Posts tagged Dmk
DMK leader K N Nehru’s brother killed in Trichy
Mar 30th
TRICHY: K N Ramajayam, brother of senior DMK leader and former minister K N Nehru, was found gagged to death on Thursday. His body was found on the banks of the Cauvery at Thiruvalarcholai, near here.
Ramajayam, 50, was named in a slew of land-grab cases and was out on bail.
Police said it was a premeditated murder. Ramajayam had been kidnapped from the vicinity of Annanagar Uzhavar Sandhai in the heart of Trichy, close to his house on 10th Cross in Thillainagar.
Ramajayam’s routine was to go for a walk around 5.30am and return home by 7.30am. When he did not return until 8.15am, his wife contacted the police commissioner’s office. After his friends and elder brother Nehru, who was in Chennai, failed to reach him, news of his disappearance spread across the city along with rumours that the police might have detained him in a fresh case.
A couple of hours later, Ramajayam’s body was found at Thiruvalarcholai on the outskirts of Thiruvanaikovil. Villagers had found a body with the mouth gagged and hands and legs bound with cellophane tape and wire covered with a blanket.
Police commissioner Shaileshkumar Yadav rushed to the spot around 11am. Ramajayam’s son, Vinit, an engineering student, identified the body and it was taken to the Annal Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Trichy for inquest.
Govt’s stand on US resolution betrays Tamils: DMK
Mar 15th
Chennai: Upping the ante against the Congress-led UPA Government over alleged war crime issue concerning Sri Lanka, DMK chief M Karunanidhi on Wednesday said his party would deem it as a betrayal of Tamils if the Centre does not support the US resolution on Sri Lanka.
Asked if his party would withdraw support to the UPA Government if New Delhi supported Sri Lanka in the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), he said that he alone cannot decide on that.
“I cannot decide on that. We will discuss and decide that in the (party) executive,” the DMK patriarch said.
The DMK leader has time and again reiterated his demand for New Delhi backing the resolution with his party MPs raising slogans in this regard during the presidential address to the joint sitting of the two Houses of Parliament on Monday.
His daughter and DMK MP Kanimozhi had also taken up the issue in the Rajya Sabha earlier on Wednesday.
Samacheer Kalvi: DMK calls for mass edu stir to push govt
Jul 27th
CHENNAI: The DMK on Tuesday called for a peaceful state-wide boycott of educational institutions on July 29 to press its demand for implementation of the ‘Samacheer Kalvi’, the Uniform system of school education.
The call was given following a decision taken by the DMK’s student, youth and other wings, according to the party’s release. The system was introduced by the previous DMK government based on the recommendations of a committee that syllabi of various boards should be integrated to provide a common syllabus for students.
The Jayalalithaa government recently approached the Supreme Court challenging a Madras high court order striking down an amendment to the relevant act by the government to postpone implementation of the scheme from this academic year.
DMK bats for Kanimozhi, ignores Raja
Jul 25th
COIMBATORE: The DMK on Sunday condemned the CBI and accused it of acting in a partisan manner, apparently angered by the continued incarceration of Kanimozhi, daughter of the party president M Karunanidhi and an accused in the 2G scandal.
“Kanimozhi, who holds 20 per cent shares in Kalaignar TV and its managing director Sharad Kumar have been kept in jail for long, against the principles of natural justice,” a resolution passed at the general council read. However, there was no mention of the party’s propaganda secretary and former Union Telecom minister A Raja, who has been in jail for an even longer period.
“Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid, former Law Minister Veerappa Moily, BJP leaders Jaswant Singh and Yashwant Sinha have all voiced their resentment over detaining an accused for a prolonged period without being convicted. Even Justice O P Saini, who is hearing the case, had questioned the CBI’s mindset that an accused should remain in jail even during the prosecution,” the resolution said.
However, in the evening, Karunanidhi claimed that the party had not blamed the CBI as an organisation, but only hit out at officers of the CBI who were functioning with an “ulterior motive.”
Meanwhile, in a string of resolutions, the party criticised the State government for seeking to put on hold the implementation of Uniform School Education system, abolition of Anna Universities of Technology, shifting the Secretariat to Fort St George and stopping the work at the new Secretariat.
In another resolution, the general council demanded that action be taken against those members of political parties who were involved in land grabbing, and also called for restoration of poromboke lands in Siruthavur to the Dalit owners. Party treasurer Stalin urged the functionaries to gear up for a major protest as the DMK men were booked under “false charges” of land grabbing. “We should get into direct action and be prepared for a jail bharo agitation,” he allegedly said.
The DMK urged the Centre to immediately intervene and stop the Kerala’s attempt to build a new dam across Mullaiperiyar river. It also wanted judicial proceedings in HCs to be conducted in all official languages.
Source : http://expressbuzz.com/states/tamilnadu/dmk-bats-for-kanimozhi-ignores-raja/297529.html
2G scam: Will the DMK give in on Dayanidhi Maran?
Jul 7th
New Delhi: DMK leader Dayanidhi Maran will find it difficult to continue as the Union Textile Minister after the CBI told court yesterday that it had evidence to prove that he did misuse his office in 2006 to force the sale of Aircel to an industrialist close to the Maran family.
But while its clear that his continuing as a minister is becoming untenable, the big question now is – will the DMK agree to remove him? His granduncle and DMK chief K Karunanidhi has not had the most bonhomous relationship with ally, the ruling Congress, in recent months. He has been extremely upset ever since his daughter Kanimozhi was sent to jail for her alleged role in the 2G scam. A few months before that, his party’s Dalit face and a man known to be close to him, A Raja, lost his job as Union Minister and also had to go to jail.
And now, Dayanidhi Maran.
The Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi are likely to discuss Mr Maran’s future in the Cabinet with Mr Karunanidhi. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met the Congress president in Delhi last evening and sources said that while they may have discussed the impending Cabinet reshuffle, they had not yet decided whether to drop Mr Maran. Their priority, government sources said, was to manage the political crisis that had emerged in Andhra Pradesh as a result of bulk resignations by politicians who want a new state of Telangana to be sanctioned.
But the UPA will have to, sooner than later, take that call on Mr Maran. The Opposition is out in full force demanding that he be sacked, and the anti-Maran voices are only getting louder. Karunanidhi’s bete noir and Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa said yesterday, “There is no use in expecting Dayanidhi Maran to take moral responsibility and resign. It is high time that the Prime Minister dropped him from the Union Council of Ministers.”
And the BJP echoed, “We had already demanded the resignation of Mr. Maran from the Union Cabinet. Today what has transpired in court has made his position untenable any longer.”
Caught between a rock and a hard place, the DMK’s partner in the UPA, the Congress, sought to distance itself from it all, with party spokesman Manish Tiwari saying, “I am not the spokesperson for the CBI. I am not aware of such a report and in case such a report has been submitted…it’s between the two institutions.”
Evidence against Maran: CBI tells court
Yesterday, the CBI had said in court that it had some evidence that backed the allegations made against Mr Maran by C Sivasankaran who owned Aircel till 2006. He has testified that Mr Maran refused to grant him licences needed to expand his business. Once Mr Maran sold his company to T Ananda Krishnan, the licences were processed within months. And Mr Ananda Krishnan invested close to Rs. 800 crore soon after in a company owned by Mr Maran’s brother.
The CBI’s inquiry reportedly shows that “despite unanimous recommendation” by Telecom officials, Mr Maran did not sign off on the licences that Mr Sivasankaran needed. The investigating agency also said that there did seem to be “an element of coercion” in the manner in which Aircel was sold to Mr Ananda Krishnan’s Maxis empire.
CBI sources have told NDTV that the agency will question Mr Maran after they gather more evidence against him.
A few days ago, Mr Maran met with the Prime Minister ahead of the much-anticipated Cabinet reshuffle. Mr Maran had then denied that the PM had discussed the allegations against him, and said that the meeting was ministerial work as usual.
Source : http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/2g-scam-will-the-dmk-give-in-on-dayanidhi-maran-117334
DMK rule powered corruption in TNEB
Jun 2nd
CHENNAI: Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Wednesday alleged that large-scale corruption took place in the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) during the previous DMK regime and that it had resulted in the fall in overall power generation.
She also said her government would root out corruption in the TNEB and step-up power generation soon.
Addressing a press conference at Fort St George here, the Chief Minister said during the AIADMK regime between 2001 and 2006, there was no power cut at all in Tamil Nadu. “We were supplying uninterrupted power to all our consumers. At that time, we had an installed capacity of 10,111 mw and were generating power to the full installed capacity. Besides, we were supplying surplus power to other States thus earning a revenue also.”
“But during the DMK rule, power generation came down due to mismanagement, large-scale corruption in the TNEB and import of substandard coal. There was lack of proper maintenance also. Staggered closure of thermal units was not followed. As a result, for many days, there was no power generation in thermal units,” Jayalalithaa observed.
She alleged that in order to purchase power from private players at an exorbitant rate, those in power then took a hefty commission. “We will see to it that generation reaches its full capacity,” she added.
On whether tariff would be hiked as the TNEB was under heavy debt burden, the CM said her government would not take any decision that would burden public.
Questioned whether the five Anna Universities of Technology would be merged and that the colour television scheme and Kalaignar Housing scheme would continue, Jayalalithaa replied: “Please find the answer in the Governor’s address to be delivered on June 3.”
DMK mulls pullout after Sonia call
May 16th
CHENNAI: Upset with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s courtesy call to AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa, the DMK is considering pulling out its ministers from the Union cabinet and provide only outside support to its long-time ally at the Centre.
An AIADMK statement on Saturday said Sonia had called Jaya to convey her ”best wishes” on her electoral success.
DMK seniors, including party chief M Karunanidhi, have held informal discussions for two days since Saturday and probed the option of providing outside support to Congress. While Sonia’s greetings to Jayalalithaa may be perceived by some as mere courtesy, in Tamil Nadu political opponents are not known to exchange such pleasantries. The Sonia-Jaya telephone conversation is seen as a needless provocation by DMK which is sore about the perceived apathy of the Congress in the wake of CBI action against Karunanidhi’s family members.
A section within the DMK, however, cautioned restraint, pointing out that with the party now out of power, it should not lose its clout at the Centre as well. DMK has six Union ministers, including two Cabinet ministers M K Alagiri and Dayanidhi Maran. Pulling them out would leave the DMK with no political capital at a time when the party has suffered a major rout in the assembly elections. ”Until the next Lok Sabha polls in 2014, the party should focus on rebuilding its image and strengthening relations with political allies,” some senior leaders told Karunanidhi.
The mood in the DMK camp, grim since its disastrous performance, plunged further after news of Sonia’s call on Saturday. ”Thalaivar (leader) expressed reservations about Sonia’s call to Jayalalithaa. We can understand his feelings. We didn’t mind the Prime Minister calling the AIADMK leader. But the political implication of Sonia calling her is different. They have never shared a good relationship. We believe Congress is now opening doors to the AIADMK.
In our opinion, they seem to be planning for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections,” a former minister told TOI.
Congress spokeswoman Jayanti Natarajan said the AICC president also congratulated leaders of other parties who won state elections along with Jayalalithaa. ”In a democracy, it is a healthy trend,” she told the media in Delhi. On reports that Sonia had invited Jayalalithaa for tea to Delhi, she said, ”I have no idea, I have no information.”
DMK, AIADMK locked in close battle in TN polls
Mar 29th
Ruling DMK and AIADMK are locked in a close race for electoral supremacy in the April 13 Tamil Nadu Assembly polls with both sewing up formidable alliances, setting the stage for one of the fiercest battles ever.
Both the major Dravidian parties have been winning the elections alternately since 1989 and AIADMK taking the lead in bringing all major opposition parties under its umbrella has made the contest a much closer one than ever before.
DMK has retained its seven-year old ally Congress, considered to be the third largest party in the state, besides the most backward Vanniars based Pattali Makkal Katchi, Dalit-based Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, Kongu Makkal Katchi (KMK) and the IUML.
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