The stalemate in Parliament over coal block allocations entered its tenth day on Tuesday as the Bharatiya Janata Party persisted with its demand for the resignation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned till noon after the Opposition triggered ruckus on the issue.
With the assembly elections in fast approaching, the campaign juggernaut has started rolling through the streets of Tamil Nadu. While the 2G-scam hit Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam is doing everything it can to regain its popularity, Jayalalitha's whirlwind campaign is only gathering more steam. Rediff.com analyses the situation in poll-bound Tamil Nadu as election fever grips the state.
J K Ritheesh, a Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam member of Parliament and five others were arrested in connection with a clash between his partymen and Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam-All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam workers at Kalavankudi in the district, police said here on Tuesday.
Accusing Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam president M Karunanidhi of trying to create confusion in the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led front, actor-politician Vijaykant has said Jayalalithaa would be the chief minister of Tamil Nadu if the party-led combine was voted to power in the April 13 assembly elections."Karunanidhi is making such remarks to create confusion in the AIADMK-led alliance," he charged.
Polling for the first phase of the civic polls in Tamil Nadu started across the state on Monday morning on a peaceful note. No untoward incident was reported as polling began at 10 corporations including Chennai besides many other local bodies at 7 am.
The entire opposition evicted from Tamil Nadu Assembly following uproar on the issue of lawyers-police clash in Madras High Court.
With an eye on assembly elections scheduled in another four months in Tamil Nadu, archrivals M Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa on Thursday virtually turned their customary New Year greetings into poll messages. Karunanidhi said his government's initiatives like the new Assembly-Secretariat complex in Chennai, the five-day World Classical Tamil conference in Coimbatore, celebrations to mark the 1000th year existence of the temple at Thanjavur were the proud achievements.
Tearing into her arch-rival and Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's "convoluted defence" of his daughter Kanimozhi on the 2G scam issue, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam supremo Jayalalithaa on Saturday demanded that his entire family be chargesheeted "if the interest of justice is to be met".
The extensive floral arrangements on the floor of the Tamil Nadu Assembly said it all. The Jayalalithaa government in the state had turned one and it was time to celebrate.
The April 13 Assembly polls in the Union Territory of Puducherry is shaping up to be a face-off between two fronts -- the ruling Congress-DMK combine and the oppositon All India NR Congress- All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam alliance.
The Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Tamil Nadu unit of the Congress are gearing up for the assembly polls in the state, scheduled to be held next year. Unconfirmed reports indicate that the Congress' political emissaries from Delhi are in constant touch with both the DMK and the AIADMK.The first meeting to discuss pre-poll arrangements was held on Saturday, when Home Minister P Chidambaram met DMK chief Karunanidhi.
The ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has bagged a mayor's post and is leading in all 10 corporations including Chennai as counting of votes, polled during the two-phased Tamil Nadu civic polls on October 17 and 19, was taken up on Friday.
In a keenly watched outcome, counting of votes in the bye-elections to one constituency each in Tamil Nadu and Union Territory of Puducherry will be taken up on Thursday.
DMDK leader Vijaykant is observing a one-day token fast at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi to express solidarity with the minority Tamil population in Sri Lanka. Addressing his supporters in Tamil, the actor-turned-politician alleged that fishermen from Tamil Nadu were being kidnapped and killed, while they were out fishing on the high seas.Vijaykant, an actor-turned-legislator in the Tamil Nadu assembly, is known as the 'Black MGR' among his fans and followers.
Petitions challenging the election of Union Minister M K Azhagiri, leader of Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam Parliamentary party T R Baalu and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Member of Parliament P Kumar have been filed in the Madras High Court, seeking to declare the poll outcome as null and void.
Hitting back at Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Prakash Karat for allegedly calling Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam a 'family controlled party', Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Thursday sought to turn the tables on the communist leader, reminding him that his wife is working with him in their party.
Deadlock over the government's decision to allow FDI in retail paralysed Parliament for the fourth day on Wednesday, with a united opposition joined by United Progressive Alliance partners Trinamool Congress and Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam disrupting proceedings, demanding a rollback of the controversial decision. With formal and back-channel talks between government leaders and their opposition counterparts failing to make any breakthrough, both Houses were adjourned.
Standing firmly behind Public Accounts Committee Chairperson Murli Manohar Joshi against the onslaught by Congress and Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam members, the Bharatiyas Janata Party on Thursday alleged that these were "calculated, deliberate and sponsored" attacks by the ruling coalition to stall the investigation into 2G scam.
Law Minister Salman Khurshid on Friday rejected a demand for initiating a probe against a Union minister, belonging to Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam, reportedly involved in a company which has been allocated a coal block. "Somebody must come with an allegation that requires investigation, somebody must say that this is what has caused undue influence," he told reporters outside Parliament.
Vigilance officials on Friday premises of three security officers of Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam president M Karunanidhi here over allegations that they had caused "losses" to the Tamil Nadu Housing Board in land allotment under the discretionary quota method.
AG's view in the long-pending case related to the Aircel-Maxis deal has come in less than two months of the Narendra Modi government taking charge at the Centre.
Continuing the suspense over its stand on an Opposition-sponsored resolution in Parliament against Foreign Direct Investment in retail, United Progressive Alliance ally Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam on Wednesday said its decision would be taken keeping in mind the interest of small and medium traders.
The Union Cabinet is likely to be reshuffled on Sunday. Speculation has been rife about a possible reshuffle in the wake of the exit of Trinamool Congress ministers and Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam representatives A Raja and Dayanidhi Maran in the last two years.
Cautioning the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government against making any 'hasty' announcements in the name of reforms, key ally Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam on Friday said decisions should be based on "consultations". "My opinion is that hasty decisions and announcements in the name of economic reforms should be avoided. They should be taken after deep consultations and keeping in mind the future prospects of the country," DMK president M Karunanidhi said.
Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam, a key ally of the ruling United Progressive Alliance, on Tuesday announced its participation in the nation-wide bandh on September 20 called by several non-UPA parties to protest the Centre's decision to hike diesel price, allow FDI in multi-brand retail and limit subsidised cooking gas.
A host of political leaders and the cream of Tamil film world were among those who turned up for the wedding reception of Union Minister M K Alagiri's son Durai Dayanidhi on Wednesday at the sprawling Tamukkam grounds in Madurai, which was converted into an excellently decorated wedding hall.
The United Progressive Alliance on Monday announced the constitution of a coordination committee under the chairpersonship of Sonia Gandhi to ensure cohesive functioning of the alliance, a demand that was placed by ally NCP during its recent stand-off with Congress.
Continuing the war of words over the Lankan Tamils issue, Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam chief M Karunanidhi on Friday slammed his arch rival and Chief Minister Jayalalithaa for initially criticising the prime minister for his statement in Parliament on a United States-sponsored resolution against Sri Lanka and later welcoming India's stand while claiming credit for herself.
With India under pressure from Dravidian parties in Tamil Nadu to support a United States-sponsored resolution in the United Nations Human Rights Commission against Sri Lanka for alleged war crimes, United Progressive Alliance's key constituent Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam on Saturday announced the convening of its high-level committee on March 20 to discuss the issue. Party chief M Karunanidhi will chair the meeting on Tuesday morning at its headquarters in Chennai.
Vigilance officials on Friday conducted raids at premises belonging to former Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam minister K R Periyakaruppan across Tamil Nadu in connection with a disproportionate assets case. The raids by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption are going in Chennai and Sivaganga districts, DVAC sources said. Periyakaruppan is a former Hindu religious and charitable endowments minister.
The deadlock in Parliament over Foreign Direct Investment in retail and several other issues continued for the ninth day on Friday with the opposition and some members of United Progressive Alliance partner Trinamool Congress creating uproar in both Houses to press for their demands. Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned minutes after they met for the day.
The special court hearing the 2G case on Monday reserved the bail order for the 17 accused in the case, including Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam Member of Parliament Kanimozhi, till November 3.
With the opposition gunning for Home Minister P Chidambaram in connection with the controversial finance ministry note on 2G spectrum allocation, Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam president M Karunanidhi on Monday said there should be no political interference in the case.
Hours after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced the second Cabinet reshuffle of the present United Progressive Alliance government, Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam chief M. Karunanidhi on Tuesday said the reshuffle is not complete yet. "The reshuffle is not complete yet. I will comment on it after a formal announcement," he told mediapersons in Chennai.
Reversing the DMK regime's pet projects, the Jayalalithaa government in Tamil Nadu on Friday scrapped housing and insurance schemes named after M Karunanidhi and announced a probe into alleged irregularities in the construction of new assembly-cum-secretariat complex. Apparently targeting the Maran brothers, who own a media empire, the government also said it would nationalise the multi-crore cable TV business, over which they have near monopoly.
A PIL petition was filed on Tuesday in the Madras high court seeking to forbid the Tamil Nadu government from shifting the state secretariat and assembly from the complex built by the previous Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam government to Fort St George. The petition also sought an interim injunction restraining the authorities from shifting the state secretariat and the legislative assembly from the present location.
A day after the Congress in Tamil Nadu was decimated in the assembly polls, TN Congress Committee President K V Thangkabalu announced his resignation from the post, accepting moral responsibility for the defeat.
A special Central Bureau of Investigation court trying the2G spectrum case on Wednesday allowed Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam member of Parliament Kanimozhi to skip the proceedings for two hours to approach the Enforcement Directorate for postponement of appearance before it in relation to its probe into money laundering aspects of the scam.
Eleven members of Parliament, including one each from Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party, on Thursday demanded rejection of the draft Public Accounts Committee report on the 2G scam, which has indicted former Telecom minister A Raja and made critical observations about Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance minister P Chidambaram.
Charging Public Accounts Committee chairman Murli Manohar Joshi of having ''malafide intention'' of destabilising the government, the Congress and Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam leaders of the panel on Wednesday demanded his resignation over the draft report on the 2G spectrum scam.
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