Stalin urges DMK leaders to exercise restraint after Tiruchi Siva's Kamaraj remark sparks row
DMK
chief and
Tamil Nadu
chief minister
M K Stalin
is treading cautiously over remarks made by party leaders. For the second time in recent months, he has urged DMK functionaries to exercise restraint and avoid giving the opposition ammunition to target the government.
The latest controversy erupted when DMK
Rajya Sabha
MP
Tiruchi Siva
, speaking at a party meeting in Perambur on July 16, claimed that former chief minister and
Congress
stalwart
K Kamaraj
"couldn't sleep without AC" and had requested then CM Karunanidhi to install ACs in all government guest houses. Siva said Karunanidhi obliged the request.
The remark drew sharp criticism from DMK's ally Congress, with leaders like Manickam Tagore and Jothimani demanding an apology. The opposition
AIADMK
also condemned the statement, calling it an insult to Kamaraj.
The row forced Stalin to step in and issue a public reminder. "Do not give room to the intentions of evil-minded people who plan to stir trouble and revel in it... It is not right to have controversial debates in public about such a great leader, a great Tamilian. Any opinion shared should be in a manner that upholds the dignity of respected leaders... Let us avoid pointless debates," Stalin posted on X on July 17.
This is not the first time Stalin has had to intervene. In April, state IT minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan said in the Assembly that his department lacked funds and jurisdiction over IT park projects. The next day, Stalin publicly advised PTR that his words should not become fodder for the opposition.
Live Events
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
a few seconds ago
- Hans India
HC dismisses election petition against Congress MP
Bengaluru: The High Court has dismissed the election petition filed against Davanagere Congress MP Dr. Prabha Mallikarjun, who was accused of electoral malpractice for allegedly distributing 'guarantee cards' to lure voters during the Lok Sabha polls. The petition, filed by BJP's defeated candidate G.S. Gayathri Siddeshwar, sought to nullify Dr. Prabha Mallikarjun's election on grounds of inducement and violation of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. However, Justice M.I. Arun, who presided over the single-judge bench, rejected the petition, holding that the allegations do not amount to a corrupt practice under the law. The court cited a previous ruling related to a similar case against Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan and reiterated that the Congress party's 'guarantee schemes' were part of its official election manifesto. The judge observed that election manifestos reflect a party's policy decisions and not the personal promises of individual candidates. Hence, such guarantees cannot be construed as bribes or inducements under Section 123(1)(A)(B) of the Representation of the People Act.
Hindustan Times
a few seconds ago
- Hindustan Times
Leaders weigh in on what OPS' exit from NDA means for TN parties
O Panneerselvam (OPS), 74, after walking out of the NDA, for allegedly being cold shouldered by the BJP, held back to back meetings with Stalin on the day he quit the alliance and opened a dialogue channel with actor Vijay's Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) which will make its debut in the 2026 assembly elections. Leaders weigh in on what OPS' exit from NDA means for TN parties Next year's elections is poised to be a crowded affair in Tamil Nadu with the incumbent DMK's rainbow alliance intact which is part of the INDIA bloc, the AIADMK -led NDA, Tamil nationalist S Seeman's Naam Tamizhar Katchi (NTK) and Vijay's TVK. The availability of OPS, who has a weaning vote bank of the Thevar community, a caste dominant in southern Tamil Nadu, comes at a time when there is a crisis in other smaller regional parties such as Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK). PMK, an ally of the NDA is falling apart from the inside with the father and party founder S Ramadoss in a coup taking over from his son and former Union minister Anbumani Ramadoss. The father and son hold opposing views on joining the BJP. When the AIADMK walked out of the NDA in 2023, PMK chose to stick to the national party on the insistence of junior Ramadoss while his father has said he preferred to go with the AIADMK. Now that the AIADMK is back in the NDA's fold since April,now the father and son are refusing to relent leaving the PMK in limbo. Meanwhile the DMDK which took the AIADMK's side when they parted with the BJP in 2023 has not confirmed if they will be part of the NDA after the two parties joined hands. DMDK's chief Premalatha Vijayakant too met Stalin hours before OPS on Thursday. All of them, OPS, Vijayakant and the DMK have maintained that the opposition leaders called on Stalin at his residence to enquire about his health after he was hospitalised for a week and discharged on July 27. 'I don't know why OPS met him (Stalin) but that he has left the BJP means that finally good times have begun for OPS,' said Thol Thirumavalan, MP and chief of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), an ally of the DMK who has been describing BJP's ideology as communal politics which must be discouraged. Though the TVK said that they are not speaking on alliance, close aides of OPS said that the option is on the table. 'The DMK hopes OPS will split the anti-incumbency votes as well as the Thevar votes,' a close aide of OPS said. OPS and other expelled AIADMK leaders TTV Dhinakaran and his aunt VK Sasikala also belong to the Thevar community whose votebank the BJP was keen to unite. Dhinakaran, who heads a break faction of the AIADMK, Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) also joined the NDA ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. OPS and Dhinkaran came to the NDA's fold when the AIADMK had broken away from the BJP. Now that the Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) AIADMK is back, it has been an uneasy alliance since he is steadfast not to take back the trio, that he expelled, into his party and has stayed clear of them. 'OPS has been sidelined obviously with the entry of the AIADMK,' his close aide said. 'He prefers to join hands with Vijay.' A TVK leader however refuted speculation of talks between them. 'We are focussed on public outreach now,' the leader said. While TVK has offered parties a power sharing agreement and has taken on DMK as its political enemy and the BJP as its ideological enemy, Seeman's NTK has refused to tie up with any of the Dravidian majors. OPS' exit also comes days after AIADMK's Muslim face and former minister, Anwhar Raajhaa quit the party to join rival DMK saying that the AIADMK was 'trapped in the BJP's hands.' However, OPS' journey has been different to that of Raajhaa since he was the BJP's man when the AIADMK was in turbulent times after its leader J Jayalalithaa died in office. 'History knows that there are no permanent friends or enemies in politics. Things will change as elections approach,' OPS said. He should know given his tumultuous political life and constantly changing friends and foes in the AIADMK itself. OPS officiated as chief minister twice after Jayalalithaa gave him the position when she had to quit due to legal cases and her health. OPS has also acknowledged the role of RSS ideologue S Gurumurthy in his rebellion against EPS and Sasikala back in 2017. Eventually EPS and OPS joined hands and ran the government and party together as partners expelling Sasikala and Dhinakaran. In a few years, EPS expelled OPS too and he was forced to share space with Dhinakaran and Sasikala, who have been politically inactive. OPS has been unhappy with the way he has been cold shouldered by the BJP after not receiving an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi who was in Tamil Nadu during the July 26 weekend and previously with Union home minister Amit Shah whenever he had visited the state. 'OPS shouldn't have left when we are trying to unite to defeat the DMK,' said a BJP leader not wishing to be named. 'There is space for him and EPS in the alliance even if they don't see eye to eye.'
Hindustan Times
a few seconds ago
- Hindustan Times
C'garh court reserves its order on nuns' bail pleas
A special court in Bilaspur on Friday has reserved its order on the bail applications of three people including two Catholic nuns from Kerala who were arrested on charges of human trafficking and forced religious conversion. C'garh court reserves its order on nuns' bail pleas The accused, Preethi Mary and Vandana Francis, along with Sukaman Mandavi, were arrested by the Government Railway Police (GRP) at Durg railway station on July 25, following a complaint by a local Bajrang Dal member. The complainant alleged that the trio had trafficked and forcibly converted three young tribal women from Narayanpur district. The hearing took place on Friday in the court of Principal District and Sessions Judge (NIA Court) Sirajuddin Qureshi. Public Prosecutor Dauram Chandravanshi opposed the bail applications, citing the early stage of the investigation. The court is expected to deliver its order on Saturday. Defence counsel Amrito Das argued that the accused were detained solely on the basis of unverified allegations, and no significant materials were recovered from them. 'The prosecution has not even sought their custodial interrogation. The alleged victims are all adults, already practicing Christianity, and have been sent back home,' he said. He also pointed out that the statements of the women's parents confirmed that they were not being taken away forcibly or fraudulently. The case has taken on political overtones, with a high-profile delegation from the Kerala unit of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) visiting Chhattisgarh on Friday to meet the arrested nuns. The team included MPs Hibi Eden and Kodikunnil Suresh, who alleged that referring the case to a National Investigation Agency (NIA) court by the Durg sessions court was a deliberate attempt to delay bail. 'There is a conspiracy behind shifting the case to the NIA court. It's intended to prolong the legal process and keep the nuns behind bars,' said Suresh, speaking to reporters at Raipur airport. He added that protests were already underway in Kerala, condemning the arrests. MP Hibi Eden questioned the legality of the detention: 'If it's not the jurisdiction of local police or the sessions court, and the NIA is taking over, then why are the nuns still in jail after five days?' He described the arrests as 'unlawful and unjust' and blamed the ruling BJP for targeting Christians. Eden also alleged that in some northern states, Christians have to seek approval from right-wing groups to conduct religious services. 'This is unacceptable in a secular country,' he said, adding that the Congress delegation had also approached the Union Home Minister and written to the Prime Minister regarding the case. The arrest has sparked a political row, with both the Congress and the CPI(M) slamming the move. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, however, has accused the opposition of politicising the matter and interfering with a police investigation. Adding another twist to the case, one of the women allegedly being trafficked, 21-year-old Kamleshwari Pradhan, has claimed she was coerced by Bajrang Dal activists into giving a false statement. She also alleged that the police failed to properly record her version of events. According to Pradhan, her family has been practicing Christianity for the last four to five years.
