Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) president Anbumani Ramadoss on Monday criticised former allies of the DMK who had campaigned for M.K. Stalin’s chief ministership but have now extended support to Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), saying the people were watching these political shifts closely.

Speaking to reporters at Kuttalam, near Mayiladuthurai, Dr. Anbumani said Mr.Stalin was “speaking out of frustration” and urged him to respect the people’s verdict. “Parties such as the Congress, the Communists, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal, and the Indian Union Muslim League, who had campaigned hard saying Stalin should become Chief Minister, won with DMK’s support. They have now sided with TVK. The people are watching all this,” he said.

Questioning the DMK government’s record, Mr. Anbumani said the party ran an “advertisement-based administration.” Mr.Stalin’s party colleagues had failed to bring ground realities to his attention. “Nothing of substance happened during the DMK regime,” he asserted.

On the agrarian front, the PMK chief flagged that the Mettur reservoir had not reached full capacity, making it impossible to release water for kuruvai cultivation on June 12 as scheduled. He noted that inflows would depend entirely on rainfall in Kerala and Karnataka following the onset of the southwest monsoon.

Dr. Anbumani raised concerns over corruption in paddy procurement centres in the delta region, alleging that a bribe of ₹60 was being collected per transaction and that farmers were losing ₹275 per quintal to graft. He pointed out that lakhs of tonnes of paddy were being damaged in the rain due to inadequate storage, and demanded the establishment of warehouses with a capacity of 20 lakh tonnes in the delta. He also demanded a bonus of ₹3,500 per tonne for paddy and called for the appointment of a delta-region representative as the Agriculture minister, adding that the Chief Minister must pay greater attention to the region.

Dr. Anbumani called for the establishment of government medical colleges in six districts, including Mayiladuthurai, which currently lack such institutions. He also renewed his demand for Kumbakonam to be carved out as a separate district.

EOM/