Amid speculation that she will succeed A Raja as Telecom Minister, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MP Kanimozhi said a decision on the issue will be taken by party president M Karunanidhi, even as she made it clear that the alliance with Congress is "as strong as ever".
Among those attending the meeting from the government side were Defence Minister AK Anthony, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal. The Left parties were represented by the Communist Party of India's A B Bardhan and D Raja, and the CPI-M by Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechuri
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.
The Opposition alleged that without any provocation from the Opposition, "outsiders who were not part of Parliament security were brought in to manhandle the Opposition leaders and members, including women Parliamentarians who were only protesting against the Government's conduct, highhandedness and muzzling of the voice".
Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy moved an application in the Supreme Court accusing Union Minister for Shipping and Transport T R Baalu of pushing the controversial Sethusamudram project for his family's private and pecuniary interest.
Port administrations are planning to install IT gadgets like Radio Frequency Identification tags in trucks, scanners and also use speedboats for patrolling. The boats alone are likely to cost around Rs 40-50 crore (Rs 400-500 million). Union Minister of Shipping T R Baalu has also asked the directorate general of shipping to undertake a special audit on security in all the major ports to ensure compliance with all security measures.
The Opposition on Wednesday hardened its stand on the Pegasus spyware issue with 14 parties unitedly demanding a debate in Parliament in the presence of the prime minister or the home minister and a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the matter.
The first batch of 2,400 Tamils lodged in camps for internally displaced persons in Sri Lanka were sent back home on Thursday as assured by the Sri Lankan government, said Dravida Munnetra Kazhgam Member of Parliament T R Baalu, who led a team of Tamil Nadu MPs to the island nation.
A delegation of MPs from Tamil Nadu on Saturday arrived on a five-day visit to Sri Lanka, during which they will visit camps where Tamils displaced due to the civil war are currently lodged.
If Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami lives by the rulebook, so does his colleague Navin Chawla. Only that the book is written by him and the rules are his own.
The saffron party also slammed Union Shipping Minister T R Baalu for announcing that the Sethu Samudram project will be completed in November next year saying his statement on the Vijayadashmi day was a 'deliberate attempt' to hurt the sentiments of crore of believers.
In the complaint filed at the Parliament Street police station, she demanded action against Law Minister H R Bharadwaj, Culture Minister Ambika Soni and Shipping Minister T R Baalu.
The issue of alleged misuse of office by Shipping and Road Transport Minister T R Baalu rocked proceedings in both Houses of Parliament on Monday.
Business in Rajya Sabha was on Thursday deadlocked with the opposition objecting to All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader V Maitreyan being asked to leave the House after he sought the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's response to charges against his cabinet colleague T R Baalu for favouring his sons' firms.
In the wake of Mumbai attacks by terrorists who came by the sea route, the Centre on Friday decided to authorise the Coast Guard to check all the "suspicious merchant vessels" prior to entry at the country's ports.
This is a story that shows how the muddle, contradictions, arguments and corruption that curiously generate much of India's success, can also sometimes block progress.
Karunanidhi also met NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, and CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat where the issue of a successor to President A P J Abdul Kalam came up for discussion.
With a view to creating a central command to focus on maritime security in the wake of Mumbai terror strikes, the Union Shipping Ministry is mulling the formation of a Bureau of Maritime Security, Union Shipping Minister T R Baalu said on Tuesday.The Ministry would make a proposal soon to the cabinet, which would decide on setting up of this central agency, he told reporters in Chennai on the sidelines of a seminar on maritime security.
In a telephonic talk with DMK parliamentary party leader and Union Minister T R Baalu on Sunday night, Sonia said, "Let us continue to concentrate on pubic service without being cowed down by such threats."
Raising the matter just after Question Hour, Digvijay Singh (JD-U) said the minister spoke outside Parliament instead of making a statement in the House on the reported recommendation by the Prime Minister's Office to expedite supply of gas to firms owned by the family members of the shipping minister. It may be noted that Petroleum Minister Murli Deora had on Tuesday come out in defence of the PMO, saying there is 'no nepotism' involved in it.
That the DMK has chosen Friday 8 pm in Chennai to flex its muscles means that its 16 Lok Sabha and three Rajya Sabha MPs will not be attending to either their ministerial office or Parliament from Monday
The prime minister was elected unopposed on May 18 after independent candidate Matang Singh withdrew from the contest.
Baalu took copies of the Valmiki Ramayan, Tulasi Ramayan, Adhyathma Ramayan, Kamba Ramayan and many other books, as also copies of maps on Ramar Sethu.
The Supreme Court on Monday threatened to issue arrest warrants against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, Union Transport Minister T R Baalu and four others for failing to respond to a contempt notice on the Sethusamudram bandh row.
Baalu denied there was a delay in carrying out the dredging programme and said the dredger of the DCI had resumed work after repairs to an instrument.
In a rarely seen event in Parliament, House marshals were summoned to restore calm.
The Supreme Court on Monday issued contempt notices to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, Union Minister T R Baalu, chief secretary L K Tripathi, among others, for defying the apex court's directive of not to go ahead with the October 1 state bandh call given by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam for speedy completion of the Sethusamudram project.
'Does anyone believe for a moment that T R Baalu cares two hoots for a man without a mandate who happens to be living in Race Course Road by sheer accident?'
Shipping Minister T R Baalu cites a Narmada Bachao Andolan vs Union of India case from 2000 to butress his point that the work has to continue.
DMK will be contesting two seats while it has left one seat each to allies Congress and CPI.
"Let him (Baalu) come out with a white paper on surveys undertaken," Swamy demanded at a press conference in Chennai, and said he would seek details under the Right to Information Act.
Countering the claim in Lok Sabha, Shipping Minister T R Baalu, joined by DMK members, strongly objected to the issue being raised in the House on the ground that it was sub-judice.
Baalu also said that the memorandum of understanding with the Suez Canal Company had been initialled by the Chairman of the Tuticorin Port Trust, K Raghupathy.
The DMK leader had refused to take charge as the Minister for Communications and Information Technology due to a row over allocation of portfolios.
India, which has a 7,500 km long coastline and nearly 200 ports, will soon come out with a National Cruise Shipping Policy to promote tourism.
'Deepening and widening the Sethu canal, will provide a more direct route for some of the tsunami energy to travel and impact southern Kerala,' says Prof Tad S Murthy
He said the government was prepared to face the court cases on the Ramar Sethu issue. The objections or protests would not have any impact on the implementation of the ongoing Sethusamudram Shipping Channel project.
Amid the coronavirus outbreak, various states have announced partial or complete lockdown and also there is increased focus on social distancing to curb the spread of the deadly virus which has infected over 400 people in the country.
The party had quit the NDA citing differences with the BJP's Tamil Nadu unit.
Traffic hurdles for travellers between Delhi and Agra may be a thing of past after the implementation of a proposal to construct a signal-free elevated highway on the route at a cost of Rs 267 crore (Rs 2.67 billion).
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