Over-confidence cost us in TN polls, says PMK

Pattali Makkal Katchi founder Dr S Ramadoss attributed the failure of the party in the April 13 Tamil Nadu assembly elections to the 'arrogance and lethargy' of the party workers.

Party organisers had been 'over confident' and took success for granted, he said at the Integrated West and South districts' working committee in Kanchipuram on Thursday.

They had not fulfilled their commitment of adding 20 new young members to the party per each ward, he said, observing it was the failure to infuse young blood that had caused the party the election, in which it had won only three of the 30 constituencies it had contested.

Ramadoss voiced stern opposition to the distribution of freebies to the voting public and lashed out at both the Dravidian parties for having "swamped the state in alcoholism."

Only agriculture inputs, health and education should be given freely, he said, adding it was the "height of degradation" where governments undertook the running of the bars, but left the education sector to the industry.

On the controversial uniform education system (Samacheer Kalvi), he said he himself had dubbed the system which his ally DMK spawned, as "samarasacheer" (a compromise in quality).

The PMK founder said the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government itself had not fully implemented in spirit the proposals of the Muthukumaran committee on a uniform education system.

"This (AIADMK) government has abandoned even this half baked (proposal)," he said, and warned the PMK would take to the streets if Samacheer Kalvi was not implemented in the state.