PMK has no right to criticise DMK over Senthilbalaji, says RS Bharathi

CHENNAI: Hitting out at PMK founder Dr Ramadoss for criticising Chief Minister MK Stalin's praise of the Senthilbalaji after being released on bail in a cash-for-jobs case, the ruling DMK on Tuesday said that the PMK 'surrendered' to the BJP to save Anbumani Ramadoss in the medical college approval case and does not deserve to point fingers at the DMK.

In a statement, DMK organising secretary RS Bharathi referred to the medical college approval case in which charges were framed against Anbumani Ramadoss in 2015, and said, "People who took asylum at BJP headquarters Kamalalayam to escape the case can’t talk about the DMK's handling of the Senthilbalaji case."

Wondering why money laundering charges were not pressed against Anbumani in the medical college sanctioning case, Bharathi asked, "Why is the ED going easy on it? Why did the PMK not oppose the excesses of the ED which is acting like a recruiting agent for the BJP?"

Taking strong exception to Ramadoss' criticism of the re-induction of Senthilbalaji into the cabinet, Bharathi said, "Why is Anbumani, who illegally sanctioned medical colleges, being repeatedly nominated to the Rajya Sabha? Is there no other eligible candidate in the PMK?"

Reminding Ramadoss of the remarks he made during the inauguration of Jayalalithaa’s memorial in the previous AIADMK regime and PMK's subsequent alliance with EPS, Bharathi said that Ramadoss must atone for the sins he committed to allying with the AIADMK in 2019 and 2021, before criticising the DMK.

Arguing that Chief Minister MK Stalin had made some comments in the distant past about Balaji based on the case registered against him in 2015, the DMK organising secretary reasoned that the cases were foisted against Balaji because he was among the 18 MLAs who petitioned the then Governor to replace EPS as CM. "Ramadoss knows the truth. EPS registered a case against VSB to save his government. Ramadoss has issued a statement now to demonstrate his existence," Bharathi added.

Recalling the trajectory of the case leading to the inclusion of Senthilbalaji as an accused in a related charge sheet filed in 2021, Bharathi said that when the file pertaining to the prosecution of VSB reached CM Stalin after the SC order, the CM set aside his prejudices and discharged his duty. "Is Ramadoss unaware of it or pretending not to know it?" Bharathi asked, arguing that VSB defied the BJP's attempt to implicate the DMK by exploiting the foisted cases against him.

Citing the disclosure of VSB's counsel during the case trial that the ED approached him to join the BJP, the DMK organising secretary said that the 'sacrifice' was Balaji's fearless determination to defy the BJP.