KV Lakshmana

Dinakaran gives in for ‘party’s sake’ as AIADMK factions prepare for merger

The AIADMK (Amma) deputy general secretary had earlier put on a brief show of resistance, and called for an emergency meeting of party MLAs and district secretaries to discuss the proposed merger of rival party factions on Wednesday afternoon.

Dinakaran fights back after ‘ouster’, to hold meet with MLAs and office-bearers

The meeting, attended by around eight MLAs and a few of Dinakaran’s die-hard supporters, dwelt on ways to thwart the proposed merger between the rival AIADMK factions.

Sasikala’s ‘Mannargudi Mafia’ is down but not out in Tamil Nadu

Political analysts say it would not be easy to get rid of Sasikala’s clout because the Mannargudi Mafia has penetrated almost every layer of government and police over the years

Trouble-hit AIADMK eyes merger of warring factions, sidelines Sasikala and her kin

Sasikala must go: Panneerselvam’s firm stand makes AIADMK merger talks tentative

The merger move came after an FIR was filed against Dinakaran, Sasikala’s nephew, for allegedly trying to bribe officials of election commission, which will decide which of the two factions would get the two-leaves symbol of the original AIADMK.

AIADMK ministers hold late-night meeting in Chennai, reach out to OPS camp amid merger buzz

The AIADMK had suffered a vertical split after Jayalalithaa’s death, following which her close aide Sasikala was appointed as the party chief

All’s not well in the Sasikala camp after bribery case against Dinakaran

Coming after the cancellation of the crucial RK Nagar bypoll, the FIR against AIADMK deputy general secretary TTV Dinakaran does not bode well for his jailed aunt V K Sasikala as a revolt looks imminent in her faction.

Stalin gets six parties on board for Tamil Nadu bandh to flag farmers’ plight

DMK working president M K Stalin who is jockeying to appropriate the anti-Centre stance that AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa once occupied, has garnered the support of six other opposition parties for a Tamil Nadu bandh on April 25 to highlight the plight of farmers.

After tax raids, ruling AIADMK (Amma) battles internal strife in Tamil Nadu

Senior party leaders want Dinakaran to step down as deputy secretary, blame him for the tax raids that lead to the cancellation of the RK Nagar byelection.

Tamil Nadu women up in arms against liquor shops moving to villages after highway ban order

Women are protesting opening of Tasmac in agricultural fields closer to residential clusters in villages as the apex court banned serving liquor close to highways.

Three Tamil Nadu ministers booked for ‘threatening’ income tax officers

Tamil Nadu protest: NHRC says police took law into their hands, violated rights

A video circulated online showing a senior police official ‘slapping’ a woman protester during a crackdown on an anti-liquor agitation in Tirupur district of Tamil Nadu.

Income tax raids at houses of Tamil Nadu health minister, actor Sarathkumar

Income tax sleuths raided the houses of Tamil Nadu’s health minister C Vijayabhaskar, film actor Sarathkumar, former MP C Rajendran, and Dr MGR Medical University vice-chancellor Dr Geethalakshmi after reports about rampant use of money before the assembly bypoll in Chennai’s RK Nagar.

RK Nagar bypoll: AIADMK’s OPS faction uses dummy body resembling Jayalalithaa to campaign in Chennai

Workers of a faction of the AIADMK party campaigned in Chennai’s RK Nagar with a dummy body resembling late Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa, inviting sharp criticism from other factions of the party.

Amma of all battles for AIADMK: Dinakaran faces the heat in RK Nagar bypoll in Tamil Nadu

A lot is riding on the outcome of the multi-cornered contest. Apart from personal prestige, the contest is also between rival AIADMK factions over staking claim to Jayalalithaa’s political legacy.

Turf war continues in Puducherry as L-G Kiran Bedi takes on chief secretary

The slugfest between V Narayanasamy and Kiran Bedi mirrors the tug-of-war between the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government and the Delhi’s former LG Najeeb Jung, and now, Anil Baijal.

Waive off all agricultural loan of Tamil Nadu farmers, HC orders govt

The Madras high court took cognizance of a 23-day protest by farmers from Tamil Nadu at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi and ordered the government to waive of all agricultural loans, benefitting close to 20 lakh farmers in the state.

Tamil Nadu parties don’t like the ‘sign’ of Hindi on highways, threaten stir

The MDMK and PMK accused the Centre of hurting the people’s sentiments by erasing town names written in English, and replacing them with Hindi translations.

RK Nagar bypoll: ‘Prestige’ contest over Jayalalithaa’s legacy drowns everyday woes

The RK Nagar assembly constituency is set for a bypoll on April 12 following the death of former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa who represented it.

PIL filed against Kamal Haasan for alleged derogatory remarks on Mahabharata

Members of Hindu Makkal Katchi filed a Public Interest Litigation in Tamil Nadu against Kamal Haasan for his alleged derogatory remarks on Mahabharata in an interview to a Tamil channel.

Tamil Nadu bypoll: Jallikattu boys to fight giants in Jaya’s constituency

The popularity of the strictly apolitical nature of the Marina Jallikattu uprising, peopled largely by the youth and the student community cutting across caste and class barriers, gave ideas to some to channelise this energy into a political force and thus was born ‘En Desam En Urimai Katchi’ (My Nation My Right party). It has began its first electoral contest, taking on mighty leaders of the AIADMK and DMK.

JNU Dalit scholar Muthukrishnan’s body brought home, slipper hurled at Union minister

J Muthukrishnan, a Dalit research scholar in Delhi’s JNU, allegedly committed suicide on Holi

Tamil Nadu releases Jayalalithaa’s discharge report to dispel foul play

The Tamil Nadu government on Monday made public records of Apollo Hospitals and AIIMS in New Delhi to show that chief minister J Jayalalithaa got the best medical treatment till she died.

Coke, Pepsi still available in Chennai despite traders’ ban on ‘foreign’ brands

Two days after a ban of cola drinks by ‘foreign’ companies came into effect in Tamil Nadu, traders and people are divided in their opinion over the fate of Coke and Pepsi in the state.

Jayalalithaa was pushed down at Poes Garden before hospitalisation: Pandian

Former Tamil Nadu assembly speaker PH Pandian, who was among the first to walk over to the Panneerselvam side, has alleged that J Jayalalithaa was admitted to Apollo Hospitals on September 22, 2016, after the then chief minister was pushed down by someone at her Poes Garden residence in Chennai.

Coca-Cola, Pepsi emerge victorious in Tamil Nadu water war

The Madurai bench of the high court dismissed two public interest litigations that sought to restrain the state administration from supplying water from the Thamirabarani river to Coca Cola and Pepsi units in Tirunelveli district

Hydrocarbon project in Tamil Nadu village stirs Jallikattu-type uprising

The gas fields in Neduvasal village of Pudukottai district and another in nearby Karaikkal in Puducherry are part of the NDA government’s push to tap into smaller oilfields across the country.

TN shops boycott Pepsi, Coke products to encourage local soft drink brands

Thousands of shops across Tamil Nadu began a boycott of Pepsi and Coke from Wednesday morning in a move to boost local manufacturers. The move may cost the soft-drink majors Rs 1,400 crore in losses.

Palaniswami takes over as Tamil Nadu CM, orders 500 govt-run liquor shops shut

Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Monday announced the closure of 500 state-run liquor retail outlets.

Tamil Nadu trust vote unconstitutional, nullify it, Stalin urges governor

Stepping up pressure, the DMK on Sunday demanded the nullification of the proceedings of Saturday’s special session of the Tamil Nadu assembly, during which chief minister Edapaddi Palaniswami breezed through the trust vote after the opposition was evicted.