Chennai, Jan 10 (IANS) Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder S. Ramadoss Sunday appealed publicly to all the opposition parties for support in the Pennagaram bypoll.
His earlier letter to two communist parties — CPI and CPI-M — requesting support for PMK’s candidate G.K. Mani’s son Tamizhkumaran remained unacknowledged.

Ramadoss told reporters here: “In 1991 elections, PMK won the seat on its own with a margin of around 32,000 votes. In 1996, the party retained the seat. However, in 2006, due to pressure the seat, was given to the DMK (Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam). Now we are not in DMK alliance and we are contesting.”

“We are not appealing for support just because we have announced our candidate. PMK has a good chance of winning with a margin of 40,000 votes. We have to defeat the DMK to protect democracy from ‘cashocracy’,” he said.

He added: “In Tamil Nadu, by-elections have come to be known as buy-polls as votes are bought by the ruling party for Rs.2,000. Barring few exceptions, it is the ruling party that has won the bypolls in Tamil Nadu. After 2006, the ruling DMK has won all the elections with its money power.”

The PMK will raise the drinking water problem in the Pennagaram constituency and the half-century delay in implementing the Hogenakkal Integrated Drinking Water Scheme, Ramadoss said.

While DMK has announced P.N.P. Inbasekaran, son of P.N. Periannan, whose death has forced the bypoll, as its candidate, the AIADMK is expected to announce its candidate soon.

The Communist Party of India (CPI) has already announced its support to the AIADMK in the bypoll.

“If AIADMK fields its candidate, we will criticise both the parties and their policies,” Ramadoss remarked.