Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder Dr S Ramadoss has announced taking up the complete reins of the party, relegating his president son Anbumani to the role of working president. The move, announced ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to Chennai, comes in anticipation of the 2026 Assembly election.
The Tamil Nadu Assembly passed a resolution on Thursday condemning the Centre's proposed Waqf Amendment Bill 2024, calling for its recall. Chief Minister M K Stalin argued that the amendment interferes with religious affairs and would negatively impact the Muslim minority. The resolution was unanimously passed by the Assembly, with support from all parties, including the opposition AIADMK and PMK. The BJP, however, walked out in protest, accusing the ruling DMK of engaging in divisive politics. The bill aims to streamline the Waqf Board's work and ensure efficient management of Waqf properties but has been criticized for potentially encroaching on religious freedom and autonomy. The Tamil Nadu government claims that the amendment would lead to government control over the Waqf Board and its properties, impacting its autonomy and potentially allowing for government acquisition of Muslim-owned lands.
The Tamil Nadu Prohibition (Amendment) Act, 2024, which shall come into force on such date as notified by the government, aims to completely eradicate the menace of illicit liquor from the state.
Pattali Makkal Katchi president G K Mani on Tuesday conducted an advisory meeting with several political parties, traders associations and trade unions at Dharmapuri in Tamil Nadu, for extending their support to the state-wide general strike call given by the Sri Lankan Tamils Protection Movement on February 4. He claimed that traders associations, political parties and trade unions supported the strike call, demanding a ceasefire in Sri Lanka.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Tuesday dismissed a media report about the state police tapping telephones of political leaders, journalists and others, terming it as baseless and speculative. The daily had reported that the telephones of leaders of political parties, academicians, businessmen, lawyers, journalists and police officers were being tapped "in the guise of monitoring militant and anti-national activities."
The CM said, "He (Vivek) has done little but derived a lot of publicity. He has just done 10 percent of the relief work while the government did the rest."
The Madras high court on Tuesday issued notice to All India Anna Dravida Munetra Kazhagam supremo Jayalalithaa and government officials, on a petition by the Pattali Makkal Katchi accusing her of actuating the police to book its leaders and workers with a view to crush the party and sought a Special Investigation Team to look into all such cases.
At 70, going by hospital records made public, most age and health-related arguments put out against super-star Rajinikanth's entry into politics, before he withdrew citing a 2016 kidney-transplant, hold good for Sasikala, too, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
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