Latest news with #Dravidian
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
This is Dravidian model, not Gujarat model: Stalin
Chennai: Refuting charges that the govt wanted to cover up a polluted canal with cloth to hide it from public sight during his Madurai visit, chief minister M K Stalin said on Monday that he had inspected the canal and issued instructions to clean it. "This is not a BJP model govt to cover up truth from world leaders using cloth. This is Dravidian model govt which uncovers cloaks, finds out what was being hidden and finds the solution for the problem," Stalin said in a letter to DMK cadres. Stalin was referring to criticism from opposition parties that cloth was draped to block the polluted Panthalkudi canal from public view during chief minister's road show in Madurai. "Following the reports in media as well as criticism on social media that a canal was covered with cloth, I issued directions to remove the cloth. During my visit to the canal in the evening along with ministers Palanivel Thiaga Rajan and P Moorthy and district officials, I inquired about the cleaning process undertaken in the canal and directed them to expedite the process," Stalin said. He said those who criticise the DMK govt would have realised that the govt was working to find solutions to problems faced by people. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like ¿Cómo obtener un segundo ingreso invirtiendo $100 con IA? [CFD] Digital Group Prueba ahora Undo However, AIADMK accused the govt of polluting water bodies in Madurai and trying to cover it up. Addressing reporters in Madurai, former minister Sellur Raju said the AIADMK govt had built a sewage treatment plant to prevent pollution of water in Panthalkudi canal and river Vaigai. "We built that plant to ensure that the Panthalkudi channel stayed clean. But now, in the name of development of Goripalayam flyover, they have scrapped it. This is not development—it's destruction," he said. The STP can treat two MLD a day and recently the Madurai corporation has allocated 1 crore to restore the facility after the flyover works are completed, he said.
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
DMK GC resolutions are to hide its failure: Murugan
Chennai: Union minister of state for parliamentary affairs L Murugan said the DMK had passed resolutions attacking the BJP during the party's general council meeting in Madurai in a bid to hide its failures. In a statement on Monday, Murugan said the Dravidian major was adopting diversionary tactics by condemning the BJP govt at the Centre. "CM M K Stalin seems to believe that if they pass resolutions condemning the BJP govt at the Centre, the public will forget about the corruption and failures of his own regime," Murugan said. During the general council meeting on Sunday, the DMK had passed multiple resolutions criticising the BJP from bringing the Waqf Act to withholding of funds and projects to TN. Murugan alleged there was widespread corruption in DMK govt which Stalin wants to hide. "The legacy of systematic corruption evolved under the DMK regime has evolved into brazen looting," he alleged adding the real aim of the general council meeting was to reaffirm that his son and deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin was the heir apparent and party cadres must blindly follow him. Meanwhile, BJP Coimbatore South MLA Vanathi Srinivasan criticised Stalin for his remarks that 'No matter which Shah visits Tamil Nadu, they cannot rule us,' made at the general council meeting. "If the DMK thinks TN is behind them, why is the CM always worrying about the AIADMK-BJP alliance," she asked.
The Print
15 hours ago
- Politics
- The Print
Interval or end credits? Why Kamal Haasan may have cast aside dream to become CM, at least for now
On 28 May, the ruling DMK, while announcing candidates for the 19 June Rajya Sabha polls, allotted one seat to MNM, setting the stage for Haasan to enter the Upper House. MNM's influence has since waned, signalling a near end to its role as a competitive political force at the state level. Although the party had not won any seats in Tamil Nadu, it held a minor vote share and carried some weight only because of Haasan's popularity. Chennai: As Makkal Neethi Maiam (MNM) leader Kamal Haasan prepares to enter the Rajya Sabha with the DMK's support, the veteran actor-politician appears to have quietly shelved his once-ambitious dream of becoming chief minister of Tamil Nadu, a vision he boldly championed when he launched his party in 2018. With Haasan now being at the centre, political analysts say while it may help the INDIA bloc overall, it would further diminish his own party's clout in Tamil Nadu politics. 'Even for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he helped a lot of DMK candidates secure a win through his campaign. Although it did not create a big wave, it did add value to the DMK-led alliance in raking up opposition against the BJP-led Union government and the opposition party,' political analyst Raveendran Duraisamy told ThePrint. On 30 May, Haasan met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin at Anna Arivalayam after the DMK allocated a Rajya Sabha seat to the MNM. Later, Haasan told reporters it was the need of the hour to raise the voice of Tamils at a national level. 'It is not that I have not been speaking for Tamils. My voice has always been for the Tamils and for the first time, it is going to be heard in Parliament.' Asked about his earlier stand against the ruling DMK, he said it was the need of the hour, adding, 'It is needed for the country, hence I have come here.' Haasan had launched the Makkal Needhi Maiam in Madurai district on 21 February, 2018. He decided to go for the torch as his party symbol. During his first speech, he emphasised anti-corruption, welfarism and ideologically neutral politics. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Haasan, without any alliance with any political party, fielded candidates in all 39 parliamentary constituencies in the state. He led the campaign but did not contest from any of the seats. MNM secured a vote share of 3.72 percent. In the run-up to 2021 assembly elections, Haasan declared he would not be joining hands with either of the two larger Dravidian parties. 'Both DMK and AIADMK are looters. By this, I am not saying I am against the Dravidian ideology,' he had said during a campaign in Dharmapuri in January that year. MNM instead joined hands with All India Samathuva Makkal Katchi led by actor-turned politician Sarath Kumar and Indhiya Jananayaka Katchi led by T.R. Pachamuthu alias Paarivendhar. Sarath Kumar later merged his party with the BJP. While MNM contested in 142 seats, its allies contested in 73 seats. This time, Haasan himself contested in Coimbatore South but lost to BJP's Vanathi Srinivasan by a margin of 1,728 votes. MNM secured a vote share of 2.62 percent, but did not win any seats. For the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Haasan joined the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance. Although it was initially discussed to allot a seat to MNM from the Congress party's share, sources in MNM said they were keen on contesting on their own symbol rather than contesting on the Congress's symbol. 'The Rajya Sabha seat given now was part of the agreement made between DMK and MNM during the 2024 Lok Sabha election,' an MNM functionary said. Also Read: How Kamal Haasan's Tamil-Kannada remark touched a nerve, reigniting identity war among southern states Why Haasan could not garner public support Cinestars taking the political plunge is not new to Tamil Nadu. Dravidian stalwart, DMK founder and former chief minister and his successor M. Karunanidhi were both script writers in the Tamil film industry. AIADMK founder fondly called MGR, and his successor J. Jayalalithaa too were from Kollywood. Annadurai founded DMK in 1949, while MGR founded AIADMK in 1972. Political analysts ThePrint spoke to said those in the Dravidian parties who came from the cine industry were not just actors or writers, but had been associated with political movements for a very long time, unlike Kamal Haasan. Political analyst Sunilkumar said actors who venture into politics are trying to replicate what MGR did in 1977, by becoming the chief minister of Tamil Nadu. 'What they don't remember is that, even MGR, before starting his own party in 1972, was part of the DMK and part of the Dravidian movement since his early cine days. All the Dravidian leaders have been part of politics much before they ventured into politics,' the assistant professor of political science department at Hindustan University said. Duraisamy pointed out that not contesting in all 234 assembly constituencies in 2021 was Haasan's first misstep. 'Even by contesting limited seats, he was able to garner between 2-3 percent of votes. Had he contested in all the constituencies, he might have had a better chance for a better negotiation during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.' Sunilkumar said Haasan failed to capitalise on his popularity. 'Kamal had a support base who were an urban educated crowd, lacking the understanding of the state's social structure. Kamal, as a leader of a political party, could not politicise them, which costs him now, losing his ambition of becoming chief minister.' (Edited by Tony Rai) Also Read: Kamal Haasan set to enter Rajya Sabha with DMK's backing, party also names its own 3 candidates
Time of India
16 hours ago
- Time of India
Tamil Nadu court sentences convict in Anna university case to life imprisonment
A Mahila Court in Chennai on Monday awarded life sentence for a minimum period of 30 years without remission to the accused Gnanasekaran, who has been convicted for sexually harassing a student on the Anna University campus in December last year. Mahila Court judge M Rajalakshmi, who convicted Gnanasekaran on May 28, awarded sentences in respect of each 11 charges proved by the prosecution against sentences run concurrently, the judge added. The sensational case had triggered a political row over Gnanasekaran's alleged connections with the ruling DMK in the state, although the party president and Chief Minister M K Stalin had in January said he was only a sympathiser and supporter, and not a member of the Dravidian party. Play Video Play Skip Backward Skip Forward Mute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions and subtitles off , selected Audio Track Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Good News If You Owe Banks Over R75,000 Consumersave Click Here Undo The case came to light after the victim lodged a complaint before the All Women Police Station in Kotturpuram here on December 23 last year. In her complaint, the victim alleged that Gnanasekaran threatened her when she was with a male friend and then sexually harassed her. Gnanasekaran was later arrested. Live Events The FIR of the case was downloaded from the CCTNS website of Tamil Nadu police and broadcast by certain sections of the media which created a furore. Later, the Madras High Court transferred the investigation of the case to a Special Investigation Team , which also probed the FIR leak. The SIT filed a charge sheet in February before a magistrate court. Thereafter, the case was transferred to the Mahila Court. The Mahila court framed charges against Gnanasekaran under sections various sections of the BNS, including sexual harassment , BNSS, IT Act and the Tamil Nadu Prevention of Women Harassment Act.
Mint
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Mint
Anna University sexual assault: Chennai court sentences convict A Gnanasekaran to 30 years in jail, fines him ₹90,000
The Chennai court sentenced A Gnanasekaran, the convict in the Anna University sexual assault case, to life imprisonment on Monday. Judge M Rajalakshmi said that the accused must remain in prison for at least 30 years without remission, news agency PTI reported. On 28 May, a Mahila Court in Chennai had pronounced Gnanasekaran guilty in the Anna University woman student sexual assault case, with the prosecution seeking 'maximum punishment' for him. The court awarded sentences in respect of each 11 charges proved by the prosecution against him. The sentences run concurrently, Mahila Court judge Rajalakshmi added, the report said. The judge, while convicting Gnanasekaran, said that he sought a lenient sentence claiming he was the sole bread-winner of the family and prosecution objected to it and sought maximum punishment. The Consultant counsel of Gnanasekaran, however, said that they will be appealing the court's sentence. According to a PTI report, BR Jayaprakash Narayanan said, '…We will be appealing this punishment of 30-year period. We will be going on appeal on the receipt of the judgment documents and valid papers." A second-year student of Anna University was sexually assaulted on the Anna University campus in December. After an investigation, the Chennai Police had arrested Gnanesekaran in connection with the case. The case came to light after the victim lodged a complaint before the All Women Police Station in Kotturpuram in Chennai on 23 December last year. The student alleged that an unidentified man had threatened and sexually assaulted her when she was talking to her friend on campus. The Mahila court framed charges against Gnanasekaran under various sections of the BNS, including sexual harassment, BNSS, IT Act and the Tamil Nadu Prevention of Women Harassment Act. Hailing the court's decision, Congress MP Jothimani told IANS, '…Today, the punishment has been announced – 30 years of imprisonment for the culprit. The way justice has been served gives satisfaction not only to me but to every woman in the country, especially because the case was fast-tracked.' The sensational case had triggered a political row over Gnanasekaran's alleged connections with the ruling DMK in the state, although the party president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, MK Stalin, had in January said he was only a sympathiser and supporter, and not a member of the Dravidian organisation. After Gnanasekaran was convicted on 28 May, in a post on X, CM Stalin had hailed the state police, investigating officers, and government lawyers for the expeditious verdict in the Anna University sexual assault case. He also slammed the opposition parties, which had made allegations against the ruling DMK over the incident, and said attempts were made to play 'cheap politics'.
