Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Friday attacked the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre and appealed to people here to vote for the INDIA bloc if they want democracy and social justice to prevail in the country. Flaying Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Stalin said that if her claim of not having enough money to contest the Lok Sabha polls was true, the question is what happened to the fund the BJP received through electoral bonds. "Madam, if you want to contest the polls, you should meet the people and should toil hard for people's welfare. Since you know the result that the people will not vote for you, you have decided not to contest," he said. At a recent event in New Delhi, Sitharaman had commented that she declined the offer of the BJP to contest elections, pleading that she did not have the "kind of funds" required for the fighting the Lok Sabha polls. Canvassing votes for the DMK's Dharmapuri candidate A Mani and Congress nomin
DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin will launch his party's campaign for the April 19 Lok Sabha polls, from this central district on Friday. Stalin, a key leader of the opposition INDIA bloc, will canvass votes for the party-led bloc's Tiruchirappalli candidate, MDMK leader Durai Vaiko and the DMK's Arun Nehru in nearby Perambalur, according to the tour schedule of the ruling party chief. The DMK leads the multi-party Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), which had swept the 2019 elections. It had won 38 of the 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu then, besides the neighbouring Puducherry segment. Durai is the son of MDMK founder Vaiko and the Tiruchirappalli constituency has been allotted to the party by the DMK as part of the poll pact. Congress' Su Thirunavukkarasar represents the segment in the outgoing House. After launching his poll campaign from here, Stalin will embark on a state-wide tour, covering all 39 LS seats in the state, besides Puducherry, in the comin
Known by its acronym I.N.D.I.A. - or Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance - the coalition of more than 20 parties has been beset by defections to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party
DMK will contest in 22 seats; Congress 9 seats; VC, CPI and CPIM will contest 2 seats each, while MDMK and IUML will contest 1 seat each
The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider a plea of the Tamil Nadu government against the refusal of Governor RN Ravi to appoint senior DMK leader K Ponmudi as a minister in the state cabinet. The governor has recently refused to re-induct the senior DMK leader and former Higher Education Minister into the state cabinet, saying it would be against constitutional morality. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra took note of the submissions of senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for the state government, there was some urgency in the matter which should be listed for hearing. Please send an email. I will look into the email, the CJI said. The governor, in a letter to Chief Minister MK Stalin, said the apex court only suspended the conviction Ponmudi by way of an interim order. The governor refused to appoint the leader in the Stalin cabinet. Recently, the state government reinstated Ponmudi as a legislator after the ..
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday dismissed the Citizenship (Amendment) Act as 'divisive and bereft of any use' and asserted that it will not be implemented in the state. Hitting out at the BJP regime at the Centre for notifying the rules for implementing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) 'in a haste' when the Lok Sabha polls are round the corner, Stalin said the CAA and its rules went against the basic structure of the Constitution. "There is not going to be any use or benefits due to the CAA, which only paves the way for creating divisions among the Indian people. The stand of the government is that this law is completely unwarranted; it is one that must be repealed." Hence, "the Tamil Nadu government will not give any opportunity in any manner to implement the CAA in Tamil Nadu," he asserted in an official release. Stalin, also president of the ruling DMK, reiterated that the CAA went against pluralism, secularism, minority communities and the Sri Lankan Tamil
'This is family rule, one that strives for every family in TN', says Stalin in response to PM's jibe
The Supreme Court on Monday rebuked Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin over his 'eradicate Sanatan Dharma' remark and asked why he has moved the top court with his plea after abusing his right of freedom of speech and expression. A bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta told Stalin that he is a minister and should know the consequences of his remark. "You abuse your right under Article 19(1)(a) (of the Constitution). You abuse your right under Article 25. Now you are exercising your right under Article 32 (to file plea in the Supreme Court)? Do you not know the consequences of what you said? You are not a layman. You are a minister. You should know the consequences," the bench said and adjourned the matter to March 15. Udhayanidhi Stalin is the son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and ruling DMK chief M K Stalin. Speaking at a conference in September 2023, Udhayanidhi Stalin said that Sanatana dharma is against social justice and equality and should be "eradicated .
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should spell out what central schemes the state government has "blocked", and said those it opposed include NEET and the CAA, keeping public welfare in mind. The chief minister was responding to Modi's claim that there was lack of cooperation from the DMK-led TN government in implementing central projects in the state. The PM made these claims during his public address on Wednesday in Tirunelveli, in the southern part of the state. Stalin, on his part, referred to Modi's frequent visits to Tamil Nadu, saying "the fear of defeat on his face is evident and it manifests as anger." The PM is "slandering" the DMK and its government, the chief minister alleged. "He says we are blocking projects launched by him. It would be convenient to respond if he could list out which projects he brought that we were an impediment to," the CM said in a letter to party workers ahead of his 71st birthday on Friday.
The 'Delhi Chalo' march of the farmers from Punjab against the central government entered the third day on Thursday
The ruling DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of speaking the language of the opposition and targeting the Congress party as though it was the ruling party at the Centre and this was a puzzle that could not be understood. On his arrival here from Spain, completing his foreign tour to attract investments, Stalin said investment commitments to the tune of Rs 3,440 crore have been made by several companies during his visit abroad and that showed the confidence of multinational firms in Tamil Nadu and the DMK regime. The Chief Minister exuded confidence that more investors would come forward to choose Tamil Nadu as their investment destination. Speaking to reporters, he said the 'Lok Sabha election is round the corner and further visits to attract investments may be scheduled only following the polls.' Asked about Prime Minister Modi's address in Parliament, Stalin said he 'saw, read, enjoyed and laughed' at it. Modi
Actor Vijay has announced his party name as Tamil Nadu Vetri Kazhagam. Supporters of Vijay celebrated his move by distributing sweets near Rameswaram Municipality
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin embarked on an eight-day trip to Spain on Saturday to woo investors to the state. During the overseas visit, he would engage some of the largest industrial companies, including ROCA and Gestamp, and the investment organisation Invest in Spain, in discussions and ensure investment into Tamil Nadu, he said. "Through this trip, I hope to attract the attention of the European Union and bring a lot of investments from those countries as well," the Chief Minister told reporters at the airport here before leaving for Spain on a state visit to attract new industrial investments to Tamil Nadu. His efforts are oriented towards making the state progress to become a one trillion dollar economy by 2030. The Chief Minister would return to the city on February 7. Recalling his past foreign trips, he said the visit to the United Arab Emirates led to the government signing MoUs for investments worth Rs 6,100 crore for creating over 15,000 jobs. Similarly, Singa
Amid rumblings in the opposition INDIA bloc, its leaders on Friday stressed on the need to defeat the ruling BJP in the coming Lok Sabha polls, with DMK chanting the unity mantra to achieve the goal. Top leaders of some of INDIA bloc constituents--Congress, DMK, the Left parties and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi attended a "Democracy will win" conference organised by the VCK here. VCK, headed by Lok Sabha MP Thol Thirumavalavan, is a key ally of the DMK in Tamil Nadu. DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, leaders of the CPI (M) and the CPI, Sitaram Yechury and D Raja, respectively and many others spoke at the well-attended conference which came amidst the ruling Mahagathbandhan in Bihar appearing to be on tenterhooks with strong indications that JD (U) president and that state CM Nitish Kumar may do yet another volte-face and return to the BJP-led NDA. JD (U), Lalu Prasad Yadav-led RJD, Congress and Left parties are the constituents of the ruling coalition in ...
DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Friday said INDIA bloc leaders have to realise that when the BJP was rattled at the prospect of a win for the opposition alliance even at the level of a mayor poll in Chandigarh, unity among constituents will dislodge the saffron party from power at the Centre. In his address at the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi's 'Democracy will win' conference here, Stalin said the pages of history, to be written in future should say that INDIA alliance was formed and it captured power at the Centre. "This must be the history." Citing the postponement of Chandigarh mayor polls and the tie-up between the AAP and Congress there, he said the BJP-led Central government 'cancelled' even a mayor-level election as the scenario was ripe for victory and the media billed the later deferred civic election as the 'to-be first victory' of INDIA alliance. "When they cancel even a mayor level poll, the INDIA alliance leaders must realise the fear of the
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday said caste and religious differences were created "later" to destroy Tamils' unity and urged them to conduct cultural festivals like the traditional bull-taming sport jallikattu unitedly as Tamils. In his address after inaugurating a grand jallikattu arena named after his father and late DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi, Stalin also charged the central BJP with "enacting a drama" over granting permission to hold the sport in the state, before the Supreme Court gave a favourable verdict on the matter. He recalled that DMK founder, the late CN Annadurai gave Tamil Nadu its name (it was earlier known as Madras Presidency) while Karunanidhi ensured classical language status for Tamil. His "Dravida model government" has constructed the grand arena in this district to highlight "aeruthazvhuthal which is a symbol of Tamils' culture," he said. "At this juncture what I want to tell you is--caste divisions and religious differences were created la
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday flagged off 100 new BS-VI compliant buses to be inducted by the state transport corporation. These buses will replace the aging vehicles at the five Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporations at Villupuram and Coimbatore (40 buses each), Kumbakonam (10), Tirunelveli, and Madurai (5 buses each), and have been procured to modernise the existing fleet. According to an official release here, the Chief Minister had in 2022 announced that old vehicles would be replaced by procuring 1,666 new BS-VI compliant buses at an estimated cost of Rs 634.99 crore. About one hundred such buses will be inducted in the first phase. These buses were specially designed to ensure outstanding passenger comfort and equipped with advanced iGen6 BS-VI technology, featuring a robust 147 kW (197 hp) H-series engine. State Ministers S S Sivasankar (Transport), P K Sekar Babu (Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments), Chief Secretary Shiv Das Meena, Additional Chie
DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday dismissed as 'rumours,' speculations that his son Udhayanidhi was being made deputy CM of the state and asserted he was healthy. Such rumours were being spread by those opposed to the January 21 DMK Youth Wing Conference in Salem, to be held under its chief Udhayanidhi, Stalin said. At a time when youth across the state were getting ready for the Salem conference, those engaged in rumour-mongering "spread false information about my health," he said in a Pongal greetings message. He said he had attended an event here on Friday where he had mentioned that he had nothing to worry about when the people of the state were happy. "I am healthy and cheerful. I am working, working, working," the 70 year-old leader added. "After this lie was shattered, rumours were being spread with an intention to create sensation, that deputy CM post (for Udhayanidhi) was going to be given," he added. Udhayanidhi himself had responded to
About 80 percent of buses in Tamil Nadu were being operated on Tuesday amid the strike call given by various transport unions, including those affiliated to the CPI(M) and AIADMK, officials said. The state government buses were operated in several parts including Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore and Kanyakumari districts, benefiting the commuters, they said. In Chennai, the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) authorities ensured the buses were operated as usual and that the strike did not impact the public much, a senior official said. "The MTC buses were being operated as scheduled from 6 am and the public are requested not to panic," a senior transport official said. "About 80 percent" of the buses were being run in the state, he said without divulging further details. The trade unions had announced the strike demanding implementation of "6 point charter of demands." It includes initiation of talks for enhanced wages (15th wage revision pact), filling vacant posts, and release o
Diversified conglomerate Adani Group has committed investments to the tune of Rs 42,700 crore in Tamil Nadu across various sectors on the second day of the Global Investors Meet 2024 held here on Monday. At the valedicatory session of the event organised by the ruling DMK government, memorandum of understandings between the Adani Group and the state government were signed in the presence of Chief Minister M K Stalin, Minister for Industries TRB Rajaa, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone, Managing Director, Karan Adani. The investments by Adani Group is one of the big ticket projects bagged by the state government. The biggest investment of Rs 24,500 crore (of the total Rs 42,700 crore) would be made by Adani Green Energy Ltd in three pump storage projects in the next five to seven years, Adani Group said in a company statement. Besides, Adani ConneX, the hyperscale data centre provider of the Group, would pump in Rs 13,200 crore for setting up a data centre while Ambuja Cements (