'He has to listen to his body and his mind and he decided to leave politics.'
The Central Bureau of Investigation has questioned Pattali Makkal Katchi founder S Ramadoss and his son, former Union Minister Anbumani Ramadoss, in connection with the murder of a relative of Tamil Nadu minister for Commercial taxes C Ve Shanmugam, sources said.
Pattali Makkal Katchi founder Dr S Ramadoss attributed the failure of the party in the April 13 Tamil Nadu assembly elections to the 'arrogance and lethargy' of the party workers.
The Pattali Makkal Katchi on Tuesday asked the United Nations and the international community, including India, to initiate steps for the formation of a separate Tamil nation within Sri Lanka for a lasting solution to ethnic strife as the island nation's measures for welfare of minority Tamils are not credible.'
While Jayalalithaa issued an open letter to Vaiko, the Communist Party of India-Marxist, Communist Party of India and the Manithaneya Makkal Katchi appealed Vaiko to rejoin the alliance.
The Pattali Makkal Katchi, which clinched a poll pact with the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam recently, on Monday said it would extend "unconditional support" to the party to form a government if the combine won the Assembly polls due in May but will continue to raise "issues" being an alliance partner.
The DMK and PMK on Friday clinched an alliance for the coming Tamil Nadu assembly polls, under which the ruling party's junior partner has been allotted 31 assembly seats. The deal was finalised at a meeting between Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi and PMK founder Dr S Ramadoss in Chennai. Karunanidhi, announcing the accord at the end of the nearly 90-minute meeting with his former ally, said the two parties had decided to fight the elections jointly.
Ending days of suspense, Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam president M Karunanidhi on Sunday announced that the Paatali Makkal Katchi will be part of the party-led alliance for the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu in May.Arriving in New Delhi on a three-day visit, Karunanidhi said he will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday to discuss the seat-sharing arrangement between the two parties.
In the clearest-ever hint, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam President M Karunanidhi on Thursday indicated that his younger son and treasurer M K Stalin would be successor in the party after him.
The party, which is facing the elections with allies, actor R Sarath Kumar-headed All India Samathuva Makkal Katchi and India Jananayaka Katchi of Lok Sabha MP Paarivendhar, has announced it will test its fortunes from 154 of the 234 seats, leaving the rest to its two partners.
If the DMK is able to sustain the momentum until the assembly polls, the AIADMK especially and the PMK and possibly the infant TVK too would find it hard to sign up with the BJP, explains N Sathiya Moorthy.
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.
He claimed that a couple of days ago Karunanidhi had reportedly said in Thanjavur that the award was more advantageous to Tamil Nadu than to Karnataka.
As the posters suddenly sprang up in Kumbakonam, the VCK members staged an agitation demanding stringent action on the Indu Makkal Katchi for their affront on Ambedkar.
Buoyed by the Centre's nod for the creation of Telangana, Pattali Makkal Katchi founder S Ramadoss on Saturday made a fresh demand for bifurcation of Tamil Nadu, saying it would be good on administrative grounds.
Pattali Makkal Katchi founder-leader Dr S Ramadoss on Monday said that his party has not taken a final decision about joining the Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam-Congress combine to fight the Tamil Nadu assembly poll. On Sunday, DMK chief and TN Chief Minister M Karunanidhi had told the media in Delhi that the PMK will fight the state polls with the DMK-Congress alliance. Many other political parties had also approached the PMK to forge a coalition.
A section of the party, including some OBC leaders, feel that the Congress should give up this dilemma for its own good\nas it would not be politically wise to allow parties like DMK, PMK and RJD to run away with the credit.
They have been itching for revenge ever since PMK supporters reportedly ransacked some theatres in where Rajnikanth's film Baba was being screened.
Talking to media persons in Chennai after chairing the party's emergent administrative committee meeting, which was attended by six parliamentarians and 18 legislators, PMK founder-leader Dr S Ramadoss said though different views were expressed in the meeting, the party had decided to renew talks with the DMK to sort the issue.
In a police complaint, the Hindu Makkal Katchi (HMK) alleged that Shriya's outfit had 'offended Hindu culture.'
Claiming that the All India Anna Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam, headed by Jayalalithaa, would be isolated in the electoral arena, he said her hopes of weaning away the PMK to its fold would not succeed.
The jeep, which blew up, killing 16 people, carried 200 kg of 'slurry explosives,' 150 electric detonators and 375 metres of safety fuse, Karunanidhi said.
The massive 10 per cent swing reflected the public fury against the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam regime, hit by the 2G spectrum scam, power cut, skyrocketing prices and deteriorating law and order.
Ninth Schedule: Readers' view on SC ruling
While the ruling Congress and opposition BJP have welcomed it, other parties have expressed concern.
In the AIADMK-led front, the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam was forging ahead in 23, the Communist Party of India-Marxist in 10 and the CPI in five constituencies. All top leaders of the AIADMK including Jayalalithaa, O Panneerselvam and K A Sengotaiyan, DMDK founder Vijaykanth, DMK patriarch and Chief Minister M Karunanidhi and his son M K Stalin were leading over their nearest rivals
Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam, which had snapped ties with Pattali Makkal Katchi two months ago, on Sunday invited the S Ramadoss-led party back in the alliance, a move supported by senior Congress leader P Chidambaram.Karunanidhi, in an interview, said the Democratic Progressive Alliance in the state would have been stronger if the PMK continued in the alliance but stressed that the alliance had not been weakened due to its ouster.
"If the coalition partners had to support all the decisions of the ruling party, why should they have separate parties? They could as well dissolve their parties and merge with the DMK and sing peans in its favour. This is what the DMK is expecting from its allies."
The strained relationship between the ruling Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam and its key ally Pattali Makkal Katchi on Friday reached a flashpoint with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi asserting that his party would take a decision whether to continue the relationship 'in five or six days'.Karunanidhi said that PMK leader and president of Vanniyar Sangam G Guru had spoken at a public meeting recently, threatening Union Minister A Raja and DMK MLA S Sivasankar.
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 Tamil actress tendered an apology after courting controversy for donning 'indecent' attire.
Veerasamy's angry outbursts was in connection with his charge that the PMK leader had built a college in farm lands in Villupuram district and Dr Ramadoss launching a mud slinging campaign against him, while stoutly denying the allegations against him.
They enrolled themselves as members of the AIADMK.
Two cases would come up for hearing on November 30 while another at a later date.
In democracy, peaceful agitations and expressing opposition in a peaceful way were basic rights and in such circumstances, there should be a consensus on banning bandhs and general strikes in the country after a public debate, he said.
Nedumaran called off his indefinite fast following an assurance from Chief Minister M Karunanidhi that he will take steps for the dispatch of relief materials to the suffering Eelam Tamils in Sri Lanka.
Pattali Makkal Katchi founder Dr S Ramadoss on Tuesday met Congress president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi and expressed concern over the killing of innocent Tamils in Sri Lanka. The Centre should not be a silent spectator to the suffering of Tamils in Sri Lanka, Ramadoss told Gandhi.The Sri Lankan Tamil issue has come to the forefront of national politics after Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani participated in a rally organised by Vaiko in New Delhi last week.