Tamil Nadu

Lok Sabha 2019

Union Minister Piyush Goyal also said that Tamil Nadu farmer P Ayyakannu’s demand for pension scheme for all farmers have been included in BJP’s manifesto.

TNM Staff

File Image/PTI

The DMK-Congress alliance, in their manifesto, has promised to scrap the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for medical admission in Tamil Nadu. But the AIADMK-BJP alliance, on the other hand, has another plan for NEET, which has become an election issue in the state in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Stating that NEET will continue to be implemented in Tamil, Piyush Goyal said, “I don’t think NEET should be scrapped..I will talk to AIADMK and convince them.” He was addressing the media in Chennai on Friday where he said that the government of Tamil Nadu had always requested for NEET to be conducted in Tamil. “The people of Tamil Nadu wanted NEET to be in the regional language so that they have an even chance. We have accepted and implemented this,” he said. NEET, which has replaced other entrance methods for medical admissions in India, was resented by several students and parents, who criticised the Centre as well as the state government for not blocking the exam or doing enough to prepare students. Read: Why NEET is an election issue in Tamil Nadu The Congress has said that it will strive to implement reservation in private sector as well. To this, Piyush criticised Congress President Rahul Gandhi, for introducing the old system of letting the management of medical colleges to take capitation fee from students. “He is giving only the rich people in the state medical seats. People of Tamil Nadu want to get admission on the basis of merit. I charge the Congress for wanting to remove NEET so that the poor don’t get the seat,” he said. The AIADMK has promised that it will work for a temporary exemption from NEET for students in Tamil Nadu. ‘Included Ayyakannu’s demands in BJP manifesto’ Piyush also that the demands of various farmers organisation, including Tamil Nadu’s P Ayyakannu, was acceded and included in the BJP manifesto. Ayyakannu, a lawyer and farmer, has always been at the forefront of the farmers’ protests for one-time loan waiver and Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops. “Ayyakannu had raised the demand for pension for farmers. The BJP manifesto announced to introduce a scheme to ensure this. Ayyakannu has also welcomed our other initiatives to interlink rivers, the Rs 6,000 per year income support to all farmers and MSP for 22 products,” he said. The Union Minister also thanked actor Rajinikanth for welcoming the BJP's promise of implementing river inter-linking. Notably, the actor had earlier urged people to vote for a government that can permanently end the water crisis in the state. ‘DMK-Congress, an alliance of corruption’ Piyush Goyal also took a potshot at the various scams the leaders of Congress and DMK have been named in, including the 2G scam, the coalgate scam and the Aircel Maxis scam. “The people of India want an honest and clean government, and that can only be provided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and not by a party whose president is out on bail for irregularity and fraudulent monetary transactions,” he said, taking a dig at Rahul Gandhi, who, along with Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi, were granted unconditional bail in the National Herald case, in 2015. Piyush also said that Rahul Gandhi insulted the engineers of Tamil Nadu when he criticised the Train 18 or the Vande Bharat Express, which was designed and built by Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai. The train had suffered a breakdown on its inaugural run in February. “I think the people of India will do a surgical strike on DMK and Congress because they are the fountainhead of corruption in this country,” he said, adding, “I am sure all voters in Tamil Nadu will elect a government at the centre led by Narendra Modi, just like how they had supported Puratchi Thalaivi Amma.”

Body 2:

Lok Sabha 2019

The details include annual income in the last five years, assets and liabilities, pending criminal cases, educational background and profession.

Priyanka Thirumurthy

Chennai based anti-corruption NGO, Arappor Iyakkam has launched an app ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections to allow users to check all details pertaining to candidates who are in the fray from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. The 'Arappor Iyakkam' App which is available for free on Google Playstore, aims at creating awareness among the people about the candidates who are contesting. During the release of the app, the organisation explained that the information on the app which is available in Tamil and English is based on the declaration by the candidates in their affidavits. The details include annual income in the last five years, assets and liabilities, pending criminal cases, educational background and profession."The affidavits that have been uploaded are not uniformly in the same language and as a voter it is not easy understand and translate these documents. So people go to the polling booth with out complete information on the candidate they are voting for," says Jayaram Venkatesan, convenor of Arappor Iyakkam. "We want to fill this knowledge gap. The media too covers only some key candidates, whereas there are 20-30 candidates in every constituency," he adds. The work for the app began on March 26 and 200 volunteers were involved in the translation and checking process."The volunteers were all working professionals who put in hours after their daily work to make this happen. We first entered the data and then there were two levels of checking the information," says Jayaram. "They worked on the software for the app simultaneously. Following this, the data was loaded into the app and another two levels of checking was done before it was launched," he adds. A study of this data, according to the NGO, reveals a series of anomalies in the income of several candidates and their spouses. "There are people who have no source of income in the last 5 years but have accumulated a large number of assets. For some, their assets have grown about 20 times," says Jayaram. "This data will help people understand which politicians are worth voting for at all," he adds. Even recently, the NGO shared screenshots from their app to show that the income of DMK candidate Kalanidhi Veerasamy's wife had risen from 28 lakh in 2015-16 to 7.75 crore in 2016-17."Maybe demonetisation brought in a lot of patients for the doctor," quipped the convenor. The app can be downloaded from - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.api.ngo

Body 2:

Lok Sabha 2019

The warning follows reports that political parties were running ads without the approval of the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee.

TNM Staff

Image for representation/ PTI

Tamil Nadu's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on Friday issued a stern warning to media outlets and political parties regarding the pre-certification of political advertisements on electronic, social and print media. The notice by the poll body comes after reports that political advertisements this election season were being published without prior approval of the Election Commission’s Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC). The CEO warned of legal action if the practice continues unchecked. Further, the CEO also pointed out that even if the content of political advertisements was approved by the MCMC, the certification number was not displayed in the advertisement. “Further, it is observed that the objections raised/ pointed out by MCMC are not properly being adhered to and playing in electronic, social media and print media,” reads the notice. In strict instructions to all TV/ FM channels and print media, the CEO directed them to follow the guidelines of the ECI mentioned in the compendium of instruction of Model Code of Conduct. “The MCMC number and date should be mentioned in all the telecast/ broadcast of political advertisements. The objections raised/ pointed out by MCMC should be properly adhered to and the certification issued by the MCMC should be verified before playing the same in electronic, social and print media.” said the CEO. In specific instruction for the silent period i.e. 48 hours before the close of polling, the CEO said none of the political advertisements would be published during this period, except paper ads which receive pre-certification before 5 pm on April 13. “If any of the political advertisements are continuously telecasted/ webcasted or played through electronic, social or print media, the matter will be brought to the notice of ECI immediately and appropriate action will be initiated as per law,” warned the CEO.

Body 2:

Lok Sabha 2019

The Congress President, who was campaigning at multiple places in the state on Friday, said that Modi has no understanding of Tamil history and language.

TNM Staff

Congress President Rahul Gandhi said on Friday that he would send books written by Tamil social reformer EVR Periyar and former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, so he can understand the people of Tamil Nadu. Rahul Gandhi, who was in the state for a slew of campaign events in Salem, Krishnagiri and Madurai, was speaking at a public rally in Theni where he made the remarks. He also said that the Prime Minister has no understanding of Tamil history and language. He said, “Now there's one thing that really surprises me about Narendra Modi. He is convinced that he can run Tamil Nadu from Delhi, he is convinced that just because he can pressurise the government of Tamil Nadu, he can decide what happens in Tamil Nadu. I don't think this man has read anything about Tamil history. I don't think he understands the Tamil language and he certainly does not understand the Tamil spirit. I think I'm going to send him a book of Mr Periyar and tell him, "Read this, so that you understand the people of Tamil Nadu." Maybe a few books of Karunanidhi ji because the gentleman has no idea what Tamil Nadu is.” Rahul Gandhi was campaigning for EVKS Elangovan, the DMK-Congress alliance’s Lok Sabha candidate from Theni. Elangovan is the grand-nephew of Periyar. Invoking his poll plank for the state and referring to Modi, Rahul Gandhi said, “He does not understand that throughout Tamil history, only the Tamil people have decided the future of Tamil Nadu. He does not understand that there is no force in this universe that will make the Tamil people do what they don't want to do. With hatred and anger, you cannot make the Tamil people do anything. But with love and affection, you can make the Tamil people do anything.”

Body 2:

Lok Sabha 2019

The battle for Madurai constituency is between CPI(M)’s Su Venkatesan, a Sahitya Akademi winning author and AIADMK’s VVR Raj Sathyan, son of sitting Madurai North MLA VV Rajan Chellappa.

Anjana Shekar

With fine dust swirling up in the sharp summer winds, a faint smell of the greenish neem blossom pervades the air. This is summer in Madurai. But this season, there’s stifling heat not just in the air but also in the district’s political arena. With Madurai, the burgeoning central Tamil Nadu city, heading for Lok Sabha elections, on an important and iconic annual festival day no less, the stage is set for an exciting political drama to unfold. Madurai Lok Sabha constituency with over 10 lakh voters has always been an Indian National Congress stronghold, having won 8 out of 15 Lok Sabha elections since 1957. It is made up of six Assembly segments - Madurai North, Madurai South, Madurai Central, Madurai East, Madurai West and Melur, with four of the six belonging to city areas. For the first time in 2014, AIADMK’s R Gopalakrishnan was elected from this constituency. This time, the battle this time is between the DMK-led alliance’s Su Venkatesan of the CPI(M), a Sahitya Akademi winning author and the AIADMK-led alliance’s VVR Raj Sathyan, son of former Mayor and sitting Madurai North MLA VV Rajan Chellappa. Raj Sathyan, AIADMK’s present IT wing joint secretary and an MBA graduate, has had to deal with inner party tussles. This after Revenue Minister RB Udayakumar and Minister for Co-operation Sellur Raju had demanded a ticket for former MLA R Tamilarasan but were turned down by the AIADMK leadership, who picked Raj Sathyan. But Raj calls it a “difference of opinion”. “It is not a misunderstanding. It is just a difference of opinion. It is a very democratic party that we have. They have to voice out their opinion. At last the better candidate has been chosen by the heads of the party. Having been chosen, all the party is working for me and we have only one thing in mind – victory,” he says emphatically. Brushing aside the nepotism tag, he says, “I’m not walking in my father’s footsteps. I am walking in Amma’s footsteps.” Voicing his developmental plans for Madurai, the AIADMK candidate states, “Water management is my priority. Infrastructural changes, we certainly need to do. Transport facilities will also be increased. It is a burgeoning city, and is growing at a rapid rate right now. There are so many sub urban areas which has not had developmental of infrastructure for the past 10 to 12 years.” His main rival, writer Su Venkatesan, President of Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers and Artistes Association (TNPWAA), a full-time CPM worker for the past 28 years, and the author of award winning novel Kavalkottam is all for upholding the city’s heritage. With Mohan Ponnusamy, the late CPI (M) leader who was elected consecutively twice form Madurai - 1999 and 2004 - no more, Su Venkatesan’s nomination from the party comes with challenges of its own. CPI(M), however, has had better success in the past having won a total of three Lok Sabha Elections. “Madurai has to be announced as a historical heritage city. This holds a place in history. Our priority will be to make the Centre announce heritage city. Modi contested from Varanasi. A lot of amount has been invested and spent for the city. Madurai too is a big city, therefore it is my first request to declare Madurai as a heritage city in my manifesto,” he tells us. Key issues Famed for its jasmines and temples, Madurai grapples with developmental issues like poor roads and a looming threat of water scarcity. The people are also disgruntled by the Centre’s implementation of demonetisation and GST. Malaimuthan a lawyer from Therkutheru in Melur points out that the Congress manifesto has more beneficial plans for people in the lower rungs of the society than the BJP’s. “They have announced monthly Rs 6000 plan for poor people. They have also said farmer loans and student loans will be waived off. This will be of much help for the working class.” Dissatisfaction with the Centre runs deep, a tea shop owner in Therkutheru has decided that his vote would not be in favour of the BJP-led government that had least regard for Tamil Nadu farmers. “Countless farmers protested in Delhi but were ignored. They physically strained themselves for months but the Prime Minister did not pay any attention to them. He preferred travelling around the world instead,” he says. However, AIADMK, the party that is currently in power, still retains a good amount of goodwill among people. While TNM was waiting for Raj Sathyan’s convoy to arrive at Viratripattu, a crowd of eager women spoke to us of their unwavering support for Jayalalithaa. “Amma Katchi (party), two leaves, should only continue. The old should only come back!” says one of them. Another says, "Modi has not kept his word. Never delivered on his promises but AIADMK has been doing everything." With its growing urban scape, Madurai has plenty of scope for infrastructural developments as well. While CPI(M)’s Su Venkatesan says his party’s agenda will focus on unique developmental plans for Madurai, “We have around 120 rubber industries around Madurai. Specific parks can be opened for it. IT industries too can be developed here.” AIADMK’s Raj Sathyan envisions cable cars along the Vaigai River. “It is a possibility. We previously proposed metro train but it didn't happen. This cable car should be connecting with public transportation. Tourism will also improve,” the AIADMK candidate tells us. The topic of Keezhadi too features in an important place in Venkatesan’s manifesto. “When Rahul Gandhi becomes Prime Minister, we are sure Tamil Nadu will get its due. We don’t know why they stopped Keezhadi excavations. They were sure on stalling it. Modi has come here to campaign in 4 areas, has promised to spend several 1000 crores but they have not even spent Rs 5 lakhs for Keezhadi. It has been stopped today. If our alliance is voted to power, we will surely begin works in Keezhadi. Tamil traditions and requests will surely be given due priority by Rahul Gandhi’s government,” he says. Chithirai Tiruvizha This election season in Madurai will for the first time clash with the temple town’s most important festival season - Chithirai Tiruvizha - with poll date of April 18 on the day of the Ther Tiruvizha. Pointing out that voter turnout is bound to decrease in Madurai on the date of polls, Venkatesan says, “The very fact that the Election Commission and the state machinery has not considered a festival as big as this is very condemnable.” Raj Sathyan on the other hand is hopeful that people would manage both. “They want to pray first before voting. They have to get a better government right? Basically, what I would suggest is that as soon as you pray to the god please make sure the better government for the next generation is elected.”

Body 2:

Elections

Former Aravakurichi MLA Senthil Balaji, who abandoned TTV Dhinakaran for the DMK, has been given a ticket to seek re-election.

TNM Staff

File image

Days after the Election Commission announced bye-polls to four pending assembly seats in Tamil Nadu, the DMK has announced its candidates for the race. On Saturday, a statement from DMK President MK Stalin said Pongalur N Palaniswami will contest from Sulur, P Saravanan from Thiruparankundram and MC Shanmugaiah from Ottapidaram. Former Aravakurichi MLA V Senthil Balaji, who abandoned TTV Dhinakaran for the DMK, has been given a ticket to seek re-election from the constituency. V Senthil Balaji of Aravakurichi and R Kandaraj of Ottapidaram constituencies were disqualified by the Madras High Court in June last year along with 16 of their colleagues under the Anti-Defection law. They had extended their support to ousted AIADMK Deputy General Secretary, now AMMK leader and RK Nagar MLA TTV Dhinakaran. In what came as a jolt for Dhinakaran in December last year, former Tamil Nadu Transport Minister and close aide Senthil Balaji formally joined the DMK. The MLA has been given the chance to be re-elected from the Aravakurichi seat by his new party. Pongalur N Palanisamy, who has been given the ticket to contest from Sulur is a former MLA from Coimbatore East. He had also served as the DMK's Rural Industries and Animal Husbandry Minister between 2006 and 2011. Bye-polls to these four constituencies will he held on May 19, nearly a month after the Lok Sabha and 18 bye-elections to be held on April 18. The EC announcement to hold polls on Tuesday came even as the DMK moved the Supreme Court over conducting three of four assembly bye-polls: Aravakurichi, Thiruparankundram and Ottapidaram(SC). These seats were vacant after the 18 MLAs were disqualified. The EC had not announced polls here citing cases pending in court. AIADMK MLA R Kanagaraj of the ruling party passed away after a cardiac arrest in March this year necessitating bye-polls to the Sulur assembly constituency. The results for all three sets of elections-- Lok Sabha and 18 bye-polls on April 18, four pending bye-polls on May 19-- would be announced on May 23.

Body 2:

Lok Sabha 2019

Villupuram candidate Dr D Ravikumar speaks to TNM on his main focus areas, his political opponents, the BJP and more.

Megha Kaveri

Facebook/Ravikumar4Villupuram

Zipping through the East Coast Road, white mounds of salt set up in neat rows glimmer in the sunlight. The signboard reads ‘Marakkanam’, a small coastal town in Tamil Nadu’s Villupuram which happens to be the second largest producer of salt in the state. This is also where the DMK-led alliance’s candidate for Villupuram Dr D Ravikumar, who is VCK’s General Secretary, is campaigning on Friday. An accomplished writer and social activist, Ravikumar is not a political newbie. In 2006, he was an MLA from Kattumannarkoil Assembly constituency in Cuddalore district. During his tenure, he helped bring a new e-waste policy in Tamil Nadu and for urging then Chief Minister M Karunanidhi to start a skill development programme in the state. In the 2011 polls, he sought a re-election from Kattumannarkoil but lost. Ravikumar unsuccessfully stood from Vanur Assembly constituency in Villupuram district in 2016. But the former MLA is confident this time around as he seeks an electoral mandate from the Villupuram Lok Sabha constituency, which he calls home. Agriculture and education are main focus areas Speaking to TNM about his plans for Villupuram if he gets elected, Ravikumar says that his major focus areas are three – sugarcane farmers, industries and education. “In the last seven to eight years, sugarcane cultivation has reduced by around 40%. The reason for this decrease is that there is no governmental support for this. If the sugarcane farmers have to switch to drip irrigation, they need subsidy for investment cost which they have not got for the last three to four years,” he says. Explaining that his aim is also to bring in agro-based industries in the district, Ravikumar adds that his concern is on the status of literacy in Villupuram. “The gap between the rate of male and female literacy is 17%. I want to reduce the gap between the two sexes to at least 5%,” he points out. Listing his continued efforts to help the fishermen carry on with their livelihood without any worries, Ravikumar adds that he would also place their longstanding demand of inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes list in Parliament once he is elected. He also has plans to address the sea erosion problems by sanctioning infrastructure works using his MPLADS funds. ‘Promoting harmony between communities’ Apart from issues of development, Villupuram is a caste-sensitive district. Frequent clashes between the dominant castes and the Dalits in the region have grabbed headlines in the past. Speaking about the caste equation in the district, Ravikumar says that the aim of his alliance would be to promote harmony between people of all communities. In February this year, more than 30 houses and several vehicles were set on fire allegedly by members of the dominant caste in a Dalit colony in Villupuram. This after a Dalit man eloped with a caste Hindu girl. In another incident in February, a mother and her 14-year-old daughter were raped by unidentified men. The victim’s brother was killed in the attack which took place in a Dalit settlement in Villupuram district. Though police denied that it was a caste crime, activists emphasised that it was. In 2017, a fight between two individuals – a Dalit farmer and a villager, who belonged to the dominant community – turned into a clash between the villagers in RR Kuppam near Ulundurpet. “Beyond the caste labels, I have my own identity and recognition in this district. I have raised my voice and helped people out in various human rights issues,” he says, adding that the 21 lakh housing scheme brought in by M Karunanidhi ended up benefitting a lot of Vanniyars in the region. His main fight is against Vadivel Ravanan of the PMK, which is part of the AIADMK-led alliance. Stating that he was close to PMK founder S Ramadoss and that their friendship goes back years, Ravikumar, however, does not mince words when he speaks of the party. He alleges, “PMK does activities to polarise the society. We have never done that. We have been working for the past three years now to help form a secular government. All the major issues we take up, be it Sri Lankan Tamils issue or Cauvery issue or the one of state rights, none of this is caste-based.” ‘Equality for all, not anti-Brahminism’ Firmly believing that DMK is the closest to the VCK in terms of ideology, Ravikumar says that his party’s principles are inspired from the Dravidian movement itself. “Dravidian movement was crucial in spreading Ambedkar’s ideology in Tamil Nadu,” he says. However, he says that priorities of the movement changes with time. “Now it’s (Dravidian movement’s) priorities is not anti-Brahmanism, it is veering towards equality for all. So we don’t have any problem working with it. In fact, we feel ideologically comfortable working with the proponents of Dravidian movement,” he explains. Slamming the BJP-led Centre Ravikumar says that the image which helped Prime Minister Narendra Modi win the elections in 2014 has now become a burden for him. He notes, “As far as TN is concerned, people do not really know Dr Manmohan Singh who was the Prime Minister for 10 years. But an old man in a village will know Modi. So I don’t know how it is in other states, but in Tamil Nadu, it is centred around Modi. He symbolizes the whole policies of the BJP and RSS. So by opposing him, we are opposing their entire policy.” In 2018, Ravikumar was given security after state intelligence received information that he was one of the targets of the assassins who had killed journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh. Speaking about the social atmosphere in the country surrounding the writers and intellectuals, Ravikumar says that this is the first time in history that anti-intellectualism is this visible. “Now artists, writers etc irrespective of party affiliations are getting attacked and the Sangh Parivar thinks that them being artists and writers is alone enough reason to attack them. Such a vicious atmosphere they (Sangh Parivar) have created,” he alleges. Alleging that this idea of being against intellectual thinking is spilling over to policy decision as well, Ravikumar points out that such actions are detrimental to the country’s development. “The government is bringing in people with anti-science credentials to head the institutions. It hurts our development. If they keep spreading superstitious ideas on one side, how can they develop science on the other?” he asks. Expressing confidence that he will find time to continue his literary work even if he gets elected, Ravikumar says, “Literature will always be with me. So when I lose faith in politics at times or when it drains me out, literature is my shelter.”

Body 2:

Death

JK Ritheesh was last seen playing a role in RJ Balaji’s political satire 'LKG'.

TNM Staff

Actor and former Ramanathapuram MP JK Ritheesh passed away due to heart failure on Saturday. His untimely death came as a shock to many. He was 46. JK Ritheesh was last seen playing a role in RJ Balaji’s political satire LKG. He became an MP from Ramanathapuram after he was given a DMK ticket in the 2009 Lok Sabha Elections. Born in Kandy, Sri Lanka, Ritheesh migrated to Rameswaram in 1976. His first film was Kaanal Neer directed by Chinni Jayanth. His second film Nayagan that released in 2008 failed at the box office. He is survived by his wife and two sons. According to reports, Ritheesh was campaigning for BJP's Ramanathapuram Lok Sabha candidate Nainar Nagendran when he suffered from a cardiac arrest. Ritheesh, who was once a loyalist of MK Alagiri, former Union Minister and elder son of then DMK chief M Karunanidhi, quit the party in 2014 and joined rival AIADMK the same year. He had then claimed that he was pushed out of the party by MK Stalin, who was then DMK Treasurer. (JK Ritheesh with former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa) In December 2018, JK Ritheesh lead a small group of producers who marched up to TFPC’s offices in Chennai and staged a lock down protest. The act was performed to condemn TFPC President Vishal’s alleged lack of transparency in running the Council. In 2011, he was arrested for cheating a US citizen of Rs 3 crore after promising to buy land for him. A number of people took to Twitter to express their shock and condolences. Breaking! Actor & Politician #JKRithesh No More Heart Attack pic.twitter.com/8qK7a5NaSH— Happy Sharing By Dks (@Dksview) April 13, 2019 Tamil news channels have also started reporting the #JKRithesh passing away news.. @RJ_Balaji used to say during #LKG promotions that JKR was a really good, helpful man. Life can be so uncertain. Just 46 and a heart attack.. May his soul RIP — Kaushik LM (@LMKMovieManiac) April 13, 2019 Rip #JKRithesh https://t.co/WUs5KOnrIY— Krishna Krish (@KNTedofficial) April 13, 2019 முன்னாள் தி.மு.கழக நாடாளுமன்ற உறுப்பினரும் நடிகரும் ஆகிய ரித்தீஷ் அவர்கள் மாரடைப்பால் இயற்க்கை எய்து விட்டார்.. ஆழ்ந்த இரங்கல்கள் .. #JKRithesh pic.twitter.com/9JwMZ99D5c — கிறுக்கு புன்னகை (@kirukupunnagai) April 13, 2019 Shocking to hear that Actor and Ex-MP #JKRitheesh who was recently seen in #LKG passed away in #Ramanathapuram. #JKRitheesh (46) died of a cardiac arrest. RIP pic.twitter.com/EF8Tu8JtIc — Sreedhar Pillai (@sri50) April 13, 2019

Body 2:

Lok Sabha 2019

In an interview with the Dina Thanthi group, PM Modi said that he would also face an inquiry if corruption charges are levelled against him.

TNM Staff

PTI

The BJP is a minor partner in the AIADMK alliance and the national party aligned with the ruling party in Tamil Nadu for political and electoral reasons, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said. In an interview with the Chennai-based Dina Thanthi group, Modi was asked about allying with the AIADMK, when many of its ministers have been accused of corruption in high office. As a politician who often invokes the anti-corruption platform, Modi was asked if the CBI would investigate the corruption charges against AIADMK ministers if the NDA were to form the government again."Even Narendra Modi will be interrogated if corruption charges are levelled against him. No one can escape an investigation," he said. On the allegations of corruption against AIADMK Ministers and the BJP allying with the ruling party in the state, he said, "We are just a minor partner in the AIADMK alliance and have aligned with the party for political and electoral reasons. Our fight against corruption will not cease." Responding to allegations that AIADMK was coerced into an alliance, Modi said BJP did not know to apply pressure on other parties. "In politics, no one can coerce anyone. The BJP doesn’t know to apply pressure to other parties and we don’t need to do that either. This is the truth. Besides, everyone knows about the camaraderie that existed between Jayalalithaa and the BJP," he said. When asked about the possibility of a post-poll alliance with the DMK which is part of the Congress alliance, PM Modi exuded confidence that the BJP would win a simple majority and hence there would be no need for an alliance with the main opposition party in the state. “BJP will win the Lok Sabha elections with a simple majority. Reports of the first phase of elections give us confidence. We believe that the BJP has grown over the years. We formed a government in Arunachal Pradesh too. BJP will win more seats than it had won in the earlier elections. Our allies will also win. So, there will be no need for aligning with DMK. However, we will not hesitate to seek the cooperation of Congress and DMK to govern the country as we have to run the country and serve its people. We will seek the cooperation of all the parties to govern the country,” he said. On NEET and black money When asked about BJP's promise to fight black money and his 2014 poll promise of depositing Rs 15 lakh back into the bank account of every Indian, PM Modi said several multilateral agreements had been signed with other countries for this. “We are monitoring all the accounts in foreign banks and the money deposited in the accounts. We will get complete information about black money after 2019. After forming the government in 2014, we formed a team to investigate black money, but Congress did not appoint any team even after the intervention of the Supreme Court.” he said. When asked about Tamil Nadu's water issues as well as its problems with the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, Modi skipped the second half of the question. Instead, he said, "I know the issues faced by the state. We have explained the solutions for Tamil Nadu’s issues in our manifesto. To my knowledge, water is a major problem. We will set up a separate ministry to deal with such issues by allocating funds for rainwater harvesting, desalination projects, interlinking of rivers and others." BJP’s presence in south India When asked why he chose to ally with a Dravidian party from the state, unlike 2014, PM Modi said that intention was different five years ago. "We don’t have any difference of opinion with Dravidian parties. In 2014, our intentions were different. Jayalalithaa was at the helm of AIADMK and we chose an alternative alliance. But, in this election, we have decided to go with the AIADMK. We have allied with the party in the past too," he said. When asked if he, like Congress President Rahul Gandhi, considered contesting from South India, PM Modi said, "I don’t take any decision. I adhere to the decision of the party. I don’t want to complicate matters by pondering over unnecessary developments." On why the BJP was struggling to establish itself in four out of five southern states (BJP has a strong presence only in Karnataka), Modi denied the notion. "First, they said that the BJP was a north Indian party. Then they labelled us as a pro-urban party and only for the upper class. But BJP has MPs from Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes too. We have won many seats in rural areas and captured several panchayats. They claim we are a north Indian party, but Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka are not north Indian states. In Andhra Pradesh, the government was functioning with the support of BJP. We will also win more seats in Tamil Nadu," he added. When asked about how he would manage disagreements on safeguarding national interest and rights of the states, PM Modi blamed the Congress for the 'losses faced by the country.'"Congress had dissolved state governments more than 100 times invoking Article 356. It had dissolved MGR’s government too," he claimed. He said, "For the nation’s growth, coordination with state governments is imperative. To safeguard federalism, there should be a good understanding between the state and central governments. At the same time, the country’s interest should also be considered. State and central government should work in tandem to resolve issues." Admitting that there was a delay in the disbursal of insurance amount to farmers, Modi said that this was 'identified and rectified'. He also claimed that the farmers of Tamil Nadu have been paid Rs 5,000 crore so far.

Body 2:

Opinion

A campaign by rivals that the DMK-led alliance is anti-Hindu has forced leaders including DMK chief Stalin and others to declare that they are not against any religion.

AR Meyyammai

Marxists and Dravidian ideologists are of course atheists, but not anti-theists. But today’s electoral compulsions, orchestrated by Hindutva elements, have forced them to sport holy ash and kumkum during their campaigns to offset the sinister canards spread on social media that they are anti-Hindus. When serious attempts are made to divide people on religious lines, many of these ideologists in the fray have been compelled to moderate their affiliations. Many candidates of the DMK-led alliance are trying to shrug off their ideological baggage to counter the narrative propagated by their rivals and convey to the people openly that they are irreligious and secular. Which is why this election, they are visiting temples, accepting honours and wearing religious symbols. Candidates from the DMK-led alliances such as CPI(M)’s Su. Venkatesan contesting from Madurai Lok Sabha constituency and Dalit leader and VCK Chief Thirumavalavan, who grew up in the Dravidian school of ideology and is contesting from the Chidambaram constituency, are not exceptions. A campaign unleashed by the majoritarian forces that the DMK-led alliance is anti-Hindu has put them in an embarrassing situation in the electoral arena, forcing its leader and DMK President MK Stalin to declare that they are not against any religion. Wedded to the Marxist philosophy, Venkatesan has taken to convincing the electorate in Madurai, a temple city and an ancient centre of Tamil language and literature, that his party, CPI(M) has never been against any religion. “It is a party that fights against fascism globally,” he said at a public meeting. He lodged a complaint against the BJP and got the party’s state secretary R Srinivasan booked under section 171 (G) of Indian Penal Code (false statements in connection with an election). This after Srinivasan allegedly indulged in a slanderous campaign against him by accusing Venkatesan of insulting women going to temples and the Chithirai festival. Thirumavalavan is straining every sinew to tell the people in Chidambaram, an ancient temple town in the Chozha kingdom, that his Dravidian ideology would never interfere in religion. “I am a Hindu by birth and respect all faiths. We, as a party, fight for social justice and equality,” he said after attending a temple festival in a village near Kattumannarkoil while campaigning. Realising the dangers of the crafty anti-Hindu campaign against the DMK-led alliance, Stalin had to go an extra mile to convince the people that they are not against any religion, especially Hinduism. At a public meeting, he quoted from ‘Parasakthi’, a super-hit Tamil film released in 1952, that was scripted by his late father and the DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi: “We are not against temples, but we are against temples getting converted into dens for anti-socials.” In fact, Stalin has to dedicate substantial time and energy to rubbish the allegations that are being spread by Hindutva forces on public platforms and as well as on the social media calling the DMK anti-Hindu. In every campaign meeting he addresses, he emphasises that the DMK is not against Hindus, as claimed by some mischievous elements. In his Tirunelveli election meeting held recently, Stalin said the majority of the DMK cadres and functionaries are Hindus. “Then how can you call us anti-Hindu?” he asked. Thirumavalavan has also said 90% of VCK cadres are Hindus. “We are not against any religion. We believe in social harmony, religious tolerance, secularism and equality. It was the DMK government that performed more consecrations for temples,” Stalin said and even chanted the names of Hindu gods by saying Karunanidhi released the books such as 'Vinayagar pottri, Murugan pottri, Sivan pottri and Thirumaal pottri pottri' and ensured that archanai (chanting of mantras) was done in Tamil in the temples. He accused the BJP of trying to project the DMK as anti-Hindu for cheap political gains. “BJP alone is not the sole custodian of Hinduism,” he claimed and said the DMK did not denounce temples and worship. “The DMK in principle never interferes in any religious practices of anyone. We live in a pluralistic society of a secular country. The DMK, when it came to power, introduced the reservation policy that largely benefitted Hindus belonging to BC, MBC and SC communities. It also fought for the appointment of non-Brahmin priests in temples. We are for reforms only,” he said. The leaders of various parties in the alliance have instructed the rank and file to not fall prey to such ‘instigations’ at election time. Even the damage to the statue of social reformer Periyar, founder of Dravidar Kazhagam, an apolitical movement that stood for self- respect and progressive ideals, at Aranthangi town recently evoked restrained reaction. In fact, the DMK, a party born out of the Dravida Kazhagam, however, does not follow the stringent atheist principles Periyar preached. The DMK, when formed, carried the slogan of 'Ondrae kulam, Oruvanae thevan' (Mankind is one, and God is one). The propaganda against the DMK as anti-Hindu party got triggered off after K Veeramani, the president of DK, made a reference to Hindu god Lord Krishna in connection with the Pollachi sex scandal. The opinions are the author's own. AR Meyyammai, a journalist with two decades of experience, has worked for The Hindu, The New Indian Express and Deccan Chronicle.

Body 2:

Labour law

The Employees State Insurance (ESI) Act only mentions the loss of external organs to be eligible for compensation.

TNM Staff

File Image

The Madras High Court has ordered the Indian government to introduce necessary amendments to the Employees State Insurance (ESI) Act to classify the loss of internal organs as permanent disability. The order was passed on Saturday by Justice N Kirubakaran, following a petition filed by Senthil, a worker of Hindustan National Glass and Industries Limited in Puducherry. According to reports, in 2000, Senthil suffered an accident while fitting pipes at a factory, and sustained severe injuries in his abdominal region and to his right kidney. He had to undergo surgery. Since his kidney was completely damaged, it had to be removed. Senthil hence approached the Workmen’s Compensation Authority demanding compensation under the Workmen’s Compensation Act for the loss of his earning capacity. However, his demand was rejected by the authority in 2009 since the Act only mentions loss of external organs and does not cover any injury to internal organs to be eligible for the compensation. Senthil's next stop was the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC)’s Regional Director, who rejected his claims for compensation, citing the report from the hospital, saying he has no disability. Aggrieved by this, Senthil moved the ESI court in Puducherry in 2014, which awarded Rs 2 lakh as compensation to him. The ESIC filed an appeal before the Madras High Court, seeking to quash the compensation awarded by the ESI Court. Justice Kirubakaran dismissed the appeal and stated that the ESI court had awarded the compensation on the grounds of equity, and revised the amount to Rs 2.15 lakh, citing that the loss of one kidney is to be considered a ‘permanent partial disablement’. Stating that India had a large number of casual workers, the judge said that all such workers face the risk of suffering injuries to internal and external organs during the course of their work and hence the government has to amend the ESI Act accordingly to include injuries to internal organs in its list of injuries that deserve compensation.

Body 2:

Lok Sabha 2019

The candidate representing the DMK alliance says that there is immense anger against the current MP, her opponent Thambidurai, in the constituency.

Priyanka Thirumurthy

All images from Facebook/Jothimani Sennimalai

In a free-wheeling chat with TNM, Congress candidate P Jothimani, who is contesting as part of the DMK alliance in Karur constituency, opens up about being a woman in politics, working with the DMK, and how she plans to face her biggest opponent this election, M Thambidurai of the AIADMK. What according to you are the main issues plaguing Karur? The main issue is the lack of drinking water. The people here are actually holding empty water pots and preventing the current MP, Thambidurai, from entering their locality out of anger. The entire constituency is suffering from water shortage. The second issue is that a lot of educated youths are struggling to find a job. They are trying to write competitive exams for government jobs, and applying to private companies. So, there is a need for a competitive exam coaching centre, and a skill development centre, so that they can equip themselves to get suitable employment. As an MP, how will you make this happen? If the Congress comes to power, the economy will improve, which in turn will create jobs. And as an MP, I can ensure existing Cauvery schemes are maintained well, improve water tables, and incorporate more rainwater harvesting mechanisms. We need the state government’s cooperation to implement these measures. If they don’t cooperate, we will take to the roads in protest. You are the only woman Congress candidate in TN. Will your candidature encourage more women to enter the political ring? When the candidate is a woman, more women come up to voice their grievances and problems, be it about health issues or infrastructure. My nomination has also caused more women to come join the Congress, and all political parties have now come to the realisation that they need women within the organisation. Earlier, women would be there but they would be very soft and passive. But now women are becoming more dominant, sharp, and they mean business. Any political party you see, women leaders are very dynamic. What problems have you faced as a woman leader? Problems stem from society’s gender prejudice. They see you as lesser than men. I am someone who has worked from the grassroots, from the panchayat level to where I am now. What I have realised from my growth is that men can only fight for issues, but a woman can fight for her gender and issues. It requires double the amount of work and struggle. Whenever I mobilised people in support, the person opposing the cause would say, “Yes, what she is saying is right, but how can a woman say all this?” But you need to keep working, serving people, and evolve as a leader. When you persist, the acceptance slowly comes. Irrespective of the political party, as a woman you need to have a strong will and desire to fight it out. Moreover, politics does not pay and neither is it a steady and planned 9-5 job. When men spend money in politics, they are not questioned; but when women want to spend, the family is not accepting. Financial issues plague women. Further, women are expected to take care of their husbands and elders, and this puts a lot of emotional pressure on them. What about reservation for women in Parliament? 33% reservation for women will see the light of the day because the Congress President is very committed to bringing the law. The Congress itself was undecided upon your candidature till the last minute… This is not true at all. Only the media has been saying this. From the moment Congress asked for Karur, it was clear that I am the likely candidate. Is the DMK cadre supporting you on the ground? In Tamil I would say, ‘Thi Mu Ka ennaku theeya velai seyaranga’ (DMK is working like fire for me). As far as Karur is concerned, Senthil Balaji leads the campaign. In Trichy, KN Nehru leads the campaign; in Dindigul, Chakrapani leads the campaign, and several other DMK leaders and functionaries are working with the Congress. All DMK functionaries are working round the clock. Other alliance parties are also part of the campaign. Thambidurai can hardly face our consolidated attack. On ground, is this a Modi vs anti-Modi battle? It most definitely is. Women are shouting that they don’t want Modi. Also, people still remember schemes introduced by Sonia Gandhi like MGNREGA and loan waiver for farmers. In a time of agrarian distress, this gives them hope. Even supporters of AIADMK are unhappy with the party allying with the BJP and want to support us. You were unsuccessful in 2011 and 2014 elections. What has changed now? In 2011, the alliance got washed out altogether. In 2014, Congress contested alone and people like me did not want to let down the respect of the party, so some of us came forward. But this election, there is wave against our opponents. People want to see Rahul Gandhi as Prime Minister and want to remove PM Modi from his post. But can Congress be successful without the DMK’s support? This is an era of coalitions. No party can contest without support from other parties. Even in this alliance, nobody is going alone. So Congress can’t be singled out in this. Your main competitor this election is AIADMK MP Thambidurai. Is this not a tough battle? Thambidurai is a senior leader and he has held senior positions like Law Minister, and Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha. But when it comes to the constituency, he has done injustice to the people. When you ask people in the constituency, most people don’t know who their MP is, despite him winning two consecutive terms. He hardly visits the people here and there is a lot of anger against him. He knows this too, because he is playing below the belt politics. When I went to file my nomination, he delayed the process and then the media was locked outside the Collector’s room. We fought for them to be let in as well. He is someone who opposed PM Modi for 48 hours and then did a U-turn. So, nobody takes him seriously. The DMK has insisted that there should be no entrance exams for medical courses. But the Congress manifesto has mentioned state-level entrance exams. In a meeting in Salem, our leader Rahul Gandhi has clarified this. He said Tamil Nadu will decide what kind of selection process there should be for medical colleges. We maintain that NEET will not be forced upon states.

Body 2:

Lok Sabha 2019

A similar arrangement would be made for senior citizens and people with disabilities.

TNM Staff

Image for representation/PTI

The Election Commission of India has decided to implement a new system in the polling booths in Tamil Nadu to help voters beat the summer heat, designed in such a way to benefit female voters. According to a report in the Times of India, the ECI will allow one man for every two women in polling booths to cast their vote this election. The polling officers will regulate the voters to set a pattern of 2:1 for women and men voters. This means that a male voter will be able to cast his vote after two women in the queue. Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo said that this was to prevent women, especially pregnant women, from standing in the queue for long hours under the scorching sun. The ECI took the decision considering the fact that Tamil Nadu has more female voters than male: 3,02,69,045 female as opposed to 2,95,94,923 male voters. A similar arrangement would be made for senior citizens and persons with disabilities at polling booths, wherein they will not be required to wait in lines to cast their vote. Tamil Nadu will go to the polls in 39 Parliamentary constituencies on April 18. The state will also go to the polls in 18 Assembly constituencies on the same day and four other Assembly constituencies on May 19. The CEO also announced on Saturday that voters from Aravakurichi, Ottapidaram, Sulur and Tirupparamkundram, who will also be eligible to cast votes for the Assembly bye-elections on May 19, will have the indelible mark applied on the middle finger of their left hand. This was decided since these voters would already have the ink mark on the left index fingers after voting for the Lok Sabha elections on April 18. The election campaigning for the polls will officially end on Tuesday in the state in line with the provisions of the Model Code of Conduct. April 18 has been declared a public holiday in Tamil Nadu to help people exercise their democratic right to vote.

Body 2:

In-Depth

Officially, Vijay’s fan clubs have been told to vote per their conscience. Unofficially, however, many fans are supporting DMK alliance candidates.

Kavitha Muralidharan

Jagadeeshwari with the poster.

A young woman is holding a poster that has a message for the AIADMK: “This is the house of a Vijay fan, AIADMK people need not come here seeking votes.” The image went viral on social media last week, resonating with several Vijay fans who have now announced that they will follow suit. The woman, identified as S Jagadeeshwari, is also the women’s wing leader of Thalapathy Vijay Makkal Iyakkam in Virudhunagar district. Jagedeeshwari says her decision to display the poster snubbing AIADMK is an outcome of the ruling party’s reaction to Vijay’s film Sarkar. “I have absolutely no other intention, in fact till Jayalalithaa was alive, I had voted for the AIADMK,” Jagadeeshwari tells TNM. But when she spent Rs 70,000 and put up banners for Sarkar, they were torn down within two days by AIADMK cadres. “Officially, it has been decided that our flags and name cannot be used for any party’s campaign,” says ECR Saravanan, district office bearer of Kanchipuram Vijay Makkal Iyakkam, “We have no official position for this election. The fans have been told to vote as per their conscience.” But he admits that the fans are angry with AIADMK and the BJP. “I don’t think anybody will vote for them,” he says. Jagadeeshwari agrees, “We have been advised to follow our conscience, I am doing just that.” BJP and AIADMK’s tiff with Vijay fans Vijay is no doubt a hugely successful star in Tamil films. The ruling parties at the Centre and the state alienated Vijay fans after the release of his last two films, Mersal and Sarkar. And now that the BJP and AIADMK are in alliance, Vijay fans seem to have decided to hit out at both of them. The BJP was miffed with certain dialogues in Mersal; in the film’s climax, Vijay delivers a dialogue that has references to GST and demonetisation, and the BJP couldn’t take it. Leaders like H Raja decided to communalise the issue by claiming “religious” motives to Vijay’s anti-BJP stand, suddenly realising that the actor is a Christian. H Raja is currently a contestant in Sivaganga Lok Sabha constituency. Sarkar, meanwhile, offended the AIADMK. The party particularly saw red on a sequence where voters are seen throwing away freebies. Several AIADMK cadres tore Sarkar posters, leading to some tense moments between them and Vijay fans. “Anna (Vijay) never wanted us to spend money – it is out of our own interest and for our own happiness that we do it,” Jagadeeshwari says, “To see them torn down in less than two days was heartbreaking.” And therefore, while Vijay or his fan clubs have not taken any official position to support any party this election, unofficially, many Vijay fans seem to be supporting rivals DMK. In constituencies like Arakkonam and Madurai, Vijay fans have reportedly expressed support for the DMK-front candidates, though not in their official capacity. Rajini’s 50-50 success rate This is not the first time that fans of an actor have used elections to get back at a political opponent. But while actors’ voices have worked to impact elections at times, they have failed at other times. For instance, Rajini’s famous ‘voice’ against the 1991-96 rule of Jayalalithaa was one of the factors that contributed to her routing in the 1996 polls. In 2004 however, upset about PMK’s criticism of Rajinikanth for glorifying smoking on screen in a film that had released two years earlier, his fans associations vowed to defeat PMK in all the constituencies it contested. But PMK won all the five seats it had contested, busting the myth of the ‘Rajini voice’. Perhaps the electorate saw the decision to fight against PMK as more personal, unlike in 1996, when Tamil Nadu was collectively frustrated with the AIADMK regime and in Rajinikanth’s voice saw a pointed articulation of that despair. How MGR turned his fan base into his political base In the case of MGR, while his fans were constantly up in arms against then-DMK chief M Karunanidhi, the actor always kept his fans at bay, says Idhayakkani Vijayan – editor of the magazine called Idhayakkani on MGR. “He never allowed any confrontation to take a final shape,” he says. When Karunanidhi tried to prop up his son MK Muthu as a hero to counter the rising popularity of MGR, who was then still with the DMK, the people chose their star at a public meeting, Vijayan recalls. “In 1972, MK Muthu attended a DMK conference in Madurai in which MGR was also a speaker. After MGR’s speech, the crowd disbursed,” he says. MGR was expelled from the DMK in 1972; between then, when the AIADMK was launched, and 1977, when MGR was elected the Chief Minister, he acted in scores of movies. And most of them were aimed at consolidating his already well-established political base. Sample the titles of some of these films: Annamitta Kai (The hand that feeds); Urimai Kural (The voice of rights); Ninaithathai Mudippavan (The one who accomplishes whatever he thinks of); Oorukku Uzhaippavan (The one who works for the town); and Meenava Nanban (The friend of the fisherman). Vijayan recalls how many films ran into trouble because of opposition from the DMK, “But several films like Ulagam Suttrum Vaaliban went on to become the biggest of hits.” Will Vijay take the plunge? Will Vijay’s fan base bring about any change this election, considering he has left his stand ambiguous? Jagadeeshwari says the idea is to not hurt the prospects of the AIADMK-BJP front. “Not that we cannot, but that is not our intention this election,” she says, “We are just retaliating. We still feel pained by what happened, and we have used this opportunity to express it.” Given Vijay’s fan base though, if he had taken an official stand, it most likely would have hit the electoral prospects of the AIADMK-BJP combine. “First time voters are crucial this time,” says writer Stalin Rajangam, “But since Vijay has not made any announcement, we cannot be sure if this will have any impact. For now, the opposition to AIADMK and BJP seems organic. If there is to be an impact, the movement definitely needs some validation from the actor himself.” Writer and activist Aazhi Senthilnathan says this election non-stand could be part of a larger game plan. “Vijay has been hinting on and off about entering politics. His films carry strong political messages. If he is still silent about his fans opposing and campaigning against AIADMK and BJP after taking an official position to not support or oppose any party, it certainly points to a larger game plan. But whether he will finally be willing to take the risk is a moot question.” Kavitha Muralidharan is a journalist with two decades of experience, writing on politics, culture, literature and cinema. Views expressed are the author's own.

Body 2:

Ambedkar Jayanthi

The song speaks about the divide in society on the basis of religion and caste.

TNM Staff

Facebook/The Casteless Collective

Commemorating the birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar, the Casteless Collective has released a song as a tribute to the leader. Pa Ranjith’s Neelam Cultural Centre and the Casteless Collective have been at the forefront of breaking the social narrative which has been controlled by people of dominant castes in the performing arts domain in Tamil Nadu. Latest in their efforts is the song Thalaivaa, which has been composed as a tribute to the leader who worked tirelessly to champion the rights of the Dalits, Dr BR Ambedkar. Tweeting about the release of the single on Sunday, Pa Ranjith said, “#AmbedkarJayanti⁠ ⁠#NeelamCulturalCentre and #theCastelessCollective are proud to present #thalaiva a tribute song to "Father of Modern India" Babasaheb Dr B R Ambedkar.” #AmbedkarJayanti⁠ ⁠#NeelamCulturalCentre and #theCastelessCollective are proud to present #thalaiva a tribute song to "Father of Modern India" Babasaheb Dr. B R Ambedkar @officialneelam @tcl_collective music @tenmamakesmusic @pro_guna link https://t.co/JJr0uvw5Gr— pa.ranjith (@beemji) April 14, 2019 The 5:08-minute long Tamil song has been written by Chetpet Ramesh and sung by Muthu. Composed by Tenma, the song describes the divide in society based on religion and caste. “Aindharivu ullavarellaam miruga jaadhi da, aararivu manidhanukku ore needhi da,” is a refrain one hears throughout the song which translates to, “Those who have five senses are animals, the rules are the same for humans who have six senses.” Casteless Collective, a collaborative effort by Madras Records and Neelam Cultural Centre, was launched in January 2018 as a band for independent music created by talented musicians hailing from marginalised backgrounds. The Casteless Collective’s music predominantly speaks of topics which are under-represented in mainstream music – caste, reservations, menstruation, oppression etc. With Tenma, Muthu, Bala Chandar, Isaivani, Arivu, Chellamuthu, Dharani, Sarath, Gautham, Nandan, Manu, and Sahir, the Casteless Collective presents a genre of music dominated by gaana. The band’s aim is to open up discussions about caste and its adverse impact on society and to create a political movement with music. Watch the video here:

Body 2:

Lok Sabha 2019

Gadkari’s comments comes just a week after the Madras High Court had slammed the feasibility report and stayed the project.

TNM Staff

File image/PTI

Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari was campaigning for the AIADMK candidate in Salem on Sunday, and said that the Chennai-Salem Green Express Highway will be built in due course of time. Calling the controversial project, which has currently been stayed by the Madras High Court, the most important development project in the region, the minister said, “Today the matter is in court. The High Court has given a stay for it. But still, it is very important for the development of this area. Our Chief Minister is constantly pursuing this subject... I’m expecting that in due course of time, with discussion with the farmers, we will resolve the issues and we will fulfill your dream of making of Green Express Highway between Chennai and Salem.” Gadkari was campaigning for AIADMK Salem candidate KRS Saravanan. In his speech, he stated that his track record as a minister is 100% and that he would fulfill all the promises given by him to the constituency. “I am assuring you, whatever the rates for land acquisition we are giving, we have increased the rate. As compared with today’s present value, we are offering more to the farmers,” he said. It was only last week that the Madras High Court had quashed the land acquisition done by the state government for the project, and ordered the authorities to return the land to their owners and change the ownership to that effect in the records. The court slammed the National Highways Authority of India’s (NHAI) argument that it would benefit the people living along the road. Trashing the feasibility report prepared as a part of the project, the court observed that the content of the report was a cut-paste job, since there were references to China and Bengaluru in the report. Gadkari’s speech comes barely two days after another Union Minister, Piyush Goyal, disregarded another prominent demand in Tamil Nadu, the scrapping of NEET. Piyush Goyal said that NEET will not be scrapped, contrary to ally AIADMK’s stated position on the issue.

Body 2:

Waste Treatment

The four men, all hailing from Assam, were working in a leather unit in Karuppagoundenpalayam near Veerapandi in Tiruppur.

TNM Staff

Image for representation

Four men hailing from Assam died of asphyxiation while cleaning an effluent-filled tank at a leather unit factory in Tiruppur on Sunday. According to reports, the factory in Karuppagoundenpalayam near Veerapandi, Tirupur, has an effluent treatment plant to recycle the used water from the factory. The effluent treatment plant also has two other tanks to collect the solid waste that is pumped into the effluent treatment plant. On Sunday, seven employees of the unit were engaged in cleaning the waste collected in both the tanks. Farooq, one of the employees, was engaged to clean the 20 feet-deep sludge tank, which according to The Times of India report, was not cleaned in the last five years. Farooq soon collapsed inside the tank. Seeing him fall unconscious, three employees – Dilwar, Anwar and Abu – also got inside the tank to rescue him, and fell unconscious themselves. Seeing the four men faint, three other employees who were cleaning the tanks, rushed them to a government hospital in Tiruppur. However, the doctors pronounced the three men brought dead. Dilwar died later in the hospital. The deceased have been identified as Anwar Hussain Barbhuiya (24), Farooq Ahmed (22), Abu (21) and Dilwar Hussain Barbhuiya (23). The four men were from Cachar in Assam and were working in the unit. Police told The New Indian Express that the owner of the unit, Jayakumar, would be interrogated soon. Sub-collector of Tiruppur, Senbagavalli also said that the permits and licences of the unit would be confirmed by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) and the city corporation. The police have booked Jayakumar under sections 287 (Negligent conduct with respect to machinery) and 304A (Causing death by negligence) of the IPC. The Corporation Commissioner of Tiruppur also assured investigation into the incident and sensitisation of factory-owners about the machines that can do the scavenging work.

Body 2:

Lok Sabha 2019

Last week, the AIADMK had complained that the DMK’s advertisements made reference to the former on the Sterlite incident.

TNM Staff

Satyabrata Sahoo, the Chief Electoral Officer of Tamil Nadu, on Sunday, directed the media not to telecast AIADMK advertisements that are critical of the DMK on the grounds of violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). In a letter addressed to all media organisations, including print and TV channels, the CEO said that the legal wing secretary of the DMK has written to him regarding the AIADMK telecasting advertisements that make references to DMK on corruption. “The legal wing secretary of DMK has brought to the notice of this office that the election campaign video of the AIADMK party related to the offence of corruption is being telecast in electronic and social media so as to influence the voters. The content of the video is based on baseless allegations and scandalous statements,” reads the directive to the media. Citing the Compendium of Instructions on Model Code of Conduct, the CEO then stated that other parties or their workers shall not be criticised based on unsubstantiated allegations. He added that the Cable Television Network Rules, 1994 permits the Election Commission to order a ban on the telecast of such materials on TV. “..it will also be open to direct seizure of the equipment,” reads the letter from the CEO. Incidentally, this order comes a week after the AIADMK approached the Election Commission of India with a complaint against the DMK’s advertisement for violating the poll code. In its complaint, the AIADMK said that the DMK, through its ad, was making baseless allegations against it in relation to the Sterlite incident that took place in May 2018. AIADMK said that DMK was alleging that the state government intentionally opened fire at the protestors in Sterlite protest on May 22, which claimed the lives of 13 civilians. Stating that the DMK has violated the Model Code of Conduct, which prohibits the use of pictures of funerals, coffins and dead bodies in campaigns, AIADMK sought ECI to take strict action against the DMK.

Body 2:

Crime

The police say it was a drunken brawl, the BJP has alleged that the man was killed over a fight on politics.

Priyanka Thirumurthy

A 75-year-old man named Govindarajan died on Sunday after he was assaulted by a local truck driver at Orathanadu in Thanjavur district. According to the police, the victim Govindarajan got into a verbal fight with the suspect Gopinath at around 3pm on Sunday. This then escalated into physical assault where Gopinath, who is a truck driver, beat up the elderly man. Following this Govindarajan went back home and even bought dinner for himself. While multiple media reports have stated that the attacker, a man named Gopinath, is a DMK-Congress alliance supporter, the district police has denied this. Ilango, a district secretary of the BJP in Thanjavur told TNM that though the party was not sure of the antecedents of the attacker, they had been told by eye witnesses that the brawl was over politics and Govindarajan's support for Modi. "He died at around 9 pm in the night and not immediately after the attack. We have arrested Gopinath over suspicion of his role in the death," says Orthanadu DSP Kamaraj. "Govindarajan was intellectually disabled and he had a habit of talking loudly. Gopinath got agitated and beat him up. Govindarajan wore different pictures of leaders and walked around. Both of them are not affiliated to any party particularly," he added. When TNM contacted the local BJP leaders, they confirmed that for the last six months Govindarajan has ardently been supporting the party. They also denied reports that Govindarajan was mentally unwell."He has been a keen BJP support from even before the election was announced. He would wear the Prime Minister's photo around his neck and campaign. He was not mentally affected. If he was not a BJP supporter, why would he travel to these rallies," asked Ilango. "He used to be a government employee and was suspended. He had some problems with his family and has been kept away for some time now. The DK says the assaulter is not from their party. They claim he was just paid sometimes to come hold flags at the rallies," he adds.

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Politics

This announcement from the family comes a day after MNM posted a video where founder Kamal Haasan says Anitha's parents will tell the public whom not to vote for.

TNM Staff

A day after a campaign video posted by MNM chief Kamal Haasan hinted that deceased medical aspirant Anitha's family supported his party in the Lok Sabha elections, the girl's brother came out with a clarification. Maniratnam, Anitha's eldest brother, has revealed that while he has great respect for the actor turned politician, he and his family will be voting for VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan who is part of the DMK alliance. In the video posted on Friday, Kamal Haasan warned voters about choosing the wrong candidates. He says that many people would vote for whom their parents suggest. And while he says this is correct, he asks people to think about which parents to listen to."Ask the parents of the girl whom the whole government conspired to kill, they will tell you who not to vote for. When unqualified people are leading this nation, I ask as someone who questions this, as someone who is part of all of you. Who will you vote for?" he asks. நம் விழியில் எரியும் கோபம், நம் விரல்களில் வெடிக்கட்டும்! புது வெளிச்சம் பிறக்கட்டும்! வாக்களிப்பீர் #டார்ச்லைட் சின்னத்திற்கு. உங்கள் நான். pic.twitter.com/MUdNCjSsgb — Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) April 12, 2019 In response to this, Maniratnam has written in his post, "I am a true fan of respected and loved actor Kamal. And this is not just for his acting. Both in reel and real life, he tries to break barriers and is brave enough to do what he thinks is right, no matter what others say. He is someone who dissolved his fan clubs to create welfare associations. He was my inspiration to donate blood and sign to donate my organs. I am happy if anyone new comes to politics and on that note, I congratulate my brother Kamal and his party. Like brother Kamal said, my family and I are very certain about who to not vote for. We will never vote for the fascist BJP party. When Anitha died, the man who said he won't let it go - Thirumavalavan, is the candidate from our constituency. DMK is a party that has the power to stop the Centre from conducting NEET exams, a party that upholds social justice, a party that will not give up the right of the state and one of the few parties that will ensure the basic protection of Tamil Nadu." He further goes on to declare who his family will vote for."The alliance led by the DMK leadership has ensured the Congress' manifesto says that NEET will be removed and this has given us hope. Therefore, our vote is for the DMK led Secular forward alliance candidate Thirumavalavan (he is deserving of the post).” Though Anitha had four brothers, she was closest to Maniratnam who fuelled her dream of becoming a doctor. It was Maniratnam who signed Anitha’s petition against NEET in the Supreme Court, since she was a minor.

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