Stalin should be credited with turning Tamil Nadu into a top debtor, says EPS
Addressing a public gathering here as part of his State-wide tour, Mr. Palaniswami said that the DMK-led government has borrowed from various multi-financial institutions for Tamil Nadu since the party came to power in May 2021. With this, the total debt of the State stood at over ₹9.4 lakh crore. 'By 2026 polls, Tamil Nadu's total borrowings during the DMK regime could touch ₹5.38 lakh crore - an increase of ₹one lakh crore more. The entire debt burden lies on the people of the State,' he claimed.
The AIADMK leader said that the inordinate delay in making a list of senior police officers to become the next Director-General of Police (DGP) reflects the administrative ineffectiveness of the bureaucracy in preparing a list of candidates to become the next police chief. A clear set of guidelines has been laid out for the selection of the next police chief. However, the State government has not shown any keen interest in the selection process despite incumbent DGP (Mr. Shankar Jiwal) retiring by August 31, he said.
The former Chief Minister also alleged that illegal sand mining in the Palar river is rampant, with loads of river sand transported to neighbouring States, using arterial stretches. Government officials and police should take stringent action against such illegal sand mining, Mr. Palaniswami said.
Highlighting lawlessness in the State, Mr. Palaniswami blamed the DMK government for not allowing Tamil Nadu police to function in a free and fair manner. As a result, criminals have lost fear of police personnel and have dared to murder them. Easy availability of drugs and other banned substances in the State also contributes to rising incidents of crime against women and children, he alleged.
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Indian Express
6 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Poised to become Vice-President, low-key Radhakrishnan checks all the BJP boxes
'Decent', 'friendly', 'unassuming', '100 per cent RSS' – these are some of the epithets several leaders knowing Maharashtra Governor C P Radhakrishnan use to describe the ruling BJP-led NDA's candidate for the Vice-Presidential election. Fuelled by the NDA's majority numbers, Radhakrishnan, known as CPR, is on course to succeed former V-P Jagdeep Dhankhar, who suddenly resigned on the opening day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, two years before his tenure's end, after falling out with the BJP dispensation. This marked an unprecedented development that a V-P quit in the middle of his term due to differences with the government. The BJP high command nominated CPR, 67, as he ticks three key boxes: low-key, RSS background and South connection given that he is from Tamil Nadu. While the Opposition INDIA bloc has chosen former Supreme Court judge Justice Sudershan Reddy for the September 9 V-P poll, CPR's victory is seen as a foregone conclusion. The NDA has 422 MPs in the two Houses of their current strength of 781, which form the electoral college for the V-P election. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has been assigned to reach out to the non-NDA parties to muster additional support for Radhakrishnan. He even spoke with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president M K Stalin, a key INDIA ally, in this regard. While the BJP is highlighting CPR's Tamilian identity to connect with non-NDA parties in Tamil Nadu, the INDIA alliance is playing the Telugu card, hoping that the Andhra-born Reddy's candidature would draw the TDP, a major NDA ally, to its side. Justice Reddy is known to have good relations with Andhra Pradesh CM and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu. Both the DMK and TDP have however made it clear that instead of getting swayed by linguistic or regional sentiments, they would rather back their respective alliances' V-P nominees. Yet, a South watcher remarked that the V-P poll has become 'interesting', even though its 'result is predictable'. Framing the contest as an 'ideological battle', the INDIA leadership hopes that, regardless of its outcome, their move to field a joint nominee would reinforce the bloc's unity at a time when it is going all out to mobilise public opinion on issues like 'vote chori' and the Election Commission (EC)'s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. The Indian polity has become so deeply divided today that political alignments seem to be subsuming regional identities. It has come a long distance from the days when the then undivided Shiv Sena cross-voted for the Congress's presidential candidate Pratibha Patil in 2007 as she hailed from Maharashtra. Or the 2012 presidential poll, when the Left parties and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supported the Congress-led UPA's nominee Pranab Mukherjee because of 'Bengali pride'. In the wake of Dhankhar's abrupt exit, it was clear that the BJP top brass would turn its gaze within its ranks to pick his successor – and not an 'outsider' or a 'flamboyant' leader. The party no longer had an appetite for another Dhankhar or Satyapal Malik. This time it had to be someone who would walk in step with the party leadership all the way and not be outspoken on issues independent of the government's stance. It had to be a low-profile leader, not unlike the CMs the party named for states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in preference to prominent heavyweights like Shivraj Chouhan or Vasundhara Raje. 'You have to learn to lie low in order to progress in the BJP and RSS' – this is a conventional wisdom about the party which Radhakrishnan knows well enough. A BJP veteran, CPR became an RSS member at the age of 16, has been Tamil Nadu BJP chief and a two-time Lok Sabha MP from Coimbatore – a region where the BJP has been strong since 1998, when an assassination attempt was made on LK Advani through serial blasts. In recent years, he was the Lt Governor of Puducherry and Governors of states like Jharkhand and currently, Maharashtra. In Mumbai Raj Bhavan, his predecessor B S Koshyari was known for making gaffes. However, CPR has steered clear of multiple political rows which have roiled Maharashtra over the last several months. Radhakrishnan's selection is also being seen in political circles as the BJP leadership's 'goodwill gesture' towards the RSS. It is hardly a secret that there have been some tensions in the relationship between the BJP and Sangh, the party's ideological mentor, which was cited as one of the reasons why the party's tally in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls slumped from 303 seats to 240. RSS cadre however worked proactively in the subsequent Assembly elections in Haryana, Maharashtra and Delhi, not wanting the Congress to get an upper hand. A series of meetings between the Sangh and the BJP leadership have been held at various levels over the last year to resolve differences. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat recently talked about the desirability of leaders making way for others after the age of 75. However, it is a given that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will turn 75 on September 16, would remain the BJP's face in the 2029 Lok Sabha polls too. PM Modi's praise for the RSS in his Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort also reflects that their ties are on an even keel now, which was echoed by CPR's selection for the V-P poll. Ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections slated for April 2026, CPR's nomination is a significant move. The BJP sees Tamil Nadu as its 'final frontier' where making inroads could lead to expansion of its footprint across the South. The PM invested a lot of time and effort in Tamil Nadu during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, but the BJP could not open its account there. The 2026 polls would thus be another opportunity for the party to make its mark in the state. It is however debatable whether a symbolic move like CPR's elevation would actually bolster the BJP's electoral prospects in Tamil Nadu. CPR belongs to the influential Gounder (OBC) community, but so does ex-state BJP chief K Annamalai as well as the party's ally Edappadi K Palaniswami or EPS, the AIADMK chief. Despite his understated approach, CPR is an old political hand with links to both the Dravidian parties. After Dhankhar's surprise exit, all eyes would be on CPR as to how he would handle the Rajya Sabha as its Chairman if he clinches the poll, as expected. The V-P is mandated to work in tandem with the government. He is also required to run the Upper House in a way that creates confidence among the Opposition benches about the Chair's impartiality and fairness. Amid the growing hostility between the government and the Opposition, CPR may thus face an uphill task despite his 'affable and non-abrasive' credentials. (Neerja Chowdhury, Contributing Editor, The Indian Express, has covered the last 11 Lok Sabha elections. She is the author of 'How Prime Ministers Decide')
Mint
6 minutes ago
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INDIA bloc's Vice-Presidential candidate B Sudershan Reddy files nomination
INDIA bloc's Vice-Presidential candidate former Supreme Court Judge B Sudershan Reddy filed his nomination for the VP elections on Thursday, August 21. He filed the nomination in the presence of Congress president and Rajya Sabha's Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi. NCP-SCP chief Sharad Pawar, SP MP Ram Gopal Yadav, DMK MP Tiruchi Siva, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut and several other leaders of the Opposition's INDIA bloc were also present at the nomination. B Sudershan Reddy will contest for the Vice President's post against the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) nominee CP Radhakrishnan. Justice (Retd.) B Sudershan Reddy had on Thursday expressed hope of receiving support across party lines, framing the election as a contest of ideology rather than numbers. "Numbers matter course, I am hopeful. Since I don't belong to any political party, I believe everyone would support me...I have made it very clear yesterday. It is the battle of ideology," said Reddy was quoted by news agency ANI as saying as he left for filing his nomination paper. "I will definitely speak with you after filing is simple, I am going to the Returning Officer to submit my nomination paper," he mentioned. The Election Commission had earlier announced that polling for the Vice Presidential election would take place on September 9, with counting of votes scheduled for the same day. The last date for filing nominations is August 21, while candidates can withdraw their nominations until August 25. The Vice Presidential post fell vacant after Jagdeep Dhankhar resigned on the first day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament on July 21, citing health reasons. The VP is elected by an electoral college, which consists of MPs from both houses of Parliament. The elections of the Vice President are governed by the provisions under Articles 64 and 68 of the Constitution. The Election Commission notifies the VP polls by the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act, 1952. As per Article 66(1) of the Constitution of India, the election of the Vice President shall be held by the system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote, and the voting at such election shall be by secret ballot.
Indian Express
an hour ago
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Day after Sena (UBT)-MNS setback in BEST credit society polls, Raj Thackeray meets CM Fadnavis
A day after the Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS panel was routed in the BEST Employees' Credit Society elections, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Thursday in Mumbai, setting off speculation about his next political move. The meeting, held at the CM's official residence Varsha, lasted for over half an hour. Contesting under the 'Utkarsh' panel, the alliance lost all 19 seats it fielded candidates on, while the BJP-Sena front swept the contest. The cooperative elections are being billed as a trial run ahead of the crucial Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls. MNS sources maintained that the Thursday meeting was unrelated to politics. 'The discussion pertained to several development and infrastructure-related projects and issues concerning Mumbai and Maharashtra. It has nothing to do with politics,' a senior MNS functionary said. Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders also sought to downplay the development. Party MP Sanjay Raut said, 'Let them meet, what's wrong with it? He may have gone to invite Fadnavis to his home during the Ganesh festival. There is no need to speculate. The exact reason will be revealed by them only.' Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Sushma Andhare echoed the view. 'This could be a courtesy meeting or related to development work. Politicians keep meeting the chief minister for such issues. There is no need to give political hype to it,' she said. The meeting, however, has raised eyebrows in political circles given its timing. Only last month, the Sena (UBT) and MNS had held a joint rally to slam the state government's now-withdrawn three-language formula, projecting themselves as defenders of Marathi pride. For Uddhav Thackeray, the defeat marked the end of his party's nine-year dominance over the credit society, while for Raj Thackeray, it once again highlighted the MNS's organisational weaknesses. The outcome was particularly disheartening as the voter base comprised largely Marathi-speaking employees, considered a core support bloc of the Thackerays. The poll loss and the closed-door engagement with Fadnavis have now left workers of both parties unsettled. The development has also fuelled speculation that Raj Thackeray, who had earlier been courted by the BJP-led Mahayuti, may be recalibrating his political position ahead of the BMC polls. Over the past two months, Uddhav Thackeray and his party had made repeated overtures for a broader 'Marathi manoos' unity, urging Raj to join hands for the larger cause of regional identity. While both sides insist the meeting between Raj Thackeray and Devendra Fadnavis was confined to civic and infrastructure matters, political observers note that its significance will become clearer in the weeks ahead, as alliances for the BMC elections begin to take shape.
