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Time of India
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Why DMK choose Madurai as venue for it's general council meeting
MADURAI: DMK's choice of Madurai for the general council meeting after 48 years, chief minister M K Stalin's colourful road show and his meeting with elder brother M K Alagiri all point to the party's renewed focus on south Tamil Nadu. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now There are reasons for DMK's south push. The AIADMK-BJP front looks stronger than before after Nainar Nagenthran, a native of Tirunelveli with local heft, became BJP state president. In addition, ousted AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam and AMMK founder TTV Dhinakaran too have considerable sway over voters, particularly thevars who form a sizeable votebank in the south. AMMK's inroads into the AIADMK vote share in 2021 assembly polls helped DMK win several seats. DMK is wary that this may not happen in 2026 as TTV would be part of the BJP- AIADMK front. "It has been a long time since we held the GC in Madurai. DMK's performance in the southern districts was satisfactory in the 2021 assembly elections. This time (2026 polls) we wish to further improve our performance in the southern districts," DMK organising secretary R S Bharathi told TOI. Speaking about the significance of choosing Madurai for conducting the general council meeting, CM Stalin, while addressing the functionaries during the meeting said, "This is the seventh time we are holding the general council meeting in Madurai, and it will serve as the stepping stone to our seventh victory in the state assembly elections." This was also the first to be conducted outside Chennai after Stalin became party president. The last time the GC was held outside Chennai was in Coimbatore in 2011. "Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election we organised a mega public meeting in Coimbatore since we wanted to win all the seats in western TN. Now we want to revitalise our rank and file in Madurai and down south. Hence, the temple city was chosen," said a party functionary. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now It was part of the southern push that dairy development minister T Mano Thangaraj who was sacked from the post last year was reinducted into cabinet a month ago, he said. Yet another objective is to iron out internal feuds. Stalin calling on Alagiri might have signalled the end of the once intense factional rivalry in DMK, but the party is grappling with factionalism at local level in southern districts. Tirunelveli DMK mayor P M Saravanan has a running feud with his own party councillors. In Madurai corporation too, the mayor's husband P Ponvasanth had to be suspended a few days back for anti party activities. Stalin hopes the synergy generated by the general council would repair the rifts. While there was speculation that Alagiri might return back to action after his meeting with Stalin, party insiders said the chances of remote. "Neither is Alagiri in a mood to carry out party work, nor is thalaivar inclined to give him party post," said a senior party functionary.
Time of India
18-05-2025
- Time of India
Flu deaths: Bondla zoo closure cages footfall, chokes revenue
Panaji: When a UK-based Goan, Rosalie Alagiri, arrived in the state for a summer vacation with her family, one of the top spots on her itinerary was Goa's only zoo at the . Their weekend plans were cut short when they discovered that the zoo is off limits. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The zoo has remained closed since April 1, following the death of five animals — three civet cats and two jungle cats — recorded between March 6 and 9. The jungle cats tested positive for the avian influenza virus strain H5N1. The closure has caused the zoo to bleed revenue and has bred disappointment in potential visitors. 'Our four-year-old child was excited at the chance to visit the zoo at Bondla. We were disappointed when we were told that the zoo is not open to the public these days,' Alagiri told TOI . The zoo charges an entry fee of Rs 100 per head. 'We have high footfall during the summer vacation and the zoo has already lost over Rs 1 lakh in April's revenue this year,' said a forest department official. 'If the zoo remains shut for the rest of May, we will have lost the total revenue during this peak holiday season.' The zoo typically experiences a surge in visitor footfall during the summer months. According to the data shared by the forest department, footfall spiked in May last year, with 28,449 visitors viewing the wonders of the zoo. A 15-day quarantine was imposed on the zoo following the avian flu deaths, which ended on April 15; however, the zoo is shut to date. The National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal is conducting the mandatory double-confirmation tests before public access is restored. However, officials clarified that the wildlife sanctuary is still accessible even as the zoo enclosures remain off limits. While forest department officials maintain that the closure is temporary, no official date for reopening has been announced. Meanwhile, for Goans and tourists, the zoo continues to be shut. 'We were told that the zoo here is beautiful and well-maintained. We will definitely visit on our next trip,' said Alagiri.
