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Union Home Minister Amit Shah is so convinced that the BJP is in a position to defeat Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Bengal that he wants to concentrate more on the state than in Tamil Nadu. Once elections are over in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry on April 9, Shah will spend more than two weeks in Bengal. PM Modi is likely to address two rallies within a week. The BJP has pressed a battery of leaders into action, hoping to unseat the TMC government. “A number of our senior leaders are camping in the state, and more are set to join once the elections in Assam are over…” says a senior BJP leader. Work is being carried out in silos — at the level of both assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies. The BJP has divided West Bengal into nine zones, each zone is being handled by senior leaders, including ministers such as Dharmendra Pradhan, Nityanand Rai, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Sanjay Jaiswal, and Nishikant Dubey. Most of the leaders deployed so far are from Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Tripura, among others.”The fact that Amit Shah ji has himself announced that he will campaign and stay in West Bengal for 15 days shows the party’s commitment and seriousness,” a senior leader said. The BJP is also making sure to counter any ‘negative narrative’ by the TMC to ensure such a depiction does not affect its prospects. For instance, soon after Mamata Banerjee claimed that the BJP would ban fish, meat, and even eggs if it came to power, Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar claimed that Bengal’s next CM from the BJP will be a ‘non-vegetarian’ when it comes to food habits. Shah has said, “I have a shortcut for bringing change to the state. Just make Suvendu Adhikari win from Bhabanipur (against Mamata), and the change is bound to happen.”
Raghav Chadha had been the AAP’s face on national media for years now, but recently the MP came into prominence for taking up “quality-of-life issues”, most of which largely concerned the middle- and upper-middle class. Each of his interventions in the Rajya Sabha was crisp in its own way. Chadha, a technocrat with good communication skills, knew exactly how to highlight them. He has 123 lakh followers on Instagram, and almost 10-lakh on X. He went on to become the Aam Aadmi Party’s leader of the House, and later the deputy with the return of senior colleague Sanjay Singh. It may seem odd that the AAP has stripped Chadha of his post as deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha. It is being said that Arvind Kejriwal suspected that Chadha may shift to the BJP ahead of the 2027 Punjab assembly elections. Kejriwal noticed Chadha was not critical of PM Modi or Home Minister Amit Shah. He hasn’t been very vociferous on issues against the BJP. Besides he was found missing in action when AAP may have needed him most. Like when Kejriwal was arrested Chadha was in the UK for eye surgery. Chadha was also absent at the recent “Jan Sabha” at Jantar Mantar, which was Kejriwal’s first public address following his discharge, along with Delhi’s former deputy CM Manish Sisodia. But Chadha has been far from idle and was always present and voluble in Parliament. Chadha campaigned against high samosa-and-chai prices at the airport. Nobody likes paying Rs 350 for a samosa and Rs 150 for a cup of chai. It is an issue that affects at best 5% of people in India who can afford to travel by air. Yet oddly, the government began to work on Chadha’s ideas. Within weeks of his raising the issue, UDAN Yatri cafes opened at 17 airports which offered samosas and tea for Rs 20 and Rs 10, respectively.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) is experiencing extreme discomfort following its outgoing MP Priyanka Chaturvedi’s ‘courtesy’ call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. Although she has declared that she will remain in the opposition, the praise heaped by her on Modi is viewed as a signal. Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray is already uneasy since two of his Lok Sabha members attended a reception hosted by Maharashtra’s deputy CM Eknath Shinde’s confidant Pratap Jadhav, MP, in the capital a couple of days ago. While Sena spokesman Sanjay Raut has been predicting that several MLAs from the NCP(Ajit) are planning to defect to the BJP in Maharashtra, he has avoided any comment on the two MPs meeting Jadhav. Significantly, this meeting happened soon after Shinde had visited the national capital. Thus, revival of the so-called ‘Operation Tiger’ is being discussed afresh. The two MPs are Nagesh Patil-Ashtikar (Hingoli) and Sanjay Deshmukh (Yavatmal-Washim), who had attended Jadhav’s felicitation last year as well. Both have clarified that it was a friendly visit and that no politics should be searched about it. However, given the fluid phase in the state polity, their defence is taken with a pinch of salt. Newly-elected Sena (Shinde) Rajya Sabha member Jyoti Waghmare had indicated the possibility of some MPs crossing sides but she had not provided any details. As Priyanka Chaturvedi was in the news over the reported tiff in the Sena (UBT) over the denial of another Rajya Sabha term to her, the call on the PM by her is considered fraught with several possibilities.
Maharashtra deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar’s entry into the state legislative assembly will not happen ‘unopposed’ since the Congress party is seriously considering the option of jumping into the fray. Voting for the byelection for Baramati constituency, caused by the demise of deputy CM Ajit Pawar, will take place on 23 April. According to present indications, Sunetra will file her nomination on 6 April in presence of CM Devendra Fadnavis and deputy CM Eknath Shinde. Already a member of the Rajya Sabha, she will relinquish the Rajya Sabha seat after getting formally elected on 4 May. As Baramati is the stronghold of the NCP(Ajit), her victory is considered a foregone conclusion. Moreover, the NCP (SP) has pledged its support to her. Hence, any opposition to her will be a token gesture at best. Still, the Congress party has decided not to offer Sunetra a walkover. The Congress candidate will be announced in a day or two. Some fringe political elements have said that they will support the Congress. However, it will not make any difference. Thus, the precedent of not contesting a byelection against the family member of a deceased sitting member will thus be sidelined. The Shiv Sena (UBT) is yet to decide its strategy. The other assembly byelection in the state will be held for the Rahuri constituency, again a BJP stronghold. The ruling party has fielded Akshay Kardile, son of the late Shivaji Kardile. There is no worthwhile opposition to the scion of the former minister. Counting for both will be held on 4 May.
He is a veteran Parliamentarian who opens all the debates from the Treasury bench side. So, it was surprising to see this senior BJP leader, a four-time MP Nishikant Dubey stir a controversy by calling Biju Patnaik, a CIA agent. Dubey is not a loose cannon and this is why clued-in political analysts say it could be BJP’s strategy to assess Odia’s icon Biju Patnaik popularity today. It did backfire with people from within BJP taking strong exceptions to Dubey’s loose remarks. Some BJD leaders walked out of the Parliament to register their protest. Seeing the backlash, Dubey apologised on X saying “My thoughts on Nehruji were misconstrued as being about Biju Babu,” It is learnt that PM Modi has intervened to douse the fire. He wrote to Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi praising Biju babu as a symbol of Odisha’s strength and pride having commitment to nation building. Interpreting Modi’s recent praise for Biju babu, Odia’s are asking will Modi ever confer Bharat Ratna status to the late Biju Patnaik or is this just lip service praise to bring the temperature down?
Nayanthara, after marriage and two kids, is still the “Queen” of female leads in Kollywood. Not just her drop dead gorgeous looks, hit Telugu film directors and producers like Dil Raju and Vamshi Paidipally bet big on her charisma and acting …Nayanthara films have rarely failed and her fans love her regal presence, dignity and talent. Any wonder that this director-producer duo (with five consecutive Telugu hits ) have signed her to play the heroine to Salman Khan? Sixty-year old Salman needs a hit, badly as it’s a long time since Bhai danced to his jubilant fans drum beats. Especially Eid releases …this year he didn’t have much to celebrate. Also his already signed work-in-progress, Battle for Galwan is facing some roadblocks and delays. It has undergone a name change to Maatrubhumi directed by Apoorva Lakhia. Sallu needs that one incendiary hit to keep him going. A South team made Jawan with Nayanthara and Shah Rukh Khan unforgettable. Chiranjeevi, not exactly mothballed but not having frequent films had her as his lead in the recent ‘Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu’, an out and out entertainer. Two decades as a heroine, Nayan is not about to settle for a “blink and she is gone” role. The story with Salman is planned to be a solid plot to showcase two great talents. Pre-production work is almost done and shooting is to commence. The producers are all geared up for 2027 Eid release. Salman Khan is sure to celebrate this Eid with warm Mubarakaan from his huge legion of fans.
The time has arrived for those who missed the World Cup bus (ICC Men’s T20) to exhibit their wares in the shortest format of the sport — the Tata-IPL Season-19. India’s Test and one-day international captain Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant must have been hurt not making it to the showpiece event at home. The selectors provided a window for Gill to make an attempt and fit into the Twenty20 squad; they even made him the vice captain for the Asia Cup in the UAE. But to get the “balance of the team” right, they dropped him for one of the signature events of the ICC-19. The IPL has started with the likes of veterans Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma flaying the bowling in their team’s opening matches. And young Vaibhav Sooryavanshi too has lashed out at the Chennai side. But the world would watch with keen interest the ability of Gill and Jaiswal, the men in blue team’s best opening pair in the Twenty20, but who had to make way for the likes of Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson. Rajasthan Royals’ Jaiswal used the IPL to force his way into the Indian team, but Gill and Pant came through the BCCI’s established domestic system. Gill is an IPL regular for eight seasons and scored 3866 (3626 as an opener) and will be in the running for the next World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in 2028, and so would be Jaiswal and Pant. While they would target the 50-over World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia next year, they would double down in the ongoing IPL and make the big splash in order to force their way for the bilateral matches.
It was 2019 when a Karnataka cadre cop waded into the murky waters of Tamil Nadu politics with a dream…to bring the BJP beacon to TN, to get its rightful recognition in this Dravidian stronghold, K Annamalai came in with a vision of Camelot…but today his political survival and special status in the BJP is under a big question mark. The very BJP which nurtured and applauded his strength, is ignoring him. What happened to all that mercurial charisma that made Annamalai, Modi’s favourite (remember he was perhaps the only BJP member who got a one-hour car ride with the PM when Modi drove to the Coimbatore airport). But recently, as the PM was on his way to Kerala, he stopped at Coimbatore airport where a 11-member team was waiting to receive him…BJP’s Women’s Wing leader, Vanathi Srinivasan sounded surprised that Annamalai was not there…did they know that the official list did not have his name! What a profile he had etched in TN… Annamalai was here, there and everywhere …he led padayatras, nursed his Coimbatore constituency and was the inevitable face of the BJP…but in his meteoric rise, he rose in strident speech too … making enemies of the established AIADMK and its chief Edappadi K Palaniswami. The internal warfare and jockeying were in full throttle. So when Annamalai lost the election in 2021, the AIADMK broke the BJP ties. Anticipating the need to keep the alliance going, Nainar Nagendran was made TN Chief. The BJP’s compulsion was to have a respectable presence in TN at any cost. Annamalai had to be downsized to please Edappadi. Now it is learnt BJP is making amends, TN in-charge Piyush Goyal has summoned Annamalai to party office to request him to enter the fray from a constituency of his choice. Will he? Annamalai is fired by the RSS ideology …this Knight is sure to find his place at the Round Table like Lancelot.
Trouble for the BJP-led Odisha government headed by Mohan Charan Majhi, in power for close to 21 months, never seems to be ending. The latest is the Opposition’s vociferous demand for the resignation of the state health minister over the death toll in the fire at SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack which rose to 13. Ten Opposition parties – Congress, BJD, CPI (M), All India Forward Block, NCP, RJD — and other regional outfits have come together in a rare display of unity against ruling BJP. Massive protest has been organised demanding resignation of Health Minister Nukesh Mahaling. The Majhi government has rejected the resignation demand of the health minister, even as it suspended four of its officials. Naveen Patnaik’s party, the BJD in alliance with the Congress, has made it clear that the protest and agitation are not being withdrawn until the health minister resigns on moral ground. Supporting its argument, BJD sighted the case of its Health Minister Atanu S Nayak who resigned over a similar tragedy in 2016 when BJD was in power. The BJP has turned the tables on BJD saying that because of lapses during their rule, of not making fire safety arrangements during their 24 years rule, the current accident took place.
This Assembly elections, the BJP has launched a focused outreach to women voters, crafting a candidate list featuring women activists and public figures to challenge West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s strong hold over the women vote bank. Over 15 years in power, Didi has built a strong rapport with women through welfare schemes such as Lakshmir Bhandar and Kanyashree. Notably, ahead of the elections, the TMC government increased monthly assistance under Lakshmir Bhandar. In a strategic shift, the BJP has fielded candidates directly associated with protests against alleged violence or injustice, particularly in cases linked to individuals associated with the ruling TMC. Ratna Debnath, mother of the RG Kar Hospital rape victim, has been fielded from Panihati. Rekha Patra, a key figure in the 2024 Sandeshkhali protests will contest from Hingalganj. Tumpa Kayal, known for leading protests after the 2013 Kamduni rape and murder case in North 24 Parganas, has joined the BJP. Together, Ratna, Rekha and Tumpa represent the BJP’s effort to foreground real-life experiences of violence against women and are expected to campaign across the state, including Bhabanipur, where Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari is contesting against Mamata. The BJP has also fielded women candidates such as actors Roopa Ganguly, Sarbori Mukherjee, Papiya Adhikary, and advocate Priyanka Tibrewal, who contested against Didi in the 2021 Bhabanipur bypoll after her defeat in Nandigram. Meanwhile, TMC has raised concerns over a reported drop of nearly 57 lakh women voters after the SIR. It claims numbers rose from 3.59 crore (2021) to 3.73 crore (2024), before falling to 3.16 crore (2026), alleging many women were marked “under adjudication” due to marriage, address, or surname changes, effectively excluding them and weakening participation.
It was a veritable gastronomic extravaganza where 30,000 DMK cadres gorged on mutton biryani and chicken served up in the training camp in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu. Evidently the BJP‘s meticulous training and planning for elections served as the template for Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin’s motivational thunder and lavish hospitality at this election stump. The alchemy of super delicious biryani and powerful oration was meant to galvanise the booth committee overseers of 15 constituencies. Being the birthplace of the party founder Kalaignar, the stump speech was generously peppered with claims and confidence to catch boosters like “naarpadhum namade, naadum namadhe” (40 seats are ours, the land is ours). He did not miss out on hitting out at the AIADMK for a “sell out of our land to the BJP”. Stalin seems to have imbibed a new josh from his self-perceived status as the originator of the Opposition unity, and is doing everything to rabble rouse and rake in the electorate’s trust. TN Minister KN Nehru said “You must all feel proud that our leader is motivating the entire Opposition to unseat the BJP.” Surely the DMK’s omnibus passenger, the Congress could feel challenged. Stalin has inherited his father’s fluency of wrapping up Dravidam in chaste Tamil oratory. The 2024 general election promises no holds barred fight to oust the north Hindi domination of the BJP with a frontal south emotional Dravidam clarion call.
The arrest of V Senthil Balaji by the Enforcement Directorate seems to have shaken and stirred Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin. The aftershocks of the imbroglio are still rocking the DMK. The BJP’s “Raja tantra“ is moving heaven, earth and all between to bring Stalin to his knees. So it was not at all surprising when Stalin received his estranged brother MK Alagiri warmly at the Gopalapuram residence on their mother Dayalu Amma’s 90th birthday on July 9. Even when Stalin took oath as CM two years back, Alagiri chose to stay away from the ceremony. Was Stalin waiting for an opportunity to bring him back to the family fold given the political hardships he is facing? When a journalist asked Udhayanidhi, “So has your father and uncle made up”? To this he retorted, “When did they quarrel”? Stalin is aware that there are two potent power centers in the family besides his brother, it is his half-sister Kanimozhi. The birthday of the grand old mother saw not only sibling rapprochement, even cousins cuddled up to cosy. Udhayanidhi, his cousins Arulnidhi and Durai Dayanidhi (Alagiri’s son) were seen joking and laughing. Stalin is on overdrive, juggling multiple confrontations. But for now, the family is smoking a peace pipe.
The 2000-year old Lord Nataraja temple in Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu’s Cuddalore district which draws lakhs of devotees has a fatal attraction for the Dravidian parties for the scale of earnings; it is not under the purview of the HR & CE (Hindu Religious And Charitable Endowments)Act (. Chidambaram temple has been uniquely managed by a very close knit, denominated sect, the Dikshitars. Ergo, there are no money filled Hundis, no cacophony of shops selling bric-a-bac, no potential for siphoning the take by politicians or trustees. There have been several legal attempts to challenge the right of Dikshitars to run this heritage temple from 1951, matters reaching even the SC. An uneasy truce exists, the Dikshitars represented by legal eagles adept at separating the spiritual rights of the temple and its devotees, from the temporal diktats of the government in power. The most recent attempt was by the DMK minister Sekhar Babu during a significant holy festival when the Dikshitars put up a notice that worshippers were not allowed to climb up the narrow steps adjacent to the sacred sanctum. A few police officers were sent to establish the government’s right, slap a few more untenable charges on the management and bring the Kanakasabhai (an awe inspiring Golden Dome built of 21,600 gold sheets, and 72,000 golden nails representing the total Nadis, nerves in the human body) under the government order. The devotees are asking why are Hindu places of worship being targeted for audit and control?
The Centre may have realised that the Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi must be shifted out. He has exceeded his brief of taking on the DMK government with his ill-considered timing of dismissal of the minister accused of high graft – V Senthil Balaji. Having made several trips to New Delhi to consult lawyers on the Constitution, the Governor seems to have been carried away in his mission of putting down the MK Stalin government. In his actions, the Governor seems to have been guided by a one-point agenda of embarrassing a government that enjoys the confidence of the public, irrespective of an image of high corruption that is creeping in, thanks to the operations of fundraisers like Balaji with key portfolios. After having sought legal opinion, the Governor dismissed the minister without portfolio in haste and the Centre may have to pay the price in terms of the sympathy wave that is gaining ground in the State for the DMK seen to be suffering from the highhandedness of the Centre in its dealings through the Raj Bhavan. In creating this embarrassing situation in which the Home Ministry had to tell the Governor to seek the Attorney General’s opinion on the powers of a Governor to dismiss a minister, however obnoxious a personality, Ravi may have bitten off more than he can chew. Expect a transfer sometime soon.
A fortnight back nobody had heard of DMK minister V Senthil Balaji outside of Tamil Nadu till ED arrested him on June 14. Drama thereafter of him being admitted to a hospital, chief minister MK Stalin visiting him and Opposition leaders across the country coming out in his support and castigating Modi government did surprise everybody. Who is really V Senthil Balaji? Basically he is a fund raiser who ensures that funds reach at the highest level without any seepages. His controversial political trapeze act of crossing from the AIADMK to the DMK and getting rewarded with two plum ministries — Electricity and Excise (the cash cow TASMAC chain) — unleashed much heartburn among the DMK old timers. He is Stalin’s go to man. The Tamil Nadu governor has been firing missiles about the rampant corruption in Tamil Nadu. Ditto: BJP’s one man demolition army, K Annamalai. Balaji who was shifted from the government-run Omandurar Hospital to the privately-run Kaveri Hospital underwent bypass surgery under the Madras HC order. The ED filed a plea in the SC wanting a team of AIIMS doctors to take charge of Balaji. As if this intriguing cat and mouse game was not challenging, out of the blue, Stalin’s brother-in-law, Dr Rajamurthi, Director of the KK Nagar ESI Hospital has protested that he has been drawn into a controversy about Balaji’s Kaveri Hospital choice.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin is determined to milk the detention of V Senthil Balaji by the Enforcement Directorate to the hilt by keeping him on as minister without portfolio. There is political mileage to be had in demonstrating that the Centre is misusing the investigative agencies to pile on pressure against regional parties. The case of this politician is peculiar because he has been a key fundraiser for both the major Dravidian parties and has been known to handle key portfolios where the money flow is the highest like liquor and electricity. There are huge margins in both commodities, including electricity where the most funds flow not from generation and sale as much as purchase of electricity from other states to cover up shortfall in peak demand months. Senthil Balaji has been known to be a fair distributor of the money flow to Dravidian party seniors. He may prove a tough nut to crack as it is unlikely that he will involve anyone else in the troubles he is in because of which he could well become the Manish Sisodia of the south. His ‘show’ of ill health that facilitated a HC order to move him to a private hospital patronised most by DMK bigwigs has come to the notice of the Supreme Court too.
In south India film stars dabbling in politics is commonplace. So Tamil Nadu superstar Vijay signaling his entry into politics is not surprising. But, his entry strategy is. Thalapathy, as he is fondly known, chose to launch his political entry with a unique event. He hosted a gala lunch to felicitate top three rankers from every constituency in Chennai’s Neelankarai. The student’s community were ecstatic to be honoured by their youth icon. The star picked the most impressionable group, Gen Z to motivate and build allegiance. This box office vasool Raja has quietly pursued his political persona, interacting with his legion of fans, engaging them in social service like blood donation camps, flood hit relief camps and helping the differently abled people. The AIADMK, DMK, AMMK and other parties have found their political calling thanks to film stars. Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar has not openly claimed his religious faith. Vijay is strong and self-willed… father, director S A Chandrasekhar was in a hurry to launch Vijay the politician, leading to a family split. At the felicitation meet, the 48-year old Vijay exhorted the merit scholars, “If there is one crucial thing you can all do, it is to influence your parents DO NOT VOTE for money “. Vijay, who has set his sights on 2026 assembly polls, knows he has miles to go…but for now it is a good beginning.
Is the AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) ill and advised to rest? Seems plausible, as he has not been sighted in public for the past two weeks, communicating only through his staff. He had announced anti-DMK protest marches throughout Tamil Nadu but was not seen participating in any, even the one in Salem, his pocket borough, something quite out of character for a politician who thrives on being seen and heard with his hearty smile and presence. The party cadres are on chat and chatter mode, flying speculations in every which way. Some said he was having severe joint pain after the hectic birthday celebrations, early May, and has been advised to rest. Others are concerned about bone health issues. EPS has shouldered many burdens since the Assembly elections when the DMK wrested power from his party. Then he had to take on the rivalry and bitter power struggles with O Panneerselvan, his party heavyweight which brought on a number of legal battles. The speculations about his health took on a new dimension when he visited the temple, after a visit to Coimbatore to consult doctors about “bone problems”. Was he advised surgery, even a visit abroad for treatment? For now, his party cadres are joining in the prayers at the Lord Murugan temple, and wishing him a speedy recovery so that he can return to his busy schedule.
Even as the Opposition unity drive is in turbo mode, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is perceived as pushing his personal agenda that seems to irk the Congress party. He called on Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin in Chennai and this seems to upset the GoP. The Congress is well aware that its vote share has been systematically cut by AAP in Punjab, Delhi, and to some extent in Himachal. The old Congress warhorses Ajay Makan and Sandeep Dikshit had warned party president Mallikarjun Kharge about Kejriwal’s hidden agenda. A senior political analyst feels that Kejriwal’s diplomacy could change DMK’s seat sharing arrangement with the Congress; it is generally benevolent with Congress. But, senior journalist Rajagopalan feels Kejriwal is not on a good wicket as far as his imagery is concerned. The Rs 65-crore Sheesh Mahal he has built has destroyed the clean ‘Aam Aadmi’ imagery he carefully crafted over the last decade. In the wake of a SC verdict on sharing of power over bureaucratic transfers/postings, Kejriwal came down heavily on five Babus who allegedly leaked juicy details about his Sheesh Mahal to Times Now Navbharat Times TV. He is baiting the Congress, hoping to drive a wedge in their relationship with DMK. Will he be successful in his wooing strategy?
Tamil Nadu’s Finance Minister has escaped the guillotine – at least for now. He will neither be dropped from the Cabinet nor will his portfolio be changed at the impending reshuffle before CM MK Stalin heads to Europe on May 23. Before the Cabinet met on Tuesday, PTR Palanivel Thiaga Rajan had a bit of a frosty meeting with the CM on Monday when Stalin spoke his mind and conveyed his family and party’s unhappiness with the audio tape episodes. PTR received a very cold reception from other Cabinet members at the meeting when only the CM spoke to him. He also excused himself after reading out matters connected to finance saying he had to attend a function at Meenakshi Amman temple in the evening. What Stalin has decided thus far is that by dropping PTR or changing his portfolio he would be sending a wrong message to his opponents that DMK is accepting the truth of the audio having been recorded secretly while PTR spoke to someone. Unless the BJP takes it further by registering cases against PTR, the CM and his party would like to let the status quo be. The CM also wrote on the subject in his Q&A that he did not want to waste time on a matter that had already been clarified by his finance minister.
State governments – cutting across party affiliations – jostle with each other to attract global investment. Of late, the competition has become intense among them to woo investors from across the border. Copious flow of capital from the international investing community is often seen as an endorsement of positive policies pursued by them. Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin is gearing up to hold a Global Investors’ Meet (GIM) in January. This will be the first Global Investors Meet for the Stalin-led government. The previous two investor meets took place in 2015 and 2019 when the AIADMK was in power. Chief Minister Stalin has indicated that the upcoming Global Investors’ Meet will play host to investors from over 100 countries. The State machinery is sparing no effort to make the summit an extraordinary showpiece. Expectedly, the DMK government has decided to appoint a global management consultant. The Stalin regime has reportedly roped in Boston Consulting Group to make the upcoming GIM a grand success. Sometime ago, the Tamil Nadu Government issued a Request For Proposal for the ‘Selection of Global Management Consultant’ as a knowledge partner for the Global Investors’ Meet 2024. The knowledge partner will work with the stakeholders across the canvas to effectively articulate the focus fields to the international investing community. Will Boston bring a big boost to the TN GIM?
The national party BJP may be preoccupied with Karnataka as the polls there are proving a challenge despite Congress missteps like Malikarjun Kharge’s ‘snake’ comment. Opinion polls are favouring the Congress, so too do some internal surveys done by the contesting parties. But the BJP is looking ahead to 2024, towards which Maharashtra looms as its next big issue as the verdict on the Sena split is due soon and preparations are on in case Eknath Shinde’s rule is disrupted. With the Karnataka polls round the corner, BJP had been asked by Amit Shah to put Maharashtra operations on hold, much as the Congress had done with its Rajasthan problem. Meanwhile, the BJP tied up its alliance with Edappadi Palaniswami as he had offered 10 seats in all to BJP – 9 in Tamil Nadu plus Puducherry – while the AIADMK would fight most of the other 30 seats, subject to what it may have to part with for allies if the likes of PMK and TMC stay with it for the 2024 Lok Sabha pills. It appears EPS had chosen to ignore whatever the TN BJP chief Annamalai may have said about alliances because he was confident that any decision would be made by Amit Shah, who he met in New Delhi. He has also requested the Home Minister that the CBI be asked to take over the Kodanad estate probe as the DMK is said to be playing games through the police.
Tamil Nadu ministers are a bit nervous these days. Not without reason: Chief Minister M K Stalin has been quietly keeping tabs on his ministers’ performances via two organisations. One is the government Intelligence Wing and second, is Peninsula Consultancy. Both these organisations have been secretly monitoring the performances of all the cabinet ministers. The performance appraisal of the ministers will be based on the inputs of both these organisations. So clearly, some heads are going to roll and some may get additional portfolios. For instance, education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi heads the list of good performers followed by industries minister Thangam Thennarasu in second place and MSME minister T M Anbarasan in third place. Those who did not perform well are housing minister S Muthuswamy. It was no surprise that the old war horse Durai Murugan also figures in the non-performers list. Meanwhile, Stalin is besieged with another problem. The finance minister P Thiaga Rajan’s private conversation about money allegedly made by his son Udhayanidhi and son-in-law V Sabareesan has put his party in an awkward position. Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai who earlier exposed corruption of the DMK government is going to town with this new audio tape. So now, there are talks that PTR may be replaced and several names are doing rounds including that of industries minister Thennarasu.
Edappadi Palaniswami getting the nod from Election Commission might prove embarrassing for the Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai. The Supreme Court had nudged ECI to take the call within 10 days and the EC came up with the permissions needed for EPS to be recognized as the general Secretary of AIADMK and while also granting his faction the right to use the ‘Two Leaves’ symbol. Word on the ground as a tiff was developing between EPS and Annamalai was that the BJP was not happy about a Gounder (caste) taking on a Gounder, which is why it appeared there was a chance that the party might press for O Panneerselvam’s faction so the party could bring the dominant caste Thevars to support them. All that proved to be just speculation, which was fuelled some more by the Prime Minister not meeting EPS or OPS on his Chennai visit. Meanwhile, Annamalai, who is busy taking up corruption issues against the top DMK leaders, played an audio tape reportedly containing finance minister P Thiaga Rajan’s (PTR) alleged admission that the CM’s son Udhayanidhi and son-in-law Sabareesh were collecting Rs 10 to Rs 20 crore a day and that they may have amassed Rs 30,000 crore so far. Indeed, these are interesting times in Tamil Nadu where alone the central agencies like ED and CBI are not seen to be that busy.
Rs 1,34, 317,00,00,000 crore. Those were the sensational figures used to portray the Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai’s projection of the assets owned by DMK leaders. In a bombshell announcement on Tamil New Year Day on which he also undertakes a padayatra, Annamalai, the ex-police officer, detailed what he believes are the kind of assets that DMK leaders have piled up over the years. He released a document titled ‘DMK Files’ where he published the assets list of DMK top leaders from the first rank of DMK families including late M Karunanidhi, Chief Minister MK Stalin, Kanimozhi, Durga Stalin, Udhayanidhi Stalin, Sabareesan (MK Stalin’s son in law), Senthamari, (Stalin’s sister), Dayanidhi Maran, Murasoli Maran, CEO of Sun TV Network, MK Alagiri (Karunanidhi’s son) and Dhayanidhi Alagiri. He alleged that DMK top ministers and CM MK Stalin’s family members had unaccounted assets worth Rs 1,343,170, 000,000 crore in their family members, friends and benami’s name. “27 DMK leaders alone have assets amounting to over Rs 2 lakh crore, which is 10% GDP of Tamil Nadu.” BJP Tamil Nadu state president alleged. “The part 1 of the DMK files which contains the assets of DMK families released today. Part 2 will be out soon which will release the details of the black money assets of the DMK families.” Many more revelations are likely in the days to come. As is customary, most TV channels were asked to block the news out.
The Kalakshetra dance school sexual harassment issue has taken a political turn with the Director Revathi Ramachandran, who is a BJP member and nominee of the Union Culture Ministry, under fire from the State Women’s Commission. After the NWC did a cover-up in collusion with the Director under pressure from BJP bigwigs, the State commission swung into action and turned the issue around in favour of the hundreds of girls who suffered sexual harassment for years at the renowned institute. Only under the prompting of the local commission did the Director agree to stop harassing girls who were coming forward to lodge complaints, including an FIR lodged with the police that set in motion the arrest of Assistant Professor Hari Padman. The said gentleman was felicitated on Women’s Day just last month for his contribution to dance, under the watchful eyes of Revathi. While a resignation would have been graceful given the circumstances and a number of complaints against her for not doing enough to protect young girls at the dance school, the Director now seeks an extension that should come up when her second term comes to an end in September. The State, well aware of the political undertones, has told the police to go all out to get the four accused male dance teachers for interrogation or custody. It’s now DMK versus BJP in the dance school fracas.
A swanky new pavilion to complete the total renovation of the MA Chidambaram Stadium was his pet project. His dream has been fulfilled, but on the day of fruition, the progenitor of the project will remain a detached figure. N Srinivasan will be at the inaugural of the brilliant new pavilion structure, including one for the ancient Madras Cricket Club, but only after having given away the top post at the TNCA and asking his daughter also to resign so that the association may be handed over to a representative of the ruling DMK. At a time when even the Prime Minister has a stadium named after him, the architect of Indian cricket administration in its most modern avatar will see the pavilion named after one of his close friends who was the patriarch of the DMK family, M Karunanidhi. Cricket lover that he was, the litterateur may deserve the honour. But suffice it to say that Srinivasan deserved the honour more. Maybe, one day, the MA Chidambaram Stadium will be renamed after N Srinivasan who ruled Indian and world cricket like a czar but fell to his own hubris, leaving space for him to be derided as a South Indian who dared to rule the national sport. No one could have used cricket’s riches to better serve the game and its players. Alas! today he resembles Ozymandias.
Edappadi Palaniswami is a man in a hurry. He would like to use his de facto position as chief opposition to the DMK government by getting himself elected as General Secretary of AIADMK, a post previously held by the likes of J Jayalalithaa and her super ambitious aide VK Sasikala. EPS would like to take advantage of all court rulings having come in his favour after fending off challenges from OPS, who was seeking to exert the influence of the Thevars. To prepare the ground for his election as General Secretary, EPS has called a meeting of office-bearers at various levels on March 9 and 10. After the passing away of Jayalalithaa in 2016, her close confidante Sasikala became the General Secretary by calling the general council that chose her to the top post though the party constitution framed by MGR clearly states that the General Secretary could be elected only by the primary members. Much of that is water under the bridge now as EPS pushes on to be recognised as the second biggest force in State politics after DMK’s MK Stalin. Having tried to steer a course midway between surrendering to the BJP and retaining some political independence, EPS would like to keep himself in a position strong enough to negotiate the terms on which the AIADMK-led alliance will be formed with the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
At last, the DMK had to get realistic; even reckless election promises need money to be fulfilled. The pink coloured free buses for women, free rides for old, infirm, transgender, subsidised travel for students, monthly bus passes can no longer subsist on ideology. The DMK has announced a plan to allow private bus operators to own and run buses on MTC routes under a Gross Cost Contract (GCC), which would factor in adding 500 vehicles for 2023, and increase it by another 500 by 2025, on a per km rate revenue sharing model. Is this a creative public-private partnership model? Or is it mandated by the World Bank funded C-SUSP (Sustainable Urban Service Program)? The announcement was not happily received by the MTC workers who see in it a diabolical plan to gradually hand over the bus transport to private operators. K Arumuga Nainar, General Secretary of the Federation of Transport Workers has opposed the move as do other CITU unions. Interestingly, the Indian Express carried a stout denial by the Transport Minister SS Sivasankar, claiming that the government had only undertaken a feasibility cum revenue study. “Private operators will likely be allowed to run buses only on routes that have high patronage.” MTC is the lifeline of Chennai which operates 3436 buses over 625 routes, and is used by 30 lakh people every day.
The DMK+ alliance won the bypoll to the Erode East with a whopping margin of 66,000 seats. Having played it safe by asking the senior Congress leader EVKS Elangovan to stand rather than let one of his sons do, the importance of winning had been anticipated by DMK. The verdict also settles the question of which is the Opposition party that can get the closest to the DMK and that is Edappadi K Palaniswami’s AIADMK. The result was a foregone conclusion but what it does is it adds to the stature of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin as a definitive national figure in any post-2024 Lok Sabha polls scenario. A man who can guarantee close to 40 seats for the combined opposition hoping to down the BJP on a national scale, the numbers assume great significance. And Stalin also presented the sanest view that it was more important to defeat the BJP than haggle over who can be Prime Minister in the unlikely but possible scenario of the combined opposition claiming the numbers. Given the sentiment of the occasion of Stalin’s 70th birthday, a gushing Farooq Abdullah tried to present Stalin as a PM candidate. Stalin brushed that aside while calling for unity in the Opposition ranks when just over a year remains for the crucial 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
As Stalin’s birthday falls on March 1 his ambition to play a bigger national role might be further fueled. Already, efforts are on to make the occasion grand with leaders of the Congress including its President Malikarjun Kharge and others likely to attend. Bringing all the Opposition together against the BJP is an ambition that Stalin has nursed for long, especially more so since 2019 when he backed Rahul Gandhi to be the face of the Congress and the united opposition’s prime ministerial candidate. However, Stalin is not for other efforts like those of the Telangana CM KCR’s idea of another front without the Congress and Mamata’s TMC in it. More of a traditional politician who has stood by old friends, Stalin is inclined to back the national party as the main binding force for gathering opposition to the ruling BJP. Towards this, he has also asked his DMK party to spare no effort to make victory in the Erode East bypoll a resounding win with a big margin so as to send out a message. Having allotted the seat as per convention to the party that had lost its MLA to death and to the father of the deceased in a poignant gesture, Stalin has put 12 ministers on the job, including his son Udhayanidhi to make victory big enough to matter.
There has been a thundering silence on the part of the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu about the murder of a soldier who was beaten brutally to death by a DMK Councillor and his goons in the western part of the State. The Chief Minister MK Stalin, who announces solatium for any kind of deaths, including in road mishaps and drownings, has also kept silent though he was visiting the very parts where the gruesome event took place. Had it been a case of lynching of a suspected cattle smuggler in the cow belt in India, the left and liberal media would have gone to town on how lawless the country has become. But here were two brothers who are both jawans in the Indian Army who were outnumbered and clobbered by goons, including by the sword carrying local leader of DMK. It might have been a petty quarrel over drinking water being used for washing clothes by the wife of the soldier in the village, but exploded into a gang fight thanks to a power-crazed local chieftain. However, not even the Defence Minister of the land or the Home Minister tried to get to the bottom of the event. The local government is hiding conveniently behind the cliched “Law will take its course” as the perpetrators had obviously to be arrested by the local police.
The Erode bypoll campaigning seems to have all the ingredients of a comedy show. The two main contenders DMK supported Congress candidate EVKS Elangovan and BJP backed AIADMK candidate Thenarusu have almost become cameos in a blockbuster show. There are 77 candidates in the fray. Imagine the plight of the Election Commission (EC) in allotting voting symbols for this ensemble cast! The EC with much creativity taking a leaf from Montessori learning has allotted Pineapple, Scissors, Bindi, Pillow, Ludo, Cycle, Pressure Cooker, Jackfruit, Watermelon, Bangles , even Chillies and many more in a comedy of errors . Reportedly, the DMK is rumoured to have pumped in Rs 150 crore, and some of its high profile ministers have been given the whip to camp there, do whatever it takes to win. A few DMK stalwarts are trying out their culinary skills…making parathas and potato bondas as starters while free TASMAC liquor flows, even as hordes of voters are sequestered in hastily rented marriage halls to keep them out of the clutch of other “influencers“. Stalin’s son-in-law Sabareesan is camping in the battle ground. A DMK councillor stole the show by parading on a Camel during campaigning. With so much underhand activity, the EC has sealed 16 election offices in a bid to curb anti-constitutional moves. Ten such centres are DMK’s.
Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai seems to have impressed the high command with his accomplishments within the state. Result: the ruling party DMK is indeed uncomfortable with him. Impressed by his performance the party recently appointed Annamalai poll-in-charge of Karnataka. Meanwhile he is getting ready to start his padayatra to galvanise people around BJP in the run-up to 2024 Lok Sabha elections. To partially fund the padayatra the state BJP is on a big collection drive. The target is Rs 100 crore by February 15 and party functionaries have been given targets of Rs 1 crore, Rs 50 lakhs, Rs 25 lakhs and Rs10 lakhs. Post that Annamalai will set out on his padayatra across TN. It is learnt, that the apparatchiks are on overdrive, meeting traders, businessmen, angel investors, corporates and the public, turning Valentine’s Day to Love for the BJP day — open your hearts and wallets generously. Even as rumblings about the election bonds of the party and other strong arm methods to mop up money are cited by the griping opposition, what hits them hard is the chutzpah of Annamalai in devising tech backed systems to give receipts for funds collected. The fund drive even has QR code for digital transfers. Clearly, everything above is aboard and transparent.
It’s the ‘Hand’ versus ‘Two Leaves’ in Erode East finally. The call given by the State BJP for a united fight against the ruling DMK to defeat the Congress candidate EVKS Elangovan was heeded, thus ending a protracted faction fight within the AIADMK. The OPS candidate withdrew, so too did TTV Dhinakaran’s AMMK candidate. It is now a straight fight in the bypoll which may show how popular the DMK alliance is and whether the people have forgiven or forgotten the faction fight and are willing to support Edappadi Palaniswami’s ‘majority’ AIADMK candidate Thenarusu. Getting the party symbol of ‘Two Leaves’ was a big thing as none of the players who are opposing the ruling party DMK wanted the legal tangle to stretch so much as to make the ECI freeze the symbol. The ruling party’s front may be strong enough to win the seat with a good margin as those in power generally do. But it is important that for the sake of electoral democracy that a united opposition take on the government of the day. There may be no anti-incumbency feeling yet after a couple of years of Stalin rule and there are doubts about the intentions of the faction leaders who have all withdrawn their candidates but may still not get in the fray to support the common candidate. The challenge for EPS, who has majority support within his party, is now to prove he is the undisputed leader.
The bypoll for the Erode East Assembly seat in Tamil Nadu to be held on February 27, will be the first major test of the political waters since the Assembly elections of 2021 won by the DMK under MK Stalin. The DMK+ is in pole position to take the seat and may well give it back to the Congress since its MLA Thiruman Eeveraa, great grandson of EV Periyar, had died mid-term, but the Opposition is in great disarray. AIADMK is not even certain it can put up a candidate officially as the cases between the EPS and OPS factions are still in the courts, in Supreme Court as well as Madras HC and ECI, and the final word on them may not come before the time for nominations arrives. As a matter of abundant caution, AIADMK has approached GK Vasan of TMC towards fielding a candidate again in case EPS, who heads the legally recognised AIADMK thus far, cannot get his candidate authorised to stand as the signatures of both Coordinator and Joint Coordinator may be needed for this. Since a TMC candidate had stood there in 2021, it might seem logical for the AIADMK+ in the State to make over the candidature to that party. EPS may also wish to avoid a showdown with DMK so early when the AIADMK cases are still in court.
This year’s Pongal celebrations in Tamil Nadu touched a high point for the government-run TASMAC liquor sales. Sales zoomed to Rs 850 crore in the run-up to Pongal (Jan 15) week and by Kanu Pongal day (Jan 17) it was expected to touch the Rs 1000-crore mark. The bump in sales could be attributed to a cash gift of Rs 2000 given to all ration card holders. Pongal is freebie time and all political parties in Tamil Nadu have been capitalizing on it to the hilt. Both DMK and AIADMK have made freebie gifting, a fine art form. Cycles, fans, mangalsutras, Pongal hampers are bankrolled by the state exchequer. But, Tamil voters are canny, impartial…they vote one party to power, alternately. But wait, there is a savvy, fully end-to-end integrated business model to this freebie. The story goes, when chief minister M K Stalin was asked about cash freebies even as TN is burdened with huge debt, one DMK warhorse quipped, “Don’t worry, by this evening the Rs 2000 freebies will come to TASMAC from our Kudimagans“. Kudimagan has a double meaning – it could mean a citizen or a drunk. PMK Chief Dr S Ramadoss lamented about the high sale of liquor during the Pongal festival. His moral stance, liquor leads to ruination…of health, wealth and family. The very same PMK has climbed on to the alliance bandwagon, alternately to suit their political needs.
War may have been declared on the Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi, but the Chief Minister MK Stalin is not saying it. He had a word of caution for his MLAs the day after the theatrical events of the first Assembly session of the year in which the Governor skipped portions of his address prepared by the government and added a few things of his own. Stalin warned his MLAs about there being a conduct code for them and that they are also bound by the whip in the Assembly. “Don’t make it personal,” he cautioned. It will be DMK’s allies who will be taking on a brunt of the campaign against the Governor who has not endeared himself to Tamil Nadu by suggesting that the State be named “Tamizhagam”, maybe because the “Nadu” (country or place) in Tamil Nadu may be suggestive of a land seeking autonomy or independence. The issue itself could be quite silly as the DMK had shed its call for breaking away from the Union of India almost 60 years ago, in the wake of the China war of 1962. There were demos by students as well as DMK’s political allies and posters reading “Get Out Ravi”. Stalin would like to keep it to protest in formal channels rather than take it to the public as the appointment of a Governor is at the President’s pleasure.
On January 5, DMK MP Kanimozhi turned 55 and the road to her Chennai residence was jam packed with birthday greeters and revelers indicating she is a force to reckon with in Tamil Nadu politics. The whole neighbourhood was festooned with DMK flags. Late Kalaignar’s favourite child Kanimozhi is chief minister M K Stalin’s half-sister. What is even more evident as she led a big crowd to her father’s resting place on the Marina beach was that she no longer appeared to be that tentative, hesitant and defensive politician who was incarcerated in the 2 G scam. Kani has parachuted out of that crisis, to become a significant power centre. Potential for an alternative to the first family’s dynastic culture, Kani was made deputy treasurer of DMK, a sop to keep her content against the rising son, claim party wags. Stalin’s son Udhayanidhi’s confrontational attitude towards his aunt has changed too, maybe in the interests of warding off rebellion. The DMK behemoth built by cadres and functionaries is definitely chafing at the dynastic moves. A recently charge-sheeted Youtuber and journalist voiced scathing opinions when comparing Udhayanidhi and Kani in terms of capability, political savvy and experience, groomed as she is by none other than Kalaignar. Suddenly, whispers are getting loud and overt. What if BJP uses her as a Trojan and a deserving family claimant to TN throne?
Looks like BJP is permanently on election mode and focussing on states where they have no big numbers. A case in point is Tamil Nadu. Recently, BJP President J P Nadda was on a two-day visit to Coimbatore along with Tamil Nadu’s top BJP leaders. Addressing a public meeting Nadda spared no punches. He asked the large crowd, “What does DMK stand for”? And then went on to decode it by saying “D is for dynasty, the first family of DMK. M is for Money. And K is for Katta Panchayat “. Katta Panchayat refers to winning battles and quelling revolt by strong arm politics through Kangaroo Courts. While BJP and Modi focussed only on the national good, DMK functioned only for the first family. The country is thus in safe hands, while TN is not in safe hands. Modi is for real Bharat unity whereas DMK and its ally, the Congress now busy walking for Bharat unity, have regularly trotted out the separatist slogan for revolt. It’s a moot point whether this direct didactic would shake 60-odd years of Dravidam complacency? Post his speech Nadda drove to Isha Foundation run by spiritual guru Jaggi Vasudev who is currently mired in a controversy with environmentalists. Was Nadda’s overnight stay at Esha, a signal that BJP is putting its might behind the spiritual guru?
The TN BJP chief K Annamalai is keen on his party taking its own direction in the state. He wants to test the waters in the Lok Sabha polls of 2024 to check what percentage of the votes the BJP can get in the state when standing on its own. Depending on the outcome, he would like the party to decide on the Assembly poll alliance for 2026. The party is impressed with the response Annamalai’s leadership is getting even if he himself is under pressure over the designer Rafale special edition watch, said to have been priced at Rs 5 lakh, that has been raked up after he targeted the DMK for corruption. The AIADMK, led by Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS), is on tenterhooks regarding the outcome in the party case. The verdict is due on January 4 and his bargaining power on behalf of what is so far the official AIADMK could depend on where the judges go on the dispute with OPS’ wing of the same party. The BJP is playing a clever waiting game to see where the judgment takes the issue and if EPS comes off the worse in court, he could be in for a tough time. Meanwhile, there is talk of DMK joining the NDA fold but that is so much hot air at the moment even if in politics anything is possible.
DMK supremo MK Stalin, taking a page from the Telangana chief minister KCR has elevated his son Udhayanidhi to the cabinet as number 10, even though his portfolio, Sports and Youth Affairs is generally ranked way down in the pecking order of ministerial berths. This move seems to have evoked resentment and rancor among some senior DMK leaders. Lok Sabha MP T R Balu was expecting his son T R B Raja to be inducted into the TN cabinet. A hurt Balu skipped the coronation ceremony citing Parliament session in Delhi. The other person who also seems miffed is the state finance minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan. Popularly known as PTR, he was seething with anger as his rank moved from 22 to 27. Stalin, it is rumoured, is planning to name his son Deputy CM while he takes off on his annual medical check-up trip to London. Sensing an undercurrent within the party fold over elevation of his son Stalin asked the party’s intelligence arm to survey the revolt potential within the party and family, if the son is made the boss. Sure enough, the survey revealed that Udhayanidhi may be good as a film star but politics is not his cup of tea, at least for now. K Annamalai, the BJP‘s dynamic chief could shred him in any debate. So the collective advice is to groom him and hand over the reins over a period of time.
Rail &Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw is not the usual polite technocrat that he seems; he could be even politically savvy given an opportunity. Much of his wit was on display during the Question Hour on December 14 when he was taking a query on network problems of BSNL from a Karnataka BJP MP. Vaishnaw explained that the BSNL went through a very bad phase, primarily because of “certain political parties, especially during the UPA Government” when a lot of its funds were diverted. With DMK benches being empty in the Lok Sabha, there was not much contest on this point though Congress leader Sonia Gandhi was present in the house. Disclosing that PM Modi has approved a package of Rs 164,000 crore for the revival of BSNL. “We should take pride in the country’s engineers. The PM gave this challenge to our engineers, in line with PM’s Make-in-India initiative, today, the 4G and 5G technologies stack are made in India, designed in India, and developed in India. Today, it is recognised all over the world. For certain people — from the other side of the House — BSNL was always a cash cow. Those days are gone.” On questions raised by Congress members on data cost, he countered them saying that under the UPA consumers had to pay Rs 200 for 1 GB, today it is around Rs 20.
A DMK minister was heard saying that the initiation of Udhayanidhi Stalin into the Tamil Nadu Cabinet was late by a year and a half. He should have been there from the start in May 2021 so the line of succession would have been clear already. Others say that the family is safeguarding its interests by bringing in a successor who will carry forward the Karunanidhi tradition. The most interesting aspect of his inclusion in the Cabinet now is that the date of swearing-in was chosen by his mother Durga who wished to avoid Margazhi, considered inauspicious for various occasions like marriages and events. And hence the hurry to induct him before the Tamil month of Margazhi, famous for Chennai’s music festivals, begins on December 15. CM Stalin may not be willing to accommodate any religious feelings as he goes about his duties as the party’s credo is not faith in God. But he can hardly argue against the wishes of his religious wife Durga whose temple visits are well-recorded. The first lady’s influence can be seen in the tolerance for faith and religion that the DMK shows now even in its official dealings with different religious heads, temples and places of worship. Stalin had studiously maintained that he is not against people following their faith and belief in God.
All is not well in the Tamil Nadu unit of BJP. State President K Annamalai is constantly in Operation Damage control mode fighting the ruling DMK dispensation or forces within the party. The latest one relates to the sensational call made by the party’s high profile leader heading OBC wing Tiruchi Surya to Dr Daisy Saran (minority wing secretary). In the now infamous audio clip which has gone viral, Surya used vile and filthy language, threats to humiliate Dr Daisy. He threatened to cut up her genitals and fling her into the sea. Gayatri Raghuram, an actor and BJP functionary, forwarded the clip to the party’s higher ups like the All India Women’s Wing chief Vanathi Srinivasan and Union minister L Murugan. This move backfired. Gayatri was suspended from the party for six months for her anti-party activities and Dr Daisy was read the riot act. Everybody is asking why is Annamalai soft on Tiruchi Surya? Tiruchi Surya, son of DMK MP Tiruchi Siva, has been prodded to resign from the BJP on his own. In his resignation letter Surya states “Annamalai is my elder brother, a treasure trove of the party. I have learnt all strategic nuances under his stewardship …” For good measure he also added that Annamalai is future PM material. With this kind of letter has he figuratively thrown Annamalai in the lion’s den?
Aadhaar linkage has always been a hot subject of political debate in the country. The DMK government led by M K Stalin has chosen to make it mandatory for the power consumers – of common kind – to link their Aadhaar numbers. The move must help it weed out bogus connections. What has surprised many, however, is that not much time has been given to the power users to do this. Power consumers who tried to pay their bi-monthly bills are directed to a separate site for Aadhaar linkage. Unless linked to Aadhaar, the system does not allow them to pay their bills. What has irked the power users is that they are unable to execute the action as the system trips more often than not. Also, there is a lot of confusion. What if a person has more than one house and hence more than one power connection? What about power used for common facilities in a residential apartment? The government says that for commercial use, no Aadhaar linkage is required. How will the power used for common facilities in a residential apartment be considered? How will the poor – who don’t have a computer facility in their home – get this linkage done? The Tamil Nadu government will do well to create an e-seva facility to sort out the very many glitches coming in the way of Aadhaar linkage?
Our voters are very clear about what they want, when they want. This single-minded focus makes mincemeat chunks out of the best laid plans of er…mice and men. Take the case of Tamil Nadu’s Revenue Minister KKSSR Ramachandran and his well-planned address to his constituency in a marriage hall at Tenkasi’s Alangulam, clutching his eloquently prepared keynote address, intended to delight his eager audience. DMK District Secretary, Siva Padmanabhan, wanting to please his boss and other DMK functionaries, announced, “We want to celebrate our election victory. Our generous Presidium chairman has arranged a sumptuous non-vegetarian feast, cooked with 22 goats and many chickens for you, our cadres”. Good intentions can go horribly wrong when hit by bad timing. No sooner had he said non-veg biryani the crowd deserted the hall and ran towards the dining hall, drawn by the irresistible Biryani aroma. A stricken Ramachandran was heard extorting the crowd “Friends, please remain seated. The Biriyani will be there for later “. He looked crestfallen as the audience was in no mood for speech. Reality hurts. Ramachandran learnt his lesson – the best way to a voter’s heart is the stomach but timing is very important.
When West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee visited Chennai to attend a family function of State Governor La Ganesan early this week, not only did she make it a point to catch up with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin at his residence but she also reportedly struck a bond with Stalin’s wife Durga. She told Durga Stalin how Bengal people worship Goddess Durga. Apparently, anyone who warms up to Durga Stalin is ushered into her puja room, so that’s what happened with Mamata too. Later, Mamata chatted up with Stalin over a cup of coffee. While details of their discussions are not available, it would be interesting to see the kind of impact the TMC chief has on the DMK’s future course in politics. That is of course if both the TMC and DMK plan to work together for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. It would be interesting to see if Stalin begins to temper his pro-Congress image as we know Mamata is opposed to any kind of tie-up or linkages with the Congress. At the moment, Stalin has a good equation with the Congress both at the state and national level. Even Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra had started from Kanyakumari endorsed by DMK top leaders. Mamata who is desperate to expand beyond Bengal needs to tie-up with the DMK.
A massive anti-Hindi rally held on November 1 at Rajarathnam Stadium, Chennai sent a clear message to those planning a strong bid for Tamil Nadu’s political power reins. Pouring rain did not deter fiery Naam Thmizhar Katchi Founder Seeman who is a successful film director, riveting orator and die-hard Dravidian. His lieutenant, director Amir added colour to the procession’s power slogan, “We are Tamils, TN should have only Tamil rulers. Tamil is our life breath, don’t shove Hindi down our throats”. Is there a hidden challenge to DMK’s Dravidam? DMK critics are already grumbling about the mercenary greed of Udhayanidhi Stalin who as a film distributor is fast buying potential hits, Hindi movies too. The other parties, contenders for coalition with DMK, are happy to play a silent role. Seeman, an avid Kalaignar and LTTE Prabhakaran fan, has a natural flair as a magnetic orator. His only flaw, he gets emotionally carried away, and lives to rue indiscreet talk. His Naam Thamizhar Katchi started in 2010, has a disciplined and youthful cadre, willing to be moulded into a strong movement. What impressed many, after the rally was that every bit of garbage was collected on the 1.7 kms stretch by the cadre, bagged and the place left clean. He is aiming to get 12% votes and at least 10 Assembly seats in 2026. Seeman is surely aiming to be a Seen Man.
The Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi may make mysterious air dashes to the capital New Delhi. But, when in Chennai, he does what he can to light a match under the DMK’s ideological stand on various issues, most of all religion and NEET. The Governor can do little about the national entrance test as it is a Supreme Court cleared reform, apart from sitting on the legislation that the Assembly passes Where the Governor tends to get on the nerves of the rulers of the land of the Dravidians is when he harps on sanatana dharma, which is more a personal matter of faith though it becomes political as it clashes with the DMK’s ideological belief in atheism. The Stalin government has tried to make Governor Ravi the enemy No.1 of the state on the grounds that he sits on Bills and breaches Constitutional propriety. Clashes with Governors are not a new thing even in Tamil Nadu where Jayalalithaa passed a resolution in the House against Chenna Reddy with whom she had running battles. With regard to god and religion, the DMK has changed somewhat over time as the party line is one of leaving faith and religion to the individual. But, as the Centre is unlikely to budge on the Governor, TN can only disparage him rather than unseat him.
DMK spokesperson Saidai Sadiq is on a sticky wicket after having called actors-turned-netas such as Khushbu Sundar and Gowthami as “items”. He may have believed he had picked soft targets but ran into a doughty Khushbu who took it up on social media with such force as a defender of women that Sadiq had to make a grovelling apology on TV. But that came only after Kanimozhi, DMK MP, had tendered an apology to Khushbu and others, saying such sexism cannot be tolerated. The high- profile daughter of M Karunanidhi has just been elevated in the party as a Deputy General Secretary and has clout with the top party brass, which is why Saidai’s position is looking increasingly shaky. Also, in picking on Khushbu, he may have strayed into very sensitive territory for, as a member of the DMK before she crossed over to BJP, she was very close to the first family, having known three generation of male leaders in Karunanidhi, Stalin and Udhayanidhi by dint of their film industry links. The issue at hand is, however, clearly about the denigration of women and to say they are an “item” was most demeaning. The speaker is certain to face his party’s wrath for only recently Stalin had said publicly that he has spent sleepless nights because of such unwarranted remarks from his partymen.
A day after the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global watchdog on terror financing and money laundering, announced that Pakistan is “no longer subject to its increased monitoring process” as it has agreed to continue to work with APG (Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering) to further “improve its AML and CFT (Anti-Money Laundering & Counter-Terrorist Financing) system” and India noted that it was scrutiny that had forced Islamabad to take anti-terror steps, DMK leader TR Baalu decided it was a good time to move the Modi Government for seeking help for a miniscule group — Tamils in Pakistan. In a letter to External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, Baalu pointed out that the Tamils in Madrasi Bara in Karachi have been living there for decades and were taken there by the British. “During the British days, they were taken to East Pakistan to do account related jobs and they subsequently moved to present day Pakistan.” Post partition, these people opted to live in Pakistan. However, in view of deteriorating ties between the two countries these expats have not been able to visit their ancestral villages in Tamil Nadu or enable their children to maintain a cultural and language connect with Tamil Nadu. Urging the EAM to arrange for a visit of the Pak Tamils to their villages, Baalu offered to extend support of MK Stalin government in imparting Tamil language skills to next-generation Pak Tamils.
Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin recently lamented, “Every morning I dread waking up to some new controversy caused by some of my senior ministers “. Stalin warned these controversial cohorts in no uncertain terms during the recent DMK General Council meet “Should I resign or those who are guilty ready to resign? Of this motley council of ministers the enfant terrible septuagenarian, Durai Murugan has irked the government on more than one occasion. Recently, Durai Murugan accompanied by Health Minister Ma. Subramanian, visited a primary health Center in his own constituency, Katpadi and berated the doctors there for poor maintenance of precincts and ordered immediate transfer of a few doctors to a distant gulag. The Indian Medical Association took up the matter with Stalin who reversed the transfer decision. Minister for Transport K Ponmudi insulted women by referring to them as “OC (in Tamil it means free) bus passengers “. TN women have taken umbrage to his statement. In the case of finance minister PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan, the less said the better. The sheen of his grand entry as party intellectual and finance wizard, wore off fast with other aspirants putting him in his place. It seems that the late Kalaignar would not allow a minister to ride with him in his car for such misdeeds. Stalin too is trying out this mode of punishment.
Looks like Kanimozhi is the flavour of the season, not just in the DMK power camp but in the BJP’s net casting too. Just last month, she thanked home minister Amit Shah profusely for facilitating her mother’s trip to Germany for medical treatment. Then followed the significant reshuffling of Parliamentary Committees and appointment of new chairpersons by Narendra Modi. Kanimozhi was handpicked by the PM to head the Committee on Rural Affairs and Panchayat Raj. Not without rhyme or reason; it is well known that PM Modi imbues his decisions with ironclad logic and perceived future insurance. The DMK MP from Thoothukudi has worked hard in her constituency to make the Adopt A Village program noteworthy. Venkatesapuram, a village adopted by her, scored high in most development indices. This focused result-oriented work backed the PM’s choice for his Adarsh Gram Yojana outreach plan. The penny dropped at the just held DMK General Body Meet, Stalin was unanimously re-elected for a second term as party Chief, and he in a surprise move announced Kanimozhi as one of the five general secretaries. This was followed up with courtesy visits to her home by both Stalin and son Udhayanidhi. It may be recalled that the nephew Udhayanidhi had earlier ignored aunt Kanimozhi and now he was cosying up to her. Kanimozhi is a prized 5G asset now –a big contrast to the humiliation of the 2G days.
It’s not often that an active party member resigns when the party is in power. But that is what former Union Minister Subbalakshmi Jagadeesan has done. She was currently Deputy General Secretary of the DMK when she sent her resignation to party president MK Stalin declaring that she was retiring from politics. Insiders, however, say that she was unhappy about her prospects in the party after being denied a Rajya Sabha seat nomination that she was expecting considering her seniority. She was in the UPA-1 Cabinet (2004-09) as Minister State for Social Justice and Empowerment. Her husband Jagadeesan may not have helped her cause by putting out posts on the social media critical of the party, the contents of which were promptly relayed back to the party command. The party president did ask his senior minister Durai Murugan to find out what the problem was but, apparently, the lady said she was suffering health issues and that she wanted to retire from politics. Stalin had no option then but to accept the resignation. Heading a party that believes in transparency in dealing with its senior members and pays a lot of attention to its cadre-based strengths, Stalin had done his bit to keep the senior former minister in the fold. Her departure may not mean much as it is not the start of defections or desertions.
A Raja, a favourite of the ruling DMK’s first family, may have got away with the airing of his opinion on Hindus that stirred a hornet’s nest. Apart from fringe Hindu groups in the Nilgiris, the home district of the former Telecom Minister infamous for the 2G scam that rocked Indian politics, not too many took serious note of the MP’s comments. His controversial statement comparing Hindus with “shudras” had kicked up a religious and political storm with the Tamil Nadu BJP taking exception to it and accusing the politician of spewing hatred against a section of people. But not much came of it as Raja was mouthing a theory that would have pleased Periyarists who form a majority of the DMK party. The party chief MK Stalin may have been indulgent towards Raja in not rebuking him even privately. The suspicion is the first family may not be averse to prominent party members expressing opinions provided that they do not take on the top BJP brass with whom the CM has cordial relations. And Raja has always been considered close enough to the family for his excesses to be forgiven. In fact, it was Raja’s doings at the telecom ministry that had led to him and Kanimozhi spending a long time in Tihar jail at the height of the 2G scandal.
DMk’s grand old man and Tamil Nadu’s water resources minister Durai Murugan had an embarrassing moment in his own constituency Katpadi, Vellore. At the government-run girl’s high school, the 84-year old Murugan was the chief guest to give away bicycles free to local girls when within a span of one hour there were two power cuts. The minister was powerless and speechless. With no light in sight, he walked out in a huff. Immediately, two assistant engineers of TANGEDCO were shunted out to an obscure gulag presumably to show that the TNEB means business. When the minister landed at the next venue, the organisers ensured there were generators to ensure the programme went off smoothly. Incidentally, the problems faced by the minister are what Tamil Nadu voters are facing for months together now. Ever since the new government headed by MK Stalin came to power the state has been witnessing frequent power cuts. So much so, most high rises that are proliferating at a profligate pace have generators as part of the deal. Along with frequent power cuts the Chennaites also face bad roads. Practically every road in the city has been dug up. What Tamil Nadu voters are expecting from the government is basic necessities like power, water, navigable roads etc. Is this too much to ask?
Is the DMK government in Tamil Nadu planning to get into the low cost airline business? When many governments world over including private enterprises have pulled out of this business, this plan is hotly debated as kamikaze. How did this idea take wings? Apparently, TRB Raja, chief of DMK’s IT Wing tweeted that an airline named after the Dravidian Icon, Periyar (EV Ramaswamy Naicker) would soar high. He punned on the name Periyar and came up with Peri Air (not to be confused with global brand Perrier bottled water). Chief Minister MK Stalin, anchored in intense Dravidian ideology, is rumoured to have latched onto the airline enterprise with gusto. Raja buttressed his idea with a hard core business plan. As expected, the BJP and other parties are coming down heavily on this yet to be ratified venture as TN’s debt burden is a staggering Rs 650,000 crore. There is talk about cousin Marans encouragement. It may be recalled that Marans had sold their majority stake in SpiceJet to Ajay Singh. DMK may have inhouse expertise in Maran but headwinds or tailwinds running an airline is a risky business. Stalin’s government should focus on education, healthcare, unemployment and infrastructure issues not get into airline business.
To do nothing with the Jayalalithaa death probe report submitted by the Justice (Retired) A Arumugasamy commission is probably the best course of action that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin may have decided upon. The very decision to first place the report in front of the Assembly, which is not due to meet till December 2022, is a clear indicator that the government does not wish to take any of the recommendations too seriously. Primarily, it has to do with a death that occurred in December 2016. And Stalin would be the last one to wish to interfere in the Opposition Party matters. The AIADMK is already doing enough to damage itself as the principal opposition. It needs no action from the ruling party to call for a probe into Jaya’s aide and confidante V Sasikala, who anyway met her Waterloo in the Disproportionate Asset case and spent four years in jail while also being ineligible to contest any election for another six years. Also, it suits the DMK to watch on as the AIADMK implodes with the EPS versus OPS fighting for the spoils and the not inconsiderable Rs 3,000 crore party kitty that lies in two trust accounts. At worst, the government may call for action on the people named in the report without pushing the police seriously to probe them.
Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin is on a two-day visit to Delhi, primarily to pay a courtesy visit to PM Narendra Modi and thank him for giving him the opportunity to host the 44th Chess Olympiad (July 28-Aug 9) in Chennai. In view of the Russia-Ukraine war, the Olympiad had decided against hosting it in Russia. Poland and Uzbekistan were keen to host the event, but it was PM Modi’s equation with Russian President Vladimir Putin which had helped in shifting the event to India. Though the Olympiad itself was inaugurated by Modi, Stalin never got the opportunity to come over to Delhi and invite him personally as he was hospitalised due to Covid. Tamil Nadu became the ideal venue as it is home to chess legends like Viswanathan Anand and young Indian grand master R Praggnanandhaa. The state also has a temple dedicated to chess and Lord Shiva – called Sathuranga Vallabhanathar in Thirupoovanur near Needamangalam, in Tiruvarur district. Assigned to host the Olympiad, Tamil Nadu Government had worked hard for four months, creating the infrastructure for the event at the cost of Rs 92 crore. Stalin has also been advised by senior DMK leaders to call on President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jadgeep Dhankar — both of whom the DMK had not backed during their elections. Stalin is scheduled to meet President Murmu, Vice-President Dhankar and PM Modi on August 17.
Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin’s son-in-law V Sabareesan has been in the news ever since DMK came to power. He is the CM’s alter ego, go to man and a conscience-keeper. Recently he was on “mission yagna” to save, and keep the government in the saddle. His mission was against the backdrop of four temple chariots in Tamil Nadu toppling and killing 12 people. This is considered a bad omen for the ruler of a State. On hearing the news, Sabareesan’s best friend London Venkat spoke to a well-known astrologer Mahesh Iyer, who advised the duo to immediately perform certain rituals to ward off the evil and impending calamity to the CM. But to perform the rituals, Sabareesan had to get the go- ahead from the first family which they did. Finally, a yagna was performed at the Subramaniya Swamy Temple in Tiruchendur. Political wags were on overdrive about Stalin’s son-in-law performing the ritual as a proxy. Social media talked about the two-faced ideology of Stalin who is quick to claim his agnostic status tempered by the Dravidian ideology, even as wife Durga leads her life as a staunch Hindu devotee. People do not ignore such duplicity by self-serving leaders. The Dravidian ideology is conveniently jettisoned when it comes to saving his own Gaddi. Sabareesan wondershare safeeraser registration code is now seen as acronis disk director crack скачать Stalin’s one-man Delta лицензионный ключ 360 total security Force.
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Editor’s Note: Short Post Is Here To Stay…
Time, they say, flies—and how true that is. Here we are celebrating our 5th Anniversary. Five years ago, when Covid-19 was wreaking havoc across the globe, I took a leap of faith and launched Short Post, India’s first website for Authentic Gossip. That was on January 31, 2021. I was convinced there was a clear gap in the market for gossip that was credible, sharp, and impactful—especially if told in just 250 words.
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