Sudhish's post revives buzz on AIADMK alliance
Jayalalithaa
, triggered talk of a possible DMDK-AIADMK alliance.
Fuelling the speculation, Premalatha, when asked about the post, told reporters in Chennai that Jayalalithaa was her political role model. "She was an iron lady who achieved a lot as chief minister and faced many challenges," Premalatha said.
"At an event, Sudhish remarked that Jayalalithaa, as
AIADMK
general secretary, was like a lioness and likened me to her. Soon after, a cadre shared a photo of me with Jayalalithaa in our WhatsApp group, and Sudhish uploaded it on social media," she said.
You Can Also Check:
Chennai AQI
|
Weather in Chennai
|
Bank Holidays in Chennai
|
Public Holidays in Chennai
She said AIADMK founder M G Ramachandran was the ideological mentor of Vijayakanth and that his statue stands at DMDK headquarters.
The speculation on the revival of an alliance with AIADMK gained traction as she had also met former AIADMK minister K C Veeramani. Premallatha downplayed the meeting saying she was staying at a hotel and it happened to be that of Veeramani. Hence, she met him for courtesy sake, she said. However, DMDK would decide on the alliance only in Jan 2026, she said.
Stay updated with the latest local news from your
city
on
Times of India
(TOI). Check upcoming
bank holidays
,
public holidays
, and current
gold rates
and
silver prices
in your area.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
2 hours ago
- New Indian Express
'AIADMK's 2026 defeat will begin from western belt': CM Stalin
TIRUPPUR: The AIADMK's defeat in the 2026 Assembly election is going to start from the western region, said Chief Minister M K Stalin in Tiruppur on Monday. He was speaking at a welfare assistance distribution event held on behalf of the district administration in Udumalaipet. Stalin said, 'We see the opposition leader, Edappadi K Palaniswami, calling himself a western region person only when he comes to this area. But I can assure you – more projects have been provided for the development of the western TN under our Dravidian model regime than during the EPS's regime. We will keep doing this good work. It's not going to change. That's why I say, I don't understand with what courage EPS started his campaign from this area. But, I am sure the AIADMK's 2026 election defeat is going to start from here. He has already seen defeat in the 2024 election, the local body polls, and the byelection in this region. It is going to continue in the upcoming Assembly election as well.' Stalin said EPS thinks that people will believe him if he speaks his lies loudly through the campaign. 'But, contrary to his thoughts, our government schemes, including 'Ungaludan Stalin' and 'Nalam Kaakkum Stalin', have become a big hit among the people.
Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Chat on chatbots creates real-time humour at Uttar Pradesh MLAs' AI workshop
A workshop on Artificial Intelligence for Uttar Pradesh MLAs unleashed a volley of questions and concerns laced with laughter and wit. The Monsoon session of the Uttar Pradesh assembly began on Monday. (HT Photo) From data security to political utility, to concerns about factual inaccuracies, chatbots and even horoscope predictions, the issues raised spanned a wide range at the workshop held by the Uttar Pradesh assembly at the instance of speaker Satish Mahana on Sunday on the eve of the Monsoon session that began on Monday. Some of the lawmakers wanted to know how the data collected from the House to assist AI may be secured and whether technology could help them seek votes. Even as legislators expressed their views, several video clips focusing on deliberations at the workshop did the rounds of the corridors of power. Anil Singh, a lawmaker, asked: '…how can the data so collected be secured? If someone steals the data about some persons voting in favour of some other persons, this will be disturbing… My question is important. How will we ask for votes? Can we get votes using AI? What to say and what to do (to seek votes) please explain this technicality. We don't want to become NASA engineers. We have to seek votes (of the people)...,' said Singh as lawmakers attending the workshop burst into laughter. Raising another concern, the same lawmaker said, 'Money is being withdrawn (fraudulently) through mobiles by sending OTP. When I ask people to send their application on WhatsApp, the people tell me they have a phone costing only ₹1500. How do we send it? This is good we are learning. What I understand is that we will get (from AI) what we give (data).' Another legislator said, 'If we depend on AI, it can affect our critical thinking. If we put the burden of analysis and problem solving on AI, our cognitive muscles may go weak.' At this, speaker Mahana replied in a lighter vein: 'For that you should do exercise.' 'We are making a dashboard for every Vidhan Sabha constituency… We are only making a beginning. We will have to work simultaneously on various issues,' Mahana said. A woman legislator said, 'You are aware that the people want to be in direct touch with their public representatives. They (people) get upset if any assistant (aide to legislator) speaks to them on behalf of the lawmaker. The public representatives have to connect with the people directly, be it the first time MLA or a ninth-term one like minister for parliamentary affairs Suresh Khanna. Will the AI be able to cater to this sentiment? Will the AI be helpful?' Pointing out a data glitch, lawmaker Abhay Singh said leader of opposition Mata Prasad Pandey was elected legislator for the first time in 1974 (based on the information given at the workshop), but an AI platform showed 1980 as the year of his first election. 'We will take your information (speaker's) to be correct and not the one given by the AI platform,' he said. Referring to his chat with an AI bot, he said when he asked about the possible scenario in case of a Third World War, chatbot grouped India with America. When questioned again, the chatbot said you (India) can go with Russia. 'This is what AI is,' he said. Singh also said he asked the AI chatbot to read his horoscope and predict how long the legislator will have Rajyog. The AI chatbot gave him a specific time but when confronted with another observation made by a horoscope reader, AI admitted its mistake, the lawmaker said. Sachin Yadav, an engineer by qualification, said AI needed information to work and this could be gathered either in real time or from some other database or internet. AI will probably not be effective without strengthening the database, he said. Shashank Trivedi suggested that education about AI be compulsory in primary, secondary and higher education. Another legislator pointed out that the AI was giving incorrect information about his father (who was also a legislator) and whether such mistakes can be corrected. Amid such observations, Mahana said the workshop was organised to tell the lawmakers what to ask AI and what not. Minister for parliamentary affairs Suresh Khanna also said AI helps collect information. 'If Google was a cycle, AI will make us ride the motorcycle,' he said, adding AI is not about making predictions.
India.com
7 hours ago
- India.com
Trump Slaps Tariffs, India Hits Back: From McDonald, Coca-Cola To iPhones, A Nationalist Boycott Storm Brews
New Delhi: A wave of calls to ditch American brands is sweeping across parts of India. From McDonald's and Coca-Cola to Amazon and Apple, household names from the United States are finding themselves at the centre of a boycott campaign, Reuters reported. The push comes as business leaders and supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi rally against Washington's steep new trade duties. India's vast consumer base has long been fertile ground for U.S. companies. McDonald's outlets are dotted across the country. Coke and Pepsi dominate beverage shelves in both small-town stores and urban supermarkets. Apple store openings attract long queues. Starbucks offers discounted treats to crowds of loyal customers. WhatsApp, which is owned by Meta, has more users in India than anywhere else in the world. Domino's runs more outlets here than in any other country. Now, anger is simmering after former U.S. President Donald Trump slapped a 50% tariff on Indian goods. The decision has unsettled exporters and sparked tension between New Delhi and Washington. While there is no clear sign of sales declines, the rhetoric against American imports is getting louder, both online and on the streets. Manish Chowdhary, co-founder of Wow Skin Science, posted a video on LinkedIn urging shoppers to back Indian farmers and startups. He called for 'Made in India' to become a global obsession and cited South Korea's global reputation for food and beauty products. 'We have lined up for products from thousands of miles away. We have proudly spent on brands that we do not own, while our own makers fight for attention in their own country,' he said, as cited by the news agency. Rahm Shastry, CEO of DriveU, a service that provides drivers on call, added his voice on LinkedIn. 'India should have its own home-grown Twitter/Google/YouTube/WhatsApp/FB like China has,' he wrote. Indian companies already challenge foreign brands at home, particularly in retail and food. Still going global has remained an uphill climb. In technology, though, Indian IT firms such as TCS and Infosys serve clients across continents. Speaking in Bengaluru on Sunday, Prime Minister Modi called for greater self-reliance. 'Indian technology companies make products for the world but now is the time for us to give more priority to India's needs,' he said, without naming any firm. Even as boycotts gathered steam, Tesla opened its second showroom in the country on Monday in New Delhi. The launch drew both Indian commerce ministry officials and U.S. embassy representatives. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) affiliate Swadeshi Jagran Manch staged rallies nationwide on Sunday. The group urged shoppers to switch to Indian alternatives and circulated a WhatsApp list of domestic brands, from soaps to cold drinks. 'People are now looking at Indian products. It will take some time to fructify. This is a call for nationalism and patriotism,' said group's Co-Convenor Ashwani Mahajan. On social media, the group's 'Boycott foreign food chains' graphics display logos of McDonald's and other international restaurants. In Lucknow, 37-year-old Rajat Gupta sat at a McDonald's on Monday, sipping a cup of coffee worth Rs 49. He brushed off the protests. 'Tariffs are a matter of diplomacy and my McPuff, coffee should not be dragged into it,' the report has quoted him as saying.
