Though he is the senior-most member of the party and of the Vanniyar Sangam since the 1970s, Ramadoss has not contested any election nor has he sought any position for himself.

Spoke in wheel

SATELLITE CITIES: Within a few months of taking over, the DMK announced satellite cities in Chennai suburbs to decongest the city. In August 2006, soon after the government said it had identified land for the project, PMK got people in the area to protest. The government had to shelve the plan.

AIRPORT EXPANSION: The proposal was stalled following opposition from the PMK. This time too, the party sided with the “victims of land acquisition”, forcing the state to recommend an alternative proposal.

TATA PROJECT: In 2007 July, when the state government announced that Tata Group would set up a titanium dioxide plant in a southern district at over Rs 2,500 crore, PMK opposed, urging the government to consider setting up a plant on its own. The project was dropped.

SEZs: The PMK demanded that the private sector should not be allowed to acquire agricultural land for “profiteering”. Party also opposed the entry of big retailers.

SAND MINING: When the government decided to privatise sand mining, PMK said indiscriminate mining had led to the degradation of water resources in nearby areas.

FEE HIKE: When the state government decided to hike the annual fee for engineering seats under management quota, Ramadoss criticised the DMK for not consulting allies.