EC has recognised our leadership to contest under Mango symbol: Anbumani Ramadoss

Chennai: PMK leader Dr Anbumani Ramadoss on Wednesday claimed that the Election Commission has recognised only his leadership and that they would be contesting under the party's Mango symbol.

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.

Ramadoss and his son Anbumani are involved in a tussle over the past few months, each appointing and firing functionaries at will. Senior leaders and functionaries have been backing the respective leaders.

Addressing the party cadres during a meeting at a private marriage hall near Chennai, Anbumani claimed: "Our leadership has been recognised by the Election Commission and we will only be contesting the Assembly polls with the Mango symbol. This cannot be changed." He urged the cadres to focus on strengthening the party ahead of the forthcoming polls.

Referring to his 100 days of Nadai Payanam (Pada Yatra), he said, "There has been comparisons between the DMK and the PMK. I wish to make a couple of points here on this topic. But if you compare us with them, I will say that we are a good party and we have several developmental schemes planned for the welfare of the people. We have several policies for the benefit of the people. We have a large number of party supporters who are young. It is we who are in the hearts of the people.

"However, that is not the same with the DMK. They may be the ruling party in Tamil Nadu, but people are unhappy with them. During the Pada Yatra, I could feel the pulse of the people," he claimed.

Anbumani noted that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls is an opportunity for his supporters to strengthen the party and they should go door-to-door to check whether any family member in a region has been left out or was there any person living in different address.

"This SIR exercise is an opportunity to strengthen our party. As a cadre, you should take up door-to-door visits and meet people and check with them whether any of their family member who have been living in that residence has been left out or not.

"As a party cadre, you should be aware of what is BLO (Booth Level Officer), BLA (Booth Level Agent) and all those details on Special Intensive Revision. You should be aware of this exercise as it is your election. May be three months from now you may become MLAs and even some of you might become ministers as well," he said amid thunderous applause from the party supporters.

As his next point of action post the Pada Yatra, Anbumani said he would be meeting the party cadres every month and discuss the strategies ahead of the forthcoming Assembly polls.

Later, responding to a query during a brief press conference, he flayed the DMK for staging a protest on Tuesday on the SIR exericse and said that the state government was involving in "diversionary politics" as people were "unhappy" with the DMK rule. "The DMK is betraying the people by protesting the SIR," he said.

"There are a lot of welfare schemes that are need to be focused for the welfare of the people. But the DMK did not do that. For example, during my Pada Yatra many farmers were affected due to heavy rains in delta region. They are yet to receive any kind of compensation for the loss they have suffered," he claimed.