CHENNAI : PMK founder leader Dr. S. Ramadoss has called upon the Tamil Nadu government to reimplement the old pension scheme in the state as promised by the ruling DMK in its election manifesto.In a statement on Monday, the senior leader said that the contention of the Tamil Nadu Finance Minister, that reimplementing the old pension scheme was not possible is a classic example of 'dereliction' of duties on his part.He called upon the Tamil Nadu government to immediately implement the old pension scheme like Rajasthan, Chattisgarh, and West Bengal.The PMK leader said that the new pension scheme was not implemented in the Armed forces and Indian judiciary as it was not socially protective like the old scheme. Ramadoss said, "The scheme that has been rejected by the Armed forces and Indian judiciary must not be implemented for the government employees of the state."He said that the Tamil Nadu finance minister's theory that legal wrangles exist in transferring the funds deposited with the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) and that reimplementing the scheme would bring financial burden to the state does not hold water.The PMK founder leader said that the legal wrangles that the Tamil Nadu finance minister was talking about could be resolved by talking to the Central government and said that the minister should make efforts to solve this and not shy away from his responsibilities as a state minister—IANS

 PMK founder leader Dr. S. Ramadoss has called upon the Tamil Nadu government to reimplement the old pension scheme in the state as promised by the ruling DMK in its election manifesto

PMK demands implementation of old pension scheme in TN

Chennai: &nbsp;The AIADMK is still undecided on the selection of its candidates for the two Rajya Sabha seats that it will get from the six which are falling vacant in June. The ruling DMK has announced the names of three out of the four candidates that it can select, its ally Congress, which will get one seat to name its candidate, is also undecided. As there are two power centres in AIADMK, with former Chief Ministers O. Panneerselvam (OPS) and K. Palaniswami (EPS) calling the shots, the selection of the two candidates will be based on their preferences. However, the party leadership conducted two brainstorming sessions for the selection of Rajya Sabha candidates unlike the period of late M.G. Ramachandran and J. Jayalalithaa who used to decide candidates on their own.According to sources in the AIADMK, Palaniswami is to choose between either D. Jayakumar or CVe Shanmugham, both his close associates and former cabinet colleagues, Panneerselvam, wants to nominate his close associate and party Theni district president Syed Ahmad Khan.Even as the two leaders have their own choices, the party's brainstorming session has brought out some suggestions, including considering one candidate with a legal background. Senior party leaders like D. Valarmathi, who participated in the session, told both OPS and EPS that sending a person with a legal background to the Rajya Sabha would give the party a good standing and pointed out that the DMK has senior lawyers in the Rajya Sabha. Another aspect, that was discussed, was on preferring a candidate from South Tamil Nadu as the party's traditional base is in the South. In the 2021 Assembly elections and the recent Urban local body elections, the party had to bite the dust in Southern Tamil Nadu. The powerful Thevar community that has a significant support base in South Tamil Nadu, which was traditionally supporting the AIADMK, had cold-shouldered the party due to the Sasikala issue and Panneerselvam is not getting prominence. It is to be noted that both Sasikala and Panneerselvam are from the Thevar community.The AIADMK leadership has got a shot in the arm as both the BJP and the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) have announced their support to the AIADMK in the Rajya Sabha elections. In the 2021 Assembly elections and the Urban local body elections of January 2022, the PMK had contested on their own. The BJP while contesting in an alliance with the AIADMK in 2021 Assembly elections had decided to contest on its own in the Urban local body polls. While the PMK has 5 MLAs in the state Assembly, the BJP has four MLAs.—IANS

The AIADMK is still undecided on the selection of its candidates for the two Rajya Sabha seats that it will get from the six which are falling vacant in June.

AIADMK undecided on candidates for RS poll

Chennai:&nbsp;The Opposition AIADMK announced two of its seniors as the party's candidates for the Rajya Sabha election.Former state Law Minister C Ve Shanmugam, who is the party's Villupuram district secretary and R Dharmar, former district secretary of Ramanathapuram and Mudukalathur panchayat union chairperson, have been named as the official candidates by AIADMK coordinator O Panneerselvam and co-coordinator K Palaniswamy on Wednesday night.The announcement followed an hour-long discussion held at the party headquarters here along with deputy coordinators K P Munusamy and R Vaithilingam on Wednesday.—PTI

The Opposition AIADMK announced two of its seniors as the party's candidates for the Rajya Sabha election.

AIADMK names RS candidates

Chennai: &nbsp;Citing the recent killings in Chennai, former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition K. Palaniswami, has said that the state capital is “turning into a murder city with 18 murders in 20 days”. However, Greater Chennai City police commissioner, Shankar Jiwal refuted the claim, saying that only 10 murders took place in the city, and of them, four were due to personal enmity and six because of family disputes. Palaniswami made the remark immediately after the killing of BJP’s district leader, K. Balachander in Chennai’s Chintadripet area.While the top police officer has all the right to defend his force, the killing of a small-time financier, Arumugham (36), on the busy Aminjikarai road in broad daylight was a shock. Four men chased the financier and hacked him to death.The DMK government has assumed office in May 2021 with the promise that the police will be strict and would deal with the miscreants with an iron fist. However, with number of killings on rise in many parts of Tamil Nadu, the police force and the state administration seems to be on the receiving end. On May 26, the day when the Prime Minister was arriving in the state, Lakshmanan, a 55-year-old priest, was hacked to death in Madurai by a three-member gang while he was on way to temple. This was another major blow for the Tamil Nadu Police, forcing the Director-General of Police (DGP) to intervene in the matter. Police acted swiftly and arrested the culprits who were close relatives of the deceased priest. Meanwhile, in another embarrassment for the state police, two alleged custodial deaths took place on April 19 and 26 in two seperate incidents in Chennai and Myladuthurai. In Chennai, a Scheduled Caste youth Vignesh who was picked up by the police along with an accomplice Suresh on April 18 died on 19 in the police station.Autopsy revealed that Vignesh had 13 injuries including a broken right leg and bruises on the face, hands, shoulders, and chest. Sub-Inspector of Police and constables were arrested in the case.Similarly, on April 26, Thangamani(46) died in Myladuthurai sub-jail. He was picked by the police on April 25 charging that he was brewing illicit liquor. The relatives of the deceased alleged that Thangamani was brutally tortured in the station and he died in sub-jail on next day morning due to the torture inflicted in the station. In Chengalpattu district, adjoining Chennai, two youths were hacked to death by a three-member gang in January. Chengalpattu district is home to several major industries in Tamil Nadu including international automobile manufacturers and software companies, and the brutal killings could possibly lead to the loss of investors’ confidence.R. Swaminathan, head of industrial relations in a big multinational company in Chengalpattu while speaking to IANS said: “Any investor will be comfortable when the law and order situation is good but after the murder of two youths and another killing have led to sort of uneasiness in our management. The government is trying its best it seems, but we need assurance that the police will deal with an iron hand.” Even as killings have turned routine and people are worried over the frequent murders, DGP C. Sylendrababu told reporters on May 24 that the law and order situation was well maintained in the state. The DGP said: “No instances of caste or communal clashes in Tamil Nadu or firing or deaths due to spurious liquor, occurred in the state. So it is very peaceful.”However, he admitted that illicit liquor was brewed in certain parts of the state but the police have arrested several people who were indulging in illicit brewing of liquor. While the DGP is claiming that there are no caste-related killings in the state, four beheadings in 10 days during September 2021 had sent a chill through the spines of people of south Tamil Nadu. All the murders were caste-related and the DGP had to camp in Madurai and intervene to quench the violence erupted following the incidents. C. Rajeev, Director, Centre for Policy and Development Studies, a think tank based out of Chennai, while speaking to IANS, said: “Back to back killings and custodial deaths have dented the image of Tamil Nadu police and the Chief Minister who is in charge of the home department must ensure that law and order are maintained properly for a safe and peaceful Tamil Nadu. No one must be allowed to take the law into his hands, and beyond a point, situation would turn grave and out of control if it is not handled now.”—IANS

Citing the recent killings in Chennai, former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition K. Palaniswami, has said that the state capital is “turning into a murder city with 18 murders in 20 days”.

18 murders in 20 days: Chennai mirrors TN's rising crime graph

Chennai: The Bharatiya Janata Party’s key ally in Tamil Nadu, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Wednesday slammed the saffron party alleging that it is anti-Tamil and claimed that the party could never grow in the state. The alliance with the BJP was merely an 'electoral adjustment' and the saffron party's ideology is diametrically opposite to that of the AIADMK, veteran party leader C Ponnaiyan said. Ponnaiyan alleged that the BJP is continuously 'imposing' Hindi despite the AIADMK's stiff opposition all along."The imposition of Hindi is many times more than what it was during the Congress-led governments at the Centre," he told PTI. "We firmly stand by the two-language policy of Tamil and English."Ponnaiyan, a founding member of the AIADMK, is the party's organisation secretary and a senior spokesperson. A minister in the previous AIADMK regimes, he was part of the cabinet led by both party founder M G Ramachandran and late leader J Jayalalithaa. He said the AIADMK is opposed to the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for medical admissions. The BJP, however, is 'forcing' the test on Tamil Nadu and this has led to a scenario of 'students from northern states' taking away a chunk of seats in medical colleges in the state, he alleged.&nbsp;While 'state autonomy' is a fundamental principle of his party, the former minister said the BJP-led central government has reduced state governments to the level of a 'village panchayat' by taking away the rights of states like those related to taxation.Pointing to the Supreme Court judgment on Cauvery river water issue and inter-state river water matters like the Mullaiperiyar, he condemned what he termed the BJP's 'step-motherly' treatment towards Tamil Nadu.Accusing the BJP of 'actively siding with' the Sri Lankan 'Rajapakse' government that was “behind the killings” of 1.5 lakh Tamils in the 2009 war in the island nation between the now defunct Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Army, he said the Tamil families affected by war were yet to get due relief.Also, the Tamil people have not been empowered by giving them equal rights and opportunities.Ponnaiyan said AIADMK firmly stood for the rights of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka, which includes those related to equal employment opportunities, land rights and due respect and recognition for the Tamil language. "We do not accept the BJP's anti-Tamil race, anti-Tamil language sentiments (stand)."Asserting that the BJP can never grow in Tamil Nadu, he said the national party may get a space in the state only if it appropriately addresses all such issues.Asked if the AIADMK would continue its alliance with the BJP for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, he said, "I do not know. How can we comment on that now?"On May 31, addressing a party event in Chennai, Ponnaiyan had said that the BJP's growth (in Tamil Nadu) would not augur well for the AIADMK, the state and the Dravidian policies as well. It was the first, open criticism by an AIADMK leader against the BJP.The AIADMK fought the 2021 assembly election in alliance with the BJP, Pattali Makkal Katchi and other smaller parties. The saffron party won four assembly seats and the alliance, in total, bagged 75 seats in the 234-member assembly. The DMK-led coalition won 159 seats.Ponnaiyan's comments come against the backdrop of a growing perception in the state that the BJP, under the leadership of its state unit chief K Annamalai, is performing the role of the main opposition party, while the AIADMK is not putting up a spirited fight to take on the ruling DMK.—PTI

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s key ally in Tamil Nadu, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Wednesday slammed the saffron party alleging that it is anti-Tamil and claimed that the party could never grow in the state.

BJP is anti-Tamil, can never grow in TN, says ally AIADMK

New Delhi: P Chidambaram and Rajeev Shukla of the Congress, BJP's Sumitra Valmiki and Kavita Patidar, former Congress leader Kapil Sibal, RJD's Misa Bharti and Jayant Chaudhary of the RLD were among the 41 winners declared elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha on Friday. All the 11 candidates in Uttar Pradesh, six in Tamil Nadu, five in Bihar, four in Andhra Pradesh, three each in Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, two each in Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Telangana and Jharkhand and one candidate in Uttarakhand won without a contest. Of the 41 winners, 14 are from the BJP, four each from Congress and YSR Congress; three each from DMK and BJD; two each from AAP, RJD, TRS, AIADMK, one each from JMM, JDU, SP and RLD besides Independent Sibal.Elections were scheduled to be held on June 10 to fill 57 Rajya Sabha seats from 15 states that will be falling vacant due to the retirement of members on different dates between June and August. Friday was the last date for withdrawal of candidature. On June 10, elections will now be held for six seats in Maharashtra, four each in Rajasthan and Karnataka and two in Haryana. Results will be declared the same day. Of the 11 candidates declared elected in Uttar Pradesh, eight are from BJP, one each from AAP, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Samajwadi Party and RLD (Rashtriya Lok Dal), along with independent Sibal. The winners from the state are Jayant Chaudhary (RLD), Javed Ali Khan (SP), Darshana Singh, Babu Ram Nishad, Mithilesh Kumar, Radha Mohan Dal Agarwal, K Laxman, Laxmikant Bajpai, Surendra Singh Nagar, Sangeeta Yadav (all BJP).The winners from Tamil Nadu are the ruling DMK's S Kalyanasundaram, R Girirajan and KRN Rajesh Kumar, AIADMK's C Ve Shanmugam and R Dharmar and Congress's Chidambaram. In the Upper House, the DMK's current strength of 10 would continue to unaltered and AIADMK representation is set to slide to 4 MPs from 5 members. With Chidambaram's election, the Congress party would have a member from Tamil Nadu in the Rajya Sabha after a long gap. In 2016, Chidambaram was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra and his term ends on July 4. All five candidates from Bihar were elected unopposed - Misa Bharti and Faiyaz Ahmed (RJD), Satish Chandra Dubey and Shambhu Sharan Patel (BJP), and Kheeru Mahto (JDU). Bharti, the eldest daughter of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, and Dubey shall be enjoying their second consecutive terms. V Vijayasai Reddy, Beeda Masthan Rao, R Krishnaiah and S Niranjan Reddy of the ruling YSR Congress were also elected unopposed from Andhra Pradesh. With this win, the strength of the YSRC has now increased to nine in Rajya Sabha, out of 11 from the state, with the TDP and the BJP having one member each. Vijayasai has been re-elected for the second consecutive term.AAP candidates -- noted environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal and entrepreneur-social activist Vikramjit Singh Sahney -- were declared winners in Punjab. The terms of Rajya Sabha members from Punjab Ambika Soni (Congress) and Balwinder Singh Bhunder (Shiromani Akali Dal) are due to expire on July 4. In March, the AAP had nominated former cricketer Harbhajan Singh, AAP leader Raghav Chadha, Lovely Professional University founder Ashok Mittal, former IIT Delhi faculty Sandeep Pathak and industrialist Sanjeev Arora for Rajya Sabha. They all were elected unopposed from Punjab. In Chhattisgarh, both the nominees of the ruling Congress - Shukla and Ranjeet Ranjan - were elected unopposed. The Opposition BJP did not field its candidate in view of its low strength in the state assembly. Of the five Rajya Sabha members from Chhattisgarh, the terms of two - Chhaya Verma (Congress) and Ramvichar Netam (BJP) - are set to expire next month.The other three Rajya Sabha members from the state are KTS Tulsi and Phulodevi Netam of the Congress and Saroj Pandey of the BJP.JMM's Mahua Maji and BJP's Aditya Sahu were declared elected unopposed from Jharkhand. BJP candidate from Uttarakhand, Kalpana Saini, was also elected unopposed and will fill the lone seat to the upper house after the term of Congress's Pradeep Tamta ends on July 4. The BJD won all the three seats in Odisha and the TRS both the seats in Telangana. In Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena and the BJP will battle it out for the sixth seat of Rajya Sabha as none of the seven candidates in the fray - four of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and three of BJP - withdrew their nomination.This will be for the first time in more than two decades that the state will see election to the Upper House of the Parliament. The last such election was in 1998, where the Congress candidate Ram Pradhan had lost despite the party having enough numbers in its favour.Six candidates are in the fray for the polls to four seats from Karnataka. Despite not having an adequate number of votes to win the fourth seat, BJP, Congress and JD(S) have fielded candidates for the seat, forcing an election. Meanwhile, keen contests for the four seats in Rajasthan and two in Haryana are on the cards as none of the candidates withdrew their candidatures on the last day. The Congress is expecting three seats in Rajasthan and the BJP is one of its own and is supporting an independent and media baron Subhash Chandra for the fourth seat. In Haryana, Congress has fielded Ajay Maken for one seat and the BJP has fielded one candidate and is supporting another independent candidate and media baron Kartikeya Sharma for the second seat.—PTI

 P Chidambaram and Rajeev Shukla of the Congress, BJP's Sumitra Valmiki and Kavita Patidar, former Congress leader Kapil Sibal, RJD's Misa Bharti and Jayant Chaudhary of the RLD were among the 41 winners declared elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha on Friday.

Chidambaram, Sibal, Misa among 41 elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha

New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the Madras High Court order which restrained the passing of any unannounced resolutions in the meeting of the AIADMK general and executive councils concerning the issue of single leadership of the party. A vacation bench of Justices Dinesh Maheshwari and Krishna Murari issued notices to AIADMK general council member M Shanmugam and party coordinator O Panneerselvam on the plea of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami challenging the High Court order. "Notice be issued to respondents, returnable in two weeks. In view of the facts and circumstances of the case and subject matter of litigation and high court orders, it is considered appropriate that operation and effect of order June 23, 2022, shall remain stayed," the bench said.The top court also clarified that the General Council of the AIADMK which is to take place on July 11, 2022, may proceed in the accordance with the law.“At present, we do not consider it necessary to pass any other orders of interim nature. It is made clear that the pendency of these petitions in this court could not be of any impediment in Single Judge dealing with civil suits examining prayer for any other interim relief or pass any other order as needed for facts and circumstances of the case,” the bench said. The apex court observed that the high court bench exceeded its jurisdiction by passing a stay order at the general council meeting.Senior advocate C S Vaidyanathan, appearing for Palaniswami, submitted that contempt petitions have been initiated for the party meeting held after which the apex court agreed to examine the matter.Senior advocate Maninder Singh, appearing for Shanmugam, submitted that the single bench, which had refused to stay at the general council meeting, did not record any reason in the order.Panneerselvam had moved the Madras High Court with a civil suit to stall the conduct of the party general council meeting by the Palaniswami faction on July 11. The high court division bench had held an extraordinary sitting past midnight and passed the order at 4 am on June 23. The court had ruled that no unannounced resolutions could be taken up at the meeting of the AIADMK general and executive councils here, restraining the camp led by joint coordinator Palaniswami from initiating any such move over the possible single leadership issue.IANS

The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the Madras High Court order which restrained the passing of any unannounced resolutions in the meeting of the AIADMK general and executive councils concerning the issue of single leadership of the party.

 AIADMK leadership row: SC stays Madras HC order restraining resolutions in general council meeting

The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the Madras High Court order which restrained the passing of any unannounced resolutions in the meeting of the AIADMK general and executive councils concerning the issue of single leadership of the party.



Chennai (Tamil Nadu) : A total of 16 resolutions were passed in the crucial All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam General Council meeting held on Monday in which Edappadi K Palaniswami was appointed as the party's interim General Secretary and O Paneerselvam was expelled for "anti-party" activities.The resolutions were passed after the Madras High Court today dismissed a petition by OPS, who sought to stay the holding of a General Council (GC) meeting. He had contended that only the Coordinator and the Joint Coordinator can convene the GC meeting and that since the newly-appointed Presidium Chairman had done so, the meeting was technically illegal and hence untenable.<br style="margin: 0px 0px 2rem; padding: 0px; line-height: 4.6rem; display: block; content: &quot;&quot;; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: MontserratMedium, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17.18px; letter-spacing: 0.5px; white-space: normal;">The party has said that anyone who wants to contest for the post of General Secretary has to be a member of the party for 10 years. The candidature should be proposed by ten district secretaries and seconded by the same number of district secretaries of the AIADMK.<br style="margin: 0px 0px 2rem; padding: 0px; line-height: 4.6rem; display: block; content: &quot;&quot;; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: MontserratMedium, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17.18px; letter-spacing: 0.5px; white-space: normal;">Ahead of the GC meeting, supporters of EPS and OPS clashed in front of the party headquarters here.Here are the highlights of the resolutions adopted by the AIADMK during the General Council meeting.<br style="margin: 0px 0px 2rem; padding: 0px; line-height: 4.6rem; display: block; content: &quot;&quot;; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: MontserratMedium, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17.18px; letter-spacing: 0.5px; white-space: normal;">* The party passed a resolution to terminate the posts of coordinator and joint-coordinator, officially doing away with the dual leadership structure in the party. Earlier, OPS and EPS held these two posts, respectively.<br style="margin: 0px 0px 2rem; padding: 0px; line-height: 4.6rem; display: block; content: &quot;&quot;; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: MontserratMedium, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17.18px; letter-spacing: 0.5px; white-space: normal;">* The party passes a resolution naming EPS as interim general secretary<br style="margin: 0px 0px 2rem; padding: 0px; line-height: 4.6rem; display: block; content: &quot;&quot;; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: MontserratMedium, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17.18px; letter-spacing: 0.5px; white-space: normal;">* The post of General Secretary has been revived, for which primary members of the party will vote for in fresh elections that will be held within four months. The post which was held by late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa was abolished after her death in the year 2016.<br style="margin: 0px 0px 2rem; padding: 0px; line-height: 4.6rem; display: block; content: &quot;&quot;; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: MontserratMedium, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17.18px; letter-spacing: 0.5px; white-space: normal;">* The party passed a resolution creating the post of Deputy General Secretary, who will be selected by the party's General Secretary. Both the General Secretary and the Deputy Secretary will serve a term of five years.<br style="margin: 0px 0px 2rem; padding: 0px; line-height: 4.6rem; display: block; content: &quot;&quot;; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: MontserratMedium, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17.18px; letter-spacing: 0.5px; white-space: normal;">* Anyone who wants to contest as General Secretary has to be a member of the party for 10 years. The candidature should be proposed by ten district secretaries and seconded by the same number of district secretaries of the party.<br style="margin: 0px 0px 2rem; padding: 0px; line-height: 4.6rem; display: block; content: &quot;&quot;; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: MontserratMedium, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17.18px; letter-spacing: 0.5px; white-space: normal;">* The party adopted a resolution congratulating newly elected members to various internal party posts.<br style="margin: 0px 0px 2rem; padding: 0px; line-height: 4.6rem; display: block; content: &quot;&quot;; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: MontserratMedium, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17.18px; letter-spacing: 0.5px; white-space: normal;">* The party passed a resolution seeking a Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour for E V Ramasamy 'Periyar', MG Ramachandran (MGR) and the late chief minister J Jayalalithaa<br style="margin: 0px 0px 2rem; padding: 0px; line-height: 4.6rem; display: block; content: &quot;&quot;; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: MontserratMedium, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17.18px; letter-spacing: 0.5px; white-space: normal;">* The party elected an Interim General secretary in this meeting itself<br style="margin: 0px 0px 2rem; padding: 0px; line-height: 4.6rem; display: block; content: &quot;&quot;; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: MontserratMedium, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17.18px; letter-spacing: 0.5px; white-space: normal;">* The party passed a resolution debating the present situation of AIADMK and future development for the party<br style="margin: 0px 0px 2rem; padding: 0px; line-height: 4.6rem; display: block; content: &quot;&quot;; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: MontserratMedium, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17.18px; letter-spacing: 0.5px; white-space: normal;">* The party condemned Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) for terminating AIADMK's people schemes<br style="margin: 0px 0px 2rem; padding: 0px; line-height: 4.6rem; display: block; content: &quot;&quot;; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: MontserratMedium, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17.18px; letter-spacing: 0.5px; white-space: normal;">* Condemning DMK for not controlling raising prices of commodities<br style="margin: 0px 0px 2rem; padding: 0px; line-height: 4.6rem; display: block; content: &quot;&quot;; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: MontserratMedium, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17.18px; letter-spacing: 0.5px; white-space: normal;">* Condemning DMK who failed to take care of State law &amp; order<br style="margin: 0px 0px 2rem; padding: 0px; line-height: 4.6rem; display: block; content: &quot;&quot;; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: MontserratMedium, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17.18px; letter-spacing: 0.5px; white-space: normal;">* Requesting Centre and state government to put stop to Mekdatu Dam Project<br style="margin: 0px 0px 2rem; padding: 0px; line-height: 4.6rem; display: block; content: &quot;&quot;; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: MontserratMedium, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17.18px; letter-spacing: 0.5px; white-space: normal;">* Protecting Srilankan Tamil Rights - requesting state and Central government<br style="margin: 0px 0px 2rem; padding: 0px; line-height: 4.6rem; display: block; content: &quot;&quot;; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: MontserratMedium, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17.18px; letter-spacing: 0.5px; white-space: normal;">* Protecting weavers and sorting out their problems<br style="margin: 0px 0px 2rem; padding: 0px; line-height: 4.6rem; display: block; content: &quot;&quot;; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: MontserratMedium, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17.18px; letter-spacing: 0.5px; white-space: normal;">* Condemning DMK for not doing what they said in the election manifesto<br style="margin: 0px 0px 2rem; padding: 0px; line-height: 4.6rem; display: block; content: &quot;&quot;; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: MontserratMedium, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17.18px; letter-spacing: 0.5px; white-space: normal;">* Requesting DMK to solve the issues for teachers and government employees which they promised in the election manifesto.<br style="margin: 0px 0px 2rem; padding: 0px; line-height: 4.6rem; display: block; content: &quot;&quot;; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: MontserratMedium, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17.18px; letter-spacing: 0.5px; white-space: normal;">After the demise of Jayalalithaa in 2016, the party has been following a dual-leadership formula with EPS as co-coordinator and OPS as coordinator. The clamour has been growing louder for a single leader in the party since the district secretary meeting on June 14 this year.<br style="margin: 0px 0px 2rem; padding: 0px; line-height: 4.6rem; display: block; content: &quot;&quot;; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: MontserratMedium, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17.18px; letter-spacing: 0.5px; white-space: normal;">Meanwhile ahead of today's court's ruling supporters of the EPS and OPS factions clashed on the streets of Chennai. Some people were injured in the clash. (ANI)

 A total of 16 resolutions were passed in the crucial All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam General Council meeting held on Monday in which Edappadi K Palaniswami was appointed as the party's interim General Secretary and O Paneerselvam was expelled for "anti-party" activities.

AIADMK leadership row: EPS wins against OPS, here are 16 resolutions passed by party's General Council

Chennai: The AIADMK general council meeting held on Monday, passed a resolution and appointed former Chief Minister K. Palaniswami (EPS) as its interim general secretary. The party general council also moved resolutions to abolish the dual leadership structure in the party which was in effect in the AIADMK since the demise of J. Jayalalithaa but for a brief period, the close aide of the late Chief Minister became the interim general secretary.With the abolition of the posts of coordinator and co-coordinator held respectively by O. Panneerselvam (OPS) and K. Palaniswamy (EPS), the posts of interim general secretary have come back into the functioning of AIADMK.Meanwhile, the party general council adopted a resolution to expel former Chief Minister and former coordinator of the party O. Panneerselvam (OPS), and his close associates R. Vaithyalingam, Manoj Pandian, and JCD Prabhakar from the primary membership of the party. In an immediate reaction, OPS also expelled both Palaniswami and K.P. Munisamy from the party.While EPS having been appointed as the party interim general secretary has all the powers according to the party constitution, OPS will not be in a similar position to expel EPS and the expulsion of OPS and his associates will remain valid.OPS is a leader who has been with the AIADMK in its thick and thin and had stood behind Jayalalithaa like a rock in her time of crisis.The AIADMK headquarters on Monday witnessed clashes between the supporters of OPS and EPS with many injured and the cadres were dispersed with the arrival of the police.—IANS

 The AIADMK general council meeting held on Monday, passed a resolution and appointed former Chief Minister K. Palaniswami (EPS) as its interim general secretary. The party general council also moved resolutions to abolish the dual leadership structure in the party which was in effect in the AIADMK since the demise of J. Jayalalithaa but for a brief period, the close aide of the late Chief Minister became the interim general secretary.

AIADMK: EPS And OPS Expel Each Other From Party

Madras: The Madras high court on Wednesday set aside the proceedings of the Tamil Nadu revenue department locking and sealing the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam headquarters in Chennai following the July 11 violence, and directed that the keys of the office be handed over to party chief K Palaniswami.Justice N Sathish Kumar quashed the proceedings, while passing orders on the criminal original petitions from Palaniswami, the party's interim general secretary and ousted leader O Panneerselvam (OPS).The judge directed the government to remove the seal and hand over the keys to Palaniswami and also asked the police to provide adequate&nbsp;protection to the office, located on Avvai Shanmugam Salai at Royapettah in central Chennai.The court dismissed Panneerselvam's plea for granting possession of the party headquarters, 'MGR Maaligai’, to him. The judge also directed the party cadres not to enter the headquarters for a month to avoid any untoward incident.<img src="https://newads.rediff.com/rediffadserver/www/delivery/lg.php?bannerid=6301&amp;campaignid=1829&amp;zoneid=385&amp;source=_blank&amp;loc=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fmadras-hc-hands-over-aiadmk-hq-to-palaniswami-setback-for-ops-camp%2F20220720.htm&amp;referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2F&amp;cb=dfdc6006fa">The revenue divisional officer (RDO) had sealed the premises following violent clashes that broke out between supporters of Palaniswami and Panneerselvam on July 11, when an AIADMK general council, its highest decision-making body, picked the former as its interim general secretary, squeezing out OPS. —PTI

The Madras high court on Wednesday set aside the proceedings of the Tamil Nadu revenue department locking and sealing the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam headquarters in Chennai following the July 11 violence, and directed that the keys of the office be handed over to party chief K Palaniswami.

Madras HC hands over AIADMK hq to Palaniswami, setback for OPS camp

New Delhi:&nbsp;The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Madras High Court to decide afresh O. Paneerselvam’s (OPS) challenge to the General Council meeting of the AIADMK within 3 weeks. A bench, headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana asked the rival OPS and K. Palaniswami (EPS) factions of the AIADMK to maintain status quo in connection with the affairs of the party. EPS was elected as the interim General Secretary of the AIADMK in its General Council meeting held on July 11.Senior advocate Gurukrishna Kumar, representing OPS, submitted extreme decisions were taken and his client was expelled from the party in the July 11 meeting. He added that OPS was removed from the post of the Treasurer and the post was also abolished. Counsel argued that the top court had said that further meetings can proceed in accordance with law, but the meeting was in contravention of the bye-laws.The dual-leadership model in the AIADMK was ended in the party’s General Council meeting, and EPS was elevated as the interim General Secretary of the party.The top court had vacated the high court’s stay on the passing of resolutions in the AIADMK meeting.The bench, also comprising Justices Krishna Murari and Hima Kohli, was hearing a plea filed by OPS challenging the high court’s order, refusing to stall the General Council meeting of the AIADMK.Another counsel representing OPS urged the bench for restoring the status quo that existed on July 11, prior to conducting of the party’s General Council meeting. However, the top court said it is remanding the matter back to the high court.It said that instead of keeping the matter here, it will send back the matter to the high court for fresh consideration without being influenced by the orders passed by it.“We request the HC to dispose of the matter within a period of 3 weeks max. Status quo has to be maintained by the parties. We have not expressed any opinion on merits,” said the bench.On July 6, 2022 the top court had vacated the stay imposed by the high court on the passing of resolutions in the AIADMK General Council meeting. On July 11, the Madras High Court refused to interfere with the meeting of the AIADMK. The plea to stall the meeting was filed by OPS, who argued that proper notice was not issued for conducting the meeting, as per the bye-laws of the party.—IANS

The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Madras High Court to decide afresh O. Paneerselvam’s (OPS) challenge to the General Council meeting of the AIADMK within 3 weeks. 

 SC orders status quo on AIADMK row, asks HC to decide OPS faction plea against party meet

Chennai: The power struggle in AIADMK has taken a turn with the Madras High Court giving an order in favour of former Chief Minister and coordinator O. Panneerselvam (OPS).
The court on Wednesday ordered maintenance of the status quo as of June 23 in the AIADMK. The July 11 General Council (GC) meeting of the party had elected Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) as the interim general secretary.&nbsp;
Justice G. Jayachandran of the Madras High Court passed the order on a petition filed by O. Panneerselvam and party General Council member, P. Varimuthu, who had challenged the legality of the GC meeting held on July 11 in which Panneerselvam and those close to him were ousted from the party.
The single-bench judge of the Madras High Court ordered that the coordinator and joint coordinator can convene the GC again in the presence of a commissioner to oversee the council meeting.
Advocate Guru Krishnakumar appearing for OPS said that the General Council was a small body and it was made to appear as if the decision of the GC was the opinion of the entire party. Aravind Pandian, another advocate representing OPS argued that the party presidium chairman cannot convene the GC meeting, but only can conduct it.&nbsp;
He said that there was no rule under the party bylaws that allows any other person other than the general secretary or the coordinator of the joint coordinator to convene the General Council meeting and, hence the GC was convened by the presidium chairman under Rule 19 and 20 of the AIADMK bylaw stands nullified.
However, the Palaniswami side represented by former Advocate General of Tamil Nadu, Vijay Narayanan, and two other lawyers argued that there were no illegalities or violations of the party code in calling the meeting.
They said that the actual announcement of the meeting was made on the floor of the June 23rd General Council meeting by the presidium chairman and the invitations were sent by the headquarters’ office-bearers as the post of coordinator and joint coordinator had lapsed following a decision taken by the party executive committee in December 2021.
Justice Jayachandran after hearing both sides passed the order of maintaining the status quo of June 23 and treated the General council meeting of July 11 as null and void. The judgment will lead to OPS returning as the coordinator and EPS as the Joint coordinator. —IANS

The power struggle in AIADMK has taken a turn with the Madras High Court giving an order in favour of former Chief Minister and coordinator O. Panneerselvam (OPS).

 Madras HC orders in favour of OPS in AIADMK power struggle

Chennai: The turf war between the O Panneerselvam (OPS) faction and the faction led by Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) is likely to escalate after the Madras High Court granted an order in favour of OPS. On Wednesday, Justice G Jayachandran of the Madras High Court ordered to maintain the status quo of June 23, which meant that OPS will return as the coordinator and Palaniswami as joint coordinator of AIADMK. In the process the court nullified the July 11 General Council (GC) decision to anoint EPS as the interim general secretary and to expel OPS and those close to him from the party.
The verdict of the single-bench of the Madras High Court is likely to be challenged by the EPS faction. A close confidant of EPS, KP Munuswamy told the media persons on Wednesday that they would take further course of action after the verdict is studied in full.
While OPS faction has got a breather in the ensuing power struggle to capture the AIADMK, the war between the two leaders and those associated with them is likely to escalate further. On June 23 during the first General Council meeting, OPS was booed and insulted by those close to EPS. It may be noted that OPS had also expelled EPS from the party. When asked by the media persons whether EPS would be taken back in the party, OPS said that as per the court orders status quo of June 23 would be maintained. This is seen as a silver lining as status quo means, EPS will be retained as joint coordinator. Political analysts and Director of Socio Economic Development Foundation, Dr R Padmanabahn, however, said that the fight between the two leaders will increase at least for the time being as OPS has got active backing of the Thevar community also. Speaking to IANS the academic said, "The community will also push for the reinstatement of VK Sasikala in the party, a move strictly opposed to Palaniswami. Until Sasikala issue is there, the patch up between the OPS and EPS is unlikely to happen in the near future."
He also said that the continuous fight between the two main leaders of the AIADMK would lead to the losing of morale of the AIADMK cadres and ultimately the party will be affected. —IANS

The turf war between the O Panneerselvam (OPS) faction and the faction led by Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) is likely to escalate after the Madras High Court granted an order in favour of OPS. 

 AIADMK turf war to escalate after Madras HC ruling

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government will in detail study the report submitted by the one-man committee to investigate the alleged irregularities in the implementation of projects under the Smart Cities Mission during the previous AIADMK regime.
There was widespread criticism of the effectiveness of the Smart City Projects in Chennai city after the metro witnessed heavy floods in November 2021.
During the last monsoon, the T Nagar area in Chennai, which was developed after huge funds were spent under the Smart City Scheme, was heavily flooded.
Sources in the Tamil Nadu government told IANS that the one-man committee of retired IAS officer P.W.C. Davidar has a detailed and specific analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of the Smart City projects implemented in 11 districts of the state under the Smart City mission.
According to officials, the report has explained whether the smart city projects had flaws in its implementation, and has also studied whether all the guidelines of the smart city scheme were followed in a proper and full-proof manner.
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had come out heavily against the former Municipal administration and water supplies minister, S.P. Velumani after inspecting the flood-affected areas during the 2021 monsoon period. Stalin had then said that no one knew what happened to the funds received under the smart city project.
Tamil Nadu Health Minister, Ma Subramanian while speaking to IANS said, “Chief Minister will study the report in detail and take action if any irregularities are found.”
The committee was formed in March 2022 after several allegations were made against the implementation of the smart city scheme in Chennai.
Sources in the government told IANS that the committee had conducted detailed inquiries with smart city officials and other concerned contractors in all the 11 districts where the projects under the scheme were implemented in Tamil Nadu.&nbsp;
—IANS

The Tamil Nadu government will in detail study the report submitted by the one-man committee to investigate the alleged irregularities in the implementation of projects under the Smart Cities Mission during the previous AIADMK regime.

 Chennai 2021 Floods: One-man committee submits report

Chennai: AIADMK interim general secretary and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) will be meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Tuesday. This is the first time that Palaniswami is meeting a senior BJP leader after the controversial general body of the AIADMK on July 11 in which the former chief coordinator of the party, O. Panneerselvam was expelled from the party. During his previous visit to the national capital for the farewell function of former President Ramnath Kovind, Palaniswami did not meet any senior BJP leader. It is to be noted that the AIADMK is part of the NDA in Tamil Nadu and the BJP is trying to forge an alliance between the Panneerselvam faction and Palaniswami faction of the party. The BJP is also keen that former aide of late Chief Minister, J. Jayalalithaa, V.K. Sasikala, and her nephew and Chairman of Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) were brought back into the party fold. The former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and deposed leader of the AIADMK, Panneerselvam (OPS) is in Varanasi for the religious rituals of his wife who passed away last year.&nbsp;
—IANS

AIADMK interim general secretary and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) will be meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Tuesday.

 Palaniswami to meet Amit Shah today

Chennai: With the DMK announcing the results for some of the party posts, a major controversy has erupted in the party over the leadership overlooking the claims of dedicated workers and instead preferring hoppers who joined recently. A senior leader of the ruling DMK on conditions of anonymity while speaking to IANS said, "DMK has now changed into an asylum for party hoppers who are given plum positions while sloggers for the party are totally overlooked. This will not go down well for the DMK and its leadership in the long run." The leader said that at least 11 new district secretaries of the party had AIADMK backgrounds and many from other parties who had spent only a couple of years in the DMK were rewarded with plum positions. Another leader of the party told IANS that the list released on Thursday by the party leadership was not an elected list and that it was a 'selected' list. He said that even after nomination papers were filed by aspirants, the party's state office-bearers, who were conducting the elections, announced the names of the district office-bearers even as the nominations were not withdrawn. Most of the ire was directed against Thalapathy Murugesan, who was a former functionary of Vijayakanth's party DMDK and who has now become the Coimbatore South District secretary of the party. Party insiders told IANS that he joined the DMK only eleven years ago and reached the plum post because of his connection with the state leadership.
Feathers have also been ruffled after the party did not stick to the 'one man, one post' rule and many cadres feel that the state leadership had subverted the party elections.
—IANS

With the DMK announcing the results for some of the party posts, a major controversy has erupted in the party over the leadership overlooking the claims of dedicated workers and instead preferring hoppers who joined recently.

 Protest in DMK over party hoppers getting plum district level postings

Chennai: With the winter session of the Tamil Nadu Assembly to commence on October 17, a new war has emerged in the AIADMK over the post of Deputy leader of opposition.
The post of Deputy leader of opposition was held by former Chief Minister, O. Panneerselvam (OPS) and the leader of opposition in the state Assembly is former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, who is also the interim general secretary of the AIADMK.
OPS and those close to him were expelled from the AIADMK on July 11, during the party general council meeting held in the outskirts of Chennai and Palaniswami emerged as the interim general secretary of the party.
While the expulsion of OPS is still in the Supreme Court after the deposed leader filed a petition against the Madras High Court division bench order justifying the expulsion, the EPS faction has petitioned the Assembly Speaker M. Appavu to allow party legislator, R.B. Udhayakumar to take part in the Business advisory committee meetings. Palaniswami sent the letter to the Speaker through the Deputy Whip of the AIADMK, S. Ravi on Tuesday.
Former Chief Minister and deposed leader of the AIADMK, Panneerselvam has already petitioned the Speaker that he was still the Deputy Leader of the Opposition.
A leader close to OPS while speaking to IANS said, “OPS was expelled by the July 11 general council meeting of the party. The Supreme Court of India is to hear a petition filed by O. Panneerselvam and without a verdict from the court, you can’t say that he is not with the party. Let the order come and then we can decide.”
With the 2024 general elections almost around the corner, the factional feud in the AIADMK is creating major heart burns for the prospects of the NDA from Tamil heartland even though the BJP has gained some ground at the grassroots level after K. Annamalai, the former IPS officer became the president of the state unit. Sources in the BJP told IANS that the party is for a grand alliance between OPS, EPS, V.K. Sasikala, and T.T.V. Dhinakaran.&nbsp;
—IANS

With the winter session of the Tamil Nadu Assembly to commence on October 17, a new war has emerged in the AIADMK over the post of Deputy leader of opposition.

 New war in AIADMK over deputy leader of Oppn post

Chennai (The Hawk): In order to "please" the BJP central leadership for higher positions, the Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi has been urged to resign from his position as Governor by the ruling DMK and its allies in the Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA).
In an unified statement, the DMK leaders and their allies attacked the Governor, claiming: "Since he is the state's governor, his speeches are given weight. He should resign from his position as governor if he is speaking out to appease the BJP leadership in order to secure a higher position for himself."
It is unclear from the remark whether he is acting in this way to call attention to it or just to stir up unneeded controversy and uncertainty.
The governor's opinions on Sanatana Dharma, Arya, Dravidian, Scheduled castes, and Thirukural, according to the SPA leaders, are perilous and ludicrous. They also stated that they have no issue with his personal beliefs, but they were outraged by the governor's expression of harmful conservatism while serving in a constitutional position.
Senior DMK leader T.R. Baalu, MDMK leader K. Veeramani, TNCC president K.S. Alagiri, CPI-M state secretaries K. Balakrishnan and R. Mutharasan, MDMK leader Vaiko, VCK chief Thol Thiruvmavalan, and others all signed the united statement.
(Inputs from Agencies)

In order to "please" the BJP central leadership for higher positions, the Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi has been urged to resign from his position as Governor by the ruling DMK and its allies in the Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA).

TN Guv must resign to placate BJP leadership: DMK, allies

Chennai (The Hawk): Edappadi K. Palaniswami, the interim general secretary of the AIADMK, claimed on Monday that while many farmers received the meagre amount of $250 per acre of crop insurance, many others did not receive anything at all in the years 2021–2022.
The former Chief Minister claimed in a statement that officials had sent anticipated figures rather than visiting the fields to speak with the farmers and learn about their losses.
He accused the State government of failing to send out ministers and other officials to see the crops and determine the losses sustained.
Farmers are now seen walking the streets. Furthermore, it hurts to see that this government hasn't even assisted farmers in receiving at least the premium they had paid for the crop insurance, Mr. Palaniswami said, going on to say that under his administration, farmers had received at least 7,000 per acre in insurance claims.
Further, Mr. Palaniswami urged the State administration to correct any anomalies in calculating farmer losses and to offer sufficient assistance to any farmer whose crop was harmed by the rains.
According to his remark, the Cauvery delta's Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, and Tiruvarur districts were impacted by last year's torrential rains since numerous acres of farmer-planted crops were destroyed.
(Inputs from Agencies)

Edappadi K. Palaniswami, the interim general secretary of the AIADMK, claimed on Monday that while many farmers received the meagre amount of $250 per acre of crop insurance, many others did not receive anything at all in the years 2021–2022.

Palaniswami criticizes the poor crop insurance sanctioned by the TN government

Palaniswami criticises the poor crop insurance sanctioned by the TN government

Chennai (The Hawk): The Madras high court dismissed two cases brought against former Union minister and DMK MP S Jegathrakshakan for allegedly stealing land from Chrome Leather Company Private Limited, giving him a reprieve.
On Friday, Justice G K Ilanthiraiyan issued the ruling while granting the MP's motions to quash the FIRs. Jegathrakshagan claimed that the complaint was politically motivated and that he had not obtained the land illegally.
The problem relates to a FIR that was filed in 2007. Despite the fact that the police initially dismissed the complaint, calling it a factual error. The CB-CID made the decision to reopen the case in 2013 to conduct additional research.
(Inputs from Agencies)

The Madras high court dismissed two cases brought against former Union minister and DMK MP S Jegathrakshakan for allegedly stealing land from Chrome Leather Company Private Limited, giving him a reprieve.

The Hawk

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