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EPS rules out coalition government with BJP; says ‘Ungaludan Stalin' is a political gimmick
EPS rules out coalition government with BJP; says ‘Ungaludan Stalin' is a political gimmick

Time of India

time37 minutes ago

  • Politics
  • Time of India

EPS rules out coalition government with BJP; says ‘Ungaludan Stalin' is a political gimmick

EPS with Amit Shah AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Monday reiterated that AIADMK would form the government on its own after winning the 2026 assembly election. The opposition leader has ruled out a coalition government in Tamil Nadu yet again, two days after Union minister Amit Shah said in a media interview that BJP would be part of the govt in the state after 2026. 'Our alliance would achieve a grand success in 2026. AIADMK will be victorious and will form a govt on its own,' said EPS. Speaking to reporters in Salem, EPS, however, said the AIADMK alliance was intact and strong, and that it is the DMK alliance which has multiple issues and rifts between the allies. 'Instead of forecasting the future of our alliance, Udhayanidhi should be focussing on safeguarding DMK alliance from a split,' EPS said. He was responding to remarks by deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin. With eight months remaining until election, EPS said more parties will join the AIADMK alliance. He then hit out chief minister M K Stalin for deputing senior IAS officers for 'Ungaludan Stalin' programme. EPS alleged that the government was using the program as a ploy to gather the phone numbers of public which will be used by DMK during the election to reach out to voters. He said govt officials have been told to collect phone numbers of the public. 'Afterward, they will use it to reach out to voters through the DMK IT wing and recruit them as party members,' he charged. He also alleged that Ungaludan Stalin program was a political gimmick. 'If the program was for the benefit of people, what was the govt doing for the past four and half years? Does it mean they did not work for the benefit of people,' he asked. He then alleged that Yadavamoorthy, the opposition leader of Salem Municipal Corporation, was roughed up by DMK councillors for exposing deficiencies in the civic body. Instead of taking action against the attackers, the victim has been booked by the police, EPS alleged. 'This is Stalin's model of govt,' he said.

Kamal Haasan Meets Rajinikanth Ahead Of Becoming A Rajya Sabha Member: "I Shared This New Journey With My Friend"
Kamal Haasan Meets Rajinikanth Ahead Of Becoming A Rajya Sabha Member: "I Shared This New Journey With My Friend"

NDTV

timean hour ago

  • Entertainment
  • NDTV

Kamal Haasan Meets Rajinikanth Ahead Of Becoming A Rajya Sabha Member: "I Shared This New Journey With My Friend"

Mumbai: Kamal Haasan paid a visit to superstar Rajinikanth ahead of his oath-taking ceremony as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha. Haasan took to his official X handle and dropped a string of photos from the meeting. The pictures feature the 'Indian' actor presenting his official Rajya Sabha order to Rajinikanth. Kamal Haasan also presented Rajinikanth with a bouquet as the two Southern stalwarts met. In another image, Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth also shared a warm embrace. Kamal Haasan wrote, 'I shared the beginning of this new journey with my friend @rajinikanth. I feel elated.' புதிய பயணத்தை நண்பர் @rajinikanth உடன் பகிர்ந்தேன். மகிழ்ந்தேன். — Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) July 16, 2025 Rajinikanth also treated the Internet with a glimpse of the meet and greet, and congratulated Kamal Haasan on his latest achievement. "My dear friend @ikamalhaasan who will be taking office as a member of the Rajya Sabha, heartfelt congratulations to him," he wrote. மாநிலங்களவை உறுப்பினராகப் பதவியேற்கவிருக்கும் என்னுடைய அருமை நண்பர் @ikamalhaasan அவர்களுக்கு மனமார்ந்த வாழ்த்துகள். — Rajinikanth (@rajinikanth) July 16, 2025 These captures of the two icons have gone viral on social media. Kamal Haasan is the founder of the political party, Makkal Needhi Maiyam. He was among the six candidates from Tamil Nadu who were elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha. The DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) had named three candidates, allocating a seat to Haasan, in accordance with a prior agreement between the two parties. Kamal Haasan will be taking oath as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha on July 25, 2025. Talking about their professional commitments, Kamal Haasan last graced the screen with Mani Ratnam's Thug Life. The gangster drama reached the cinema halls on June 5, 2025. Up next, he will be a part of S Shankar's Indian 3. His lineup also includes a film with action choreographers Anbariv. On the other hand, Rajinikanth will next be seen leading Lokesh Kanagaraj's Coolie, slated to get a theatrical release on August 14, 2025. Moreover, it is also being speculated that Rajinikanth will be joining forces with Maharaja maker Nithilan Swaminathan for his next.

"Our Alliance Will Win But...": AIADMK Warns BJP Before Tamil Nadu Election
"Our Alliance Will Win But...": AIADMK Warns BJP Before Tamil Nadu Election

NDTV

time2 hours ago

  • Politics
  • NDTV

"Our Alliance Will Win But...": AIADMK Warns BJP Before Tamil Nadu Election

Chennai: AIADMK leader Edappadi K Palaniswami declared Tuesday that Tamil Nadu will have a single-party government - formed by his party - should it win next year's Assembly election. The statement comes amid speculaton that power-sharing talks between his All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Bharatiya Janata Party, his on-again, off-again ally, are ongoing, in the event they defeat the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-Congress pair. But the ex-Chief Minister's statements seem to put an end to any talk of a coalition government in the southern state, one in which the BJP has historically struggled for traction and relevance. "Our alliance will win... but the AIADMK will form the government on its own," Mr Palaniswami, or EPS, as he is popularly known, said Wednesday. "It is the AIADMK that leads this alliance (and) it is my decision. I will be Chief Minister... BJP has clarified. What more do you need?" EPS also rubbished rumours of tension with the BJP, with whom he was allied for the 2019 federal and 2021 state polls. "The media needs a sensational story... but there are no cracks in our alliance. The AIADMK will win a majority and form the government independently," he said. The ex-Chief Minister last week began his 2026 election campaign by calling the alliance with the BJP a "natural alliance" that will "do good for the people of the state". READ | BJP By His Side, EPS Begins Campaign, Vows to End DMK Rule The remarks this week echo those from April - days after - the two parties announced their re-alliance. Then EPS had suggested that Tamil voters would not accept the BJP even if in a coalition. Any deal with the BJP, he suggested then, was "only for the election". The BJP then played down the statement. The party said it was more focused on winning the 2026 election and removing the DMK-led coalition from power. The AIADMK-BJP alliance broke in 2023, after strained ties as a result of snide attacks on the former's political icons by K Annamlai, who was then the state unit boss. READ | "No Conditions": Amit Shah As AIADMK Back In BJP-Led Alliance But in April 2025 they re-reformed that alliance, this time with Amit Shah insisting no conditions and demands had been placed on the national party. Mr Shah, however, more recently spoke about a coalition government in Tamil Nadu, something that has clearly upset the BJP's ally. Meanwhile, Tamil actor-politician Vijay is the dark horse in this election. Vijay's Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam has provided a parallel narrative so far; it has refused to ally with the DMK or AIADMK, Tamil Nadu's political giants. Vijay said he would never join ally with the BJP, which he called "our policy enemies and divisive forces", or Chief Minister MK Stalin's DMK, which he accused of being 'owned" by the former. Instead, the actor is set to contest solo and is his party's chief ministerial candidate.

Kamal Haasan meets Rajinikanth ahead of Rajya Sabha oath-taking ceremony; pictures go viral
Kamal Haasan meets Rajinikanth ahead of Rajya Sabha oath-taking ceremony; pictures go viral

The Hindu

time6 hours ago

  • Entertainment
  • The Hindu

Kamal Haasan meets Rajinikanth ahead of Rajya Sabha oath-taking ceremony; pictures go viral

Veteran actor-politician Kamal Haasan on Wednesday (July 16) met his longtime friend, superstar Rajinikanth, to share the news of being appointed as a Member of the Parliament. This comes just days before Kamal will take oath as a Rajya Sabha MP. Kamal posted pictures from the meeting on his X handle, writing, 'I shared the beginning of this new journey with my friend @rajinikanth. I feel elated.' The pictures of the two stalwarts of Tamil cinema have gone viral on social media. Kamal Haasan, who is the founder of Makkal Needhi Maiyam, was among the six candidates from Tamil Nadu who were elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha. The DMK had named three candidates and allocated one seat to the MNM chief, as per a prior agreement. Kamal will take oath as a Rajya Sabha MP and assume responsibilities of the role on July 25. Meanwhile, on the film front, Kamal was last seen in Mani Ratnam's Thug Life, a gangster drama that was widely panned by critics and audiences. He has Shankar's Indian 3 and a film with action choreographers Anbariv among other projects in the line-up. Rajinikanth, on the other hand, will be seen soon in Lokesh Kanagaraj's Coolie, set to release on August 14. Of late, social media has been buzzing with speculations that the superstar is set to team up with Maharaja-director Nithilan Swaminathan for his next.

CM Stalin, VCK leader Thirumavalavan reaffirm unity at event in TN's Chidambaram
CM Stalin, VCK leader Thirumavalavan reaffirm unity at event in TN's Chidambaram

New Indian Express

time13 hours ago

  • Politics
  • New Indian Express

CM Stalin, VCK leader Thirumavalavan reaffirm unity at event in TN's Chidambaram

CHIDAMBARAM: Amid persistent speculations around VCK's continuance in the DMK-led alliance in Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister M K Stalin and VCK president and Chidambaram MP Thol Thirumavalavan reaffirmed their unity at the inauguration of the centenary hall of late Congress leader L Elayaperumal in Lalpuram here by the CM on Tuesday. The DMK president, who addressed the gathering after Thirumavalavan, referred the VCK leader as his dearest brother and a reformist. He also recalled Thirumavalavan's remark that 'the leaders of Dravidian movement, who follow in the footsteps of 'Periyar' EV Ramasamy, Ambedkarites, Marxists, and the Congress functionaries who follow Gandhian principles, are all gathered on the stage.' Thirumavalavan was referring to leaders of various parties in the DMK-led alliance. 'I second the remarks he made with pride. When Tamil Nadu is in one formation, the 'saffron' schemes from Delhi will work here,' Stalin said, in a reference to the BJP and its ally, the AIADMK. Thirumavalavan, during his speech, called on all Tamils to unite to bring back the DMK-led 'Dravidian Model' government back to power in 2026. He said his party supportes Stalin because the latter is leading a people-centric government that is introducing new schemes for upliftment of marginalised people as the political heir of late CM M Karunanidhi. 'Our ideological opponents have said that Stalin is stronger than Kalaignar. This shows the strength of his leadership,' he said. Giving credit to Stalin for uniting like-minded parties effectively, he said VCK will fully support the alliance across the state with effective transfer of its votes to all its allies. Stalin said that the recommendations of the Committee on Untouchability, Economic and Educational Development of the Scheduled Castes headed by Elayaperumal had played a crucial role in safeguarding the legislation enacted by the state in 1971 to enable persons of all castes to become priests in temples.

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