constructive politics.”He also called on chief minister to lead an all-party delegation of MPs and legislative party leaders to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the Mekedatu issue was a Tamil Nadu issue and not that of any single political party.
