A fiery speech at a political meeting has turned into a major legal and political controversy, with police action, protests by supporters and an investigation now underway.
The Vaiko-led MDMK has withdrawn from the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance after nine years, citing ideological concerns and post-election political developments. The party says it will decide on future electoral alliances at the appropriate time.
Stung by the Leader of the Opposition, Udhayanidhi Stalin’s persistent debunking of the Joseph Vijay administration as a ‘sofa model government’ which would not last long, Tamil Nadu Health Minister and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader KG Arun Raj on Wednesday slammed the DMK scion as a lotus eater, oblivious of the dynastic throne, he was hoping for, getting abolished by the electoral verdict.
DMK has intensified its attack on Rahul Gandhi, accusing Congress of working against INDIA bloc allies in state elections and blaming his leadership for growing discontent within the opposition alliance.
Senior DMK leader Thangam Thennarasu claimed that Stalin's remarks on the future of the Vijay-led government had been misrepresented.
Debunking the protests by the ruling DMK and its allies across Tamil Nadu against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as a diversionary tactic to conceal the Stalin government's failure, BJP leader and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday claimed that the Chief Minister’s assembly constituency in Chennai itself had 4,379 fake voters.
Continuing his tirade against the Election Commission of India (ECI), he termed the poll panel as a handmaiden of the BJP-led Union government and conducting the SIR in a tearing hurry when assembly election is a few months away.
Escalating his criticism of the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision of the voter list, Stalin called it “flawed, confusing, and dangerous,” alleging it was part of a conspiracy to remove genuine voters.
Citing his own enumeration form, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin on Sunday said confusion is reigning supreme in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with even educated citizens struggling to fill in the required details.
Chief Justice B R Gavai, heading a bench, said the petition would be listed next Tuesday after an advocate appearing for the DMK mentioned the matter and sought its urgent hearing.
