Federation wants Ramadoss to contest all 40 LS seats

Chennai: PMK founder Dr S. Ram­adoss on Monday asserted that the Federation of All Communities,  a platform of various non-da­l­it caste groups, would stay apolitical and take up issues concerning th­em.

“The federation will not contest the ensuing Lok Sabha polls. It is formed to take up social issues co­ncerning various co­m­munities not ad­dressed by other political parties,” Dr Rama­do­ss told reporters here on the sidelines of the me­eting of the federation.

However, many of the community leaders who addressed the meeting expressed their desire to contest the ensuing LS polls. Dr Paramasivam, one of the community le­aders, said that there was a wave in favour of BJP leader Narendra Modi across the country. “There is a chance for a OBC leader to become a prime minister. We sh­o­uld help him,” he urged.

A fishermen community leader Thalapathi sa­id they would like to contest the polls. Rajas­eka­r­an, another leader of a co­­mmunity, urged Dr Ra­­m­adoss to consider contesting all the 40 LS se­ats in TN and Pud­ucherry. “When Arvind  Kejriwal can become a chief minister of Delhi, Dr Ramadoss can also be­come a CM. We should put good candidates in all the LS seats,” he said.

Dr Ramadoss said the front should not contest the polls but should fo­cus on the community we­lfare. He reiterated his demand that the Ce­ntre should amend the Hindu Marriage Act to make the consent of parents must if a girl wants to marry before she atta­ins the age of 21.