Will announce PMK alliance 5 months before LS polls: Anbumani

COIMBATORE: PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss on Wednesday said his party would evolve a strategy for the ensuing Lok Sabha polls to form a PMK-led alliance in the 2026 Assembly polls in the state.

“We will announce our alliance five months before the Lok Sabha polls,” he told reporters in Salem, while denying reports that PMK is likely to align with the BJP.

Urging Chief Minister MK Stalin to resolve the issue of acquiring land for NLC, Anbumani said that PMK would resort to protest in front of the Secretariat, if the project to acquire 25,000 acres of land for NLC is not stopped.

Faulting the Election Commission for being a mute spectator to violations in Erode East bypoll, Anbumani said that the entire government machinery has come to a standstill due to the bypolls. “Democracy has been made into a laughing stock in the by-election,” he said.

The PMK chief demanded the state government to enact a law to prevent illegal smuggling of mines and minerals to neighbouring states from Tamil Nadu. Listing out various development projects that need to be taken up in Salem, Ramadoss said the scheme to fill up lakes and ponds from surplus water in Mettur reservoir should be extended to all water bodies in Salem.

Pointing out that Governor RN Ravi has been delaying to sign the resolution to ban online gambling, which has so far claimed 15 lives, the PMK leader cast his doubts if the Governor had any links with the online gambling firms. He also questioned the silence of the state government over the issue.