It looked as if the BJP was hoping to use Rajinikanth to press their seat-bargain with the AIADMK. Now with the Rajini bait gone, the question now is not how much the BJP would settle for, but how much the AIADMK would be ready to offer, notes N Sathiya Moorthy.
An Iran Air flight carrying Indian pilgrims stranded in coronavirus-hit Iran landed at the airport in Mumbai on Friday afternoon, an official said.
Microsat-R, an imaging satellite, is meant for military purposes, but the ISRO did not give any details about it.
A day after their party supremo and Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa was convicted and sentenced in the Rs 66.65 crore illegal asset case, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MLAs are likely to meet here on Sunday to propose a candidate for the chief minister's post.
A National Disaster Relief Force team was also camping in the district. Relief camps have been set up at 83 places to accommodate flood victims, officials said.
President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended Holi greetings to the people, saying the festival symbolises the spirit of harmony and prosperity.
The government brought back former Chennai Police Commissioner T K Rajendran, DGP and Inspector Genral prisons, as Chennai Police Commissioner replacing Ashutosh Shukla.
The Supreme Court on Friday refused to give an urgent hearing on a PIL seeking to restrain AIADMK leader V K Sasikala from being sworn in as Tamil Nadu chief minister till it decides the disproportionate assets case against her.
'Right now, politics is operating in a state of suspended animation. That works to Modi's advantage.'
While the number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 7,409, as many as 764 people have been cured and discharged, and one had migrated, it said. Of the total 273 deaths, Maharashtra tops the tally with 127 fatalities, followed by Madhya Pradesh at 36, Gujarat at 22 and Delhi at 19.
Why did ISRO's workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle rocket fail during its 41st flight?
Second-line AIADMK leaders and cadres alike say that by starting the talks first with the BJP and committing the party to an alliance without discussing seat-sharing, the leadership might have commenced the coalition discourse at the wrong end. According to them, even 20 seats for the BJP may be too many, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
According to aviation industry sources, around 630 domestic flights of Monday were cancelled due to the Centre's Sunday night announcement that there would be no flights in West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh, and limited operations at major airports such as Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad.
By aligning with the BJP, even if they were arm-twisted into doing so, the AIADMK leadership has yielded their political space in the state to the aunt-nephew duo of Sasikala-Dinakaran, and the parliamentary election to the DMK-Congress combine, says A Ganesh Nadar.
One incident of protesters burning yellow jerseys, the attire of Chennai Super Kings players, was witnessed.
Schools and colleges, closed since October 31, were shut on Saturday as well, while several universities postponed their exams.
Official celebrations in most states were restricted to unfurling of the national flag and chief ministers and governors addressing the people, with fewer guests in attendance.
An engraved 'Bhagavad Gita' near the statue of late president A P J Abdul Kalam kicked up a controversy, with his family seeking to end the row by placing a copy of the Quran and Bible near it.
The prime minister thanked the people but said it was the start of a long battle, as he urged them to follow social distancing to stop the chain of transmission of Coronavirus which has infected 360 people and claimed seven lives in India.
"Efforts are underway to establish the link with the satellite," it added.
Complaints were received by the Commission on possibilities of inducement of electors by distributing cash and gifts in innovative forms like tokens, prepaid phone recharge coupons, newspaper subscription, milk tokens.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday
The growing interest in alternative sports is encouraging Ronnie Screwvala to extend the U Mumba brand from kabaddi to football and volleyball.
Led by their marquee player Michel Salgado, Kochi 5s thrashed Mumbai 5s 4-1 in their Premier Futsal match in Chennai on Saturday.
She visited her husband M Natarajan, who underwent liver and kidney transplantation at a hospital in Chennai, on all five days of her parole period.
The AIADMK leader's car briefly halted in front of a Ganesha temple in Kotturpuram and she prayed from inside the vehicle as used to be done by Jaya.
It claimed the officials were involved in 'espionage, subversion and supporting terrorist activities in Balochistan and Sindh'.
Most industry players in Tirupur feel that though the idea of GST is good, the problems are largely due to its poor implementation. Refund delays, withdrawal of incentive schemes make Made-in-Tirupur products costlier by 10-15 per cent, say entrepreneurs.
The Ice House police station, near Marina beach, is up in flames. The protestors I met the other day would certainly not have done any such thing. Hoodlums and thugs appear to have infiltrated their ranks, determined to provoke trouble.
Panneerselvam's remark came a day after the two factions were squabbling and blaming each other for the delay in the talks getting off the ground.
The fracas between Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam on Monday over who will be projected as the CM candidate in next year's assembly polls not only points to a possibility of another vertical split in Tamil Nadu's ruling party but will also come as sweet music for the opposition DMK which in the past stood to gain from the AIADMK's squabbles, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
Long queues outside grocery stores, inflated prices, difficulty in getting important items -- these were some of the problems encountered by people in the National Capital Region (NCR).
Rajinikanth will win the elections whenever they are held, predicts A Ganesh Nadar.
A recap of events that occurred in India in the past 24 hours.
'When you win a series like this, you are high on confidence and it is all about taking that confidence there. We have to keep repeating the performances. It is a never-ending story'
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's short yet stirring speech had a simple message for his teammates ahead of a busy season beginning with the West Indies tour: "It is important to have fun while you playing and if you back each other, success will follow you eventually". Dhoni's pep talk came after the Indian cricketers enjoyed a 45-minute 'drum bonding' session alongside a bunch of musicians in Bengaluru on Sunday. India's limited overs captain will not be part of the 17 Tests, including 13 at home, this season but his words were music to the ears for the youngsters in the room.
About 30 Tamil films slated for a March release are already delayed.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said that the vow taken by AIADMK General Secretary V K Sasikala has been fulfilled.
E Madusudanan, who was earlier removed as presidium chairman by Sasikala, said she had 'violated' her promise to the late Jayalalithaa that she will not enter politic.
"A letter addressed to the governor, bearing my signature, is being circulated stating that I will kill myself. I would like to say that this letter is fake. It shows that there are some people, who cannot tolerate a lady's entry in electoral politics," Sasikala said.
