Anbumani Ramadoss to boycott President polls if BJP doesn't assure CMB

CHENNAI: Pointing out that both the AIADMK and DMK had given their support in the Presidential elections without any conditions, PMK founder S.Ramadoss on Friday announced his party MP Anbumani Ramadoss would boycott the polls if the BJP did not assure to form the Cauvery Management Board in a month. Lashing out at the AIADMK government, he said it had fallen at the feet of the Centre to protect itself from corruption cases and retain posts. He said eight per cent of the votes in the electoral college for President is from Tamil Nadu which has a key role in deciding the election result. The parties in the state should have joined together to press for the state's demands, but they had not done so.

From 1991, Tamil Nadu had been playing a decisive role at the national level, but it was not possible to retrieve the state's rights and this was because the major parties in the state AIADMK and DMK considered their personal interests more important than the state's welfare. Ten years had passed since the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal gave its final order, but the CMB was not formed, he said.

Anbumani had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi thrice and Union Water Resources minister Uma Bharathi twice to press for CMB formation and stopping Karnataka from constructing a dam at Megadatu, the PMK leader recalled. He said the plight of farmers had become the major issue confronting the state and a major reason for the suffering is the centre's refusal to form the Cauvery Management Board even after the Supreme Court order.

“If the BJP leadership assured to form the CMB within a month, PMK will support the saffron party's Presidential candidate. If not PMK will boycott the election”, he said, in a statement here. Ramadoss said the party's decision was taken after a meeting of party's high level committee.