The Supreme Court on Thursday extended the bail of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in a disproportionate assets case by four months and asked the Chief Justice of Karnataka high court to constitute a special bench to decide her plea expeditiously within three months.
Jayalalithaa, recuperating at a corporate hospital in Chennai, said she could not attend the meeting as she was hospitalised.
A day after Election Commission announced bypoll for the RK Nagar assembly constituency from where chief minister and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam supremo Jayalalithaa is likely to contest, DMK chief Karunanidhi on Wednesday said his party has decided not to contest the by-election.
The BJP is now inventing new angles to keep its campaign relevant -- even if it's old wine in an old bottle, which is what the allegation on 'Katchatheevu' is, notes N Sathiya Moorthy.
A day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told her that the stir against the Koodankulam nuclear power project would hit the state's development, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Thursday said that her government would respect the sentiments of locals on the controversial project. "As for as the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project is concerned, the Tamil Nadu government will certainly act after respecting the local peoples' sentiments," she said.
In focus are the assembly polls in 2026. From a BJP perspective, their attack on the ruling DMK, using the 'Hindutva' card, and Annamalai's targeting of both Dravidian majors on corruption has not worked, points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
The BJP often forgets that in Dravidian Tamil Nadu, the voter does not mix religion, which is personal, and politics that is in the public sphere, points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader Jayalalithaa on Wednesday claimed that the Tamil Nadu government had refused to pay the daily allowance to security personnel on poll duty and alleged that the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam might create violence in the event of their absence.
Home Minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday dismissed Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's statement demanding his resignation on the ground he was elected in "fraudulent" manner in 2009 Lok Sabha polls calling it a "gross contempt of court".
The recent 'revelation' by TN fishers freed by Sri Lanka after they had paid up Lankan rupees 50,000 each in fines, that their hair was tonsured in prison and they were forced to remove their garments other than the underpants, and were also made to clean toilets, as if with vengeance, has touched a raw nerve this time, just as another issue or issues had done it ahead of the Jallikattu protests, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Price rise will benefit only a particular company, says Jayalalithaa.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, on Thursday, is expected to have a long day ahead at the special court in Bangalore. She may have to spend around seven hours at the Court on Thursday.
A special court posted to March 26, the recording of statements of the accused in the disproportionate asset case filed against former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. Recording of the statements to the questions framed by the court, however, would be subject to orders of the high court on the criminal petition filed by her seeking quashing of some orders of special court on the translation issue.
Set to form the next government in Tamil Nadu, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam supremo J Jayalalithaa on Friday said the top agenda for her government would be to restore "law and order" which had "totally deteriorated".
Dubbing as "unfortunate" the Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi's invite to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa for his May 26 swearing-in, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today said the "ill-advised" move could have been avoided as it amounted to "rubbing salt into the wounds of the already deeply injured Tamil psyche."
'If he has not achieved 'Congress mukt Bharat' even now, the question of his creating a 'DMK mukt Tamil Nadu' does not arise,' points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
Sounding confident of a change of regime at the Centre after next Lok Sabha polls, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa said there would be a "friendly government", taking an apparent dig at the UPA rule which she has been accusing of meting out step-motherly treatment to her state.
Observers say the one on one meeting between Jaya and Vaiko, lasting 15 minutes, is significant from the forecast of early Lok Sabha polls, as her party the All India Anna DMK is ready to offer two Lok Sabha seats to the MDMK
The leaders were understood to have discussed the possible formation of a non-Congress, non-BJP government at the Centre 'on a long-term basis'.
"We would have nothing to do with a political party that is being run by a foreign power. I consider those who support such a party as anti-nationals because we won our freedom from foreign rule only sixty years ago," she charged.
Where do Vijay and his TVK expect to get their votes from? Vijay has a huge fan following among women, but will they automatically become his voters like they had done for MGR's AIADMK, asks N Sathiya Moorthy.
National Commission for Women welcomed Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's views that laws dealing with crime against women should be amended, saying they would help contain such violations.
This is a case relating to non-filing of Income Tax returns during 1991-94.
Karthik Thondaiman defeated his nearest rival Jahir Hussain of the DMDK, ensuring yet another cakewalk for the Jayalalithaa-led party which had earlier won Tiruchirappalli (West) and Sankarankoil bypolls held in 2011 and early this year since coming to power over a year ago. Thondaiman romped home by a margin of 71,000 votes over Hussain, with the result increasing the AIADMK's tally in the 234-member assembly to 150
'The others have been looting the people all these years. If you don't do that, you can do a lot for the people,' says Tamil star politician Vijayakanth.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Thursday expressed her "vehement objection" to the National Commission for Human Resource for Health Bill, 2011, saying it "undermines" the powers of the state governments. The Bill, now referred to the Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare by the Rajya Sabha, effectively puts the leadership and decision making process with regard to medical, dental and paramedical education in the "hands of about 25 persons".
With the Cauvery water sharing row escalating, the Tamil Nadu government on Friday made it clear that it would not allow construction of a new dam by Karnataka at Mekedhatu across the river under "any circumstances."
In private, questions are being raised about the wisdom of a 'dual-SIM' leadership during the long run-up to the 2026 assembly polls where 'family rule' could become an election issue, reports N Sathiya Moorthy.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalitha has written to the prime minister asking for restoration of rice subsidies for Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in India.
The Supreme Court on Monday held that Tamil Nadu government has no right to appoint advocate Bhawani Singh as special public prosecutor to appear in Karnataka High Court for J Jayalalithaa's disproportionate assets case.
Decrying the hike in diesel prices as "unjustified" action, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Tuesday demanded its roll back and withdrawal of powers granted to oil companies to regulate fuel prices.
Expressing dismay over reports of Indian Coast Guard participating in naval exercises with Sri Lankan Navy, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Saturday asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to recall the two ships and Coast Guard personnel participating in the event in the island nation.
With one of the judges recusing, the Supreme Court on Thursday deferred till Friday, hearing on Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's plea challenging the Bangalore trial court's order to appear before it again on November 8 in the disproportionate assets case.
The streets of Chennai were gripped with tension and panic as news of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's conviction in the 18-year-old disproportionate assets case spread.
The presence of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa was not the only reason why Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa stayed away from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
The BJP's strategy seem to be to wean away allies from the Congress, in Dravidian Tamil Nadu, and maybe later in UP, Bihar and elsewhere, though in slow doses, but without wooing them into a new alliance. The idea seems to be only to weaken the INDIA bloc from within -- and leaving it at that, notes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Expelled AIADMK leader Sasikala has said that she is ready to face all enquiries against her over the death of former Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa.
Jayalalithaa was admitted to the Apollo hospital in Chennai due to fever.
DMK Working President MK Stalin is worried about divisions in the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam after the death of Jayalalithaa and keen that it should not affect the functioning of the administration.
