Tech companies plug into India's smaller cities for talent

The trend of Indian IT companies relocating to smaller cities is gaining momentum, driven by factors such as cost efficiency, government incentives, and the availability of talent. Workers like B. Ramachandran are choosing to live in places like Madurai over major tech hubs like Bengaluru and Chennai, citing reasons such as familial ties and lower living costs.

Madurai: Devotees Disregarded In The Shadows Of VIPs At Meenakshi Thirukalyanam Festival

The devotees who arrived to witness the divine union of their beloved deities, Meenakshi and Sundareswarar, grew agitated over what seemed like wanton neglect from the HR&CE and the administration The post Madurai: Devotees Disregarded In The Shadows Of VIPs At Meenakshi Thirukalyanam Festival appeared first on The Commune .

Madurai celebrates Chithirai festival with traditional Kallalagar procession amidst rituals

MADURAI: With just days to go before the ongoing Chithirai festival concludes in Madurai on April 28, Lord Kallalagar's procession arrived at the Thenoor mandapam for further rituals on Wednesday. Thousands of people thronged Vandiyur to spectate the ceremony wherein the deity lifts the curse of sage Manduga. The Kallalagar procession is one of the most significant events during the Chithirai festival, when several people throng the Vaigai to partake in the rituals. Apart from the deities entering Vaigai river, the other highlight of the festival is the act at Thenoor Mandabam, where Kallalagar lifts the curse of sage Manduga, in addition to showing all 10 'avatharam' of Lord Vishnu on Manduga's request. Earlier on Wednesday, the procession reached the Vandiyur Veera Ragava Perumal temple after a pooja. Lord Kallalagar mounted his golden sesha vahana and proceeded towards Thenoor Mandabam. Following which lord Kallalagar made it to the Ramarayar Mandabam in Garuda Vahana by night of Wednesday. On Thursday, the deity will be on mohini alangaram, to begin his journey back to the Alagar hills, where he is expected to reach by April 27, while the festival is to conclude the next day. People in large pockets thronged the Thenoor Mandabam and Ramarayar Mandabam for dharshan. The event of Lord Kallalagar showing dasavatharam and lifting the curse takes place once in a year. It is believed that witnessing the event would bring prosperity. So, every year we visit the Ramarayar Mandabam to take part in the event, said Manoj, resident of Vandiyur. 1,200 MT garbage cleaned during Chithirai Over the course of 11 days, starting April 12, the Madurai city corporation has cleaned up about 1,200 MT (metric tonnes) of waste from the event venue. Corporation official sources said that 2,874 sanitation workers had been deployed across three shifts to clean the event venues. The corporation had also issued notice to 203 venues, where annadhanam was conducted. Between April 12 and 23, the corporation cleaned about 1,200 Mt of waste. Officials added that 60 special camps (25 for Meenakshi temple festival and 35 for Kallalagar temple festival) have been held, with 282 workers being deputed to these camps. About 2,800 person got treated at these camps, said the official, and appreciated the workers for their efforts.

'Reply to plea on circular against bullock cart races': Madras HC tells TN government

MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Wednesday directed the state government to file a counter affidavit on a petition seeking a stay on the circular issued by the Director General of Police, imposing various conditions to grant permission to conduct bullock cart races. 'Tamil Nadu Param Pariya Veera Vilayattu Mattu Vandi Kaalaigal' State Welfare Association president M Kannan sought an interim stay of the circular as the DGP has no power to issue any conditions. Only the central and state governments are empowered to impose such conditions and frame rules as per sections 37 and 38 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 2016, the petitioner stated. Some of the conditions are arbitrary, impracticable and do not abide by the guidelines formulated by the Supreme Court. The petitioner said that the top court did not impose restrictions to conduct the race on highways, but the circular states that the races should be conducted only on village roads or mud tracks laid on empty fields, which is unreasonable and impractical as nearly all roads in all villages have become state highways. The circular also states that organisers have to obtain permission from the district administration and police fifteen days in advance, where the top court prescribed 10 days. Moreover, the conditions in the circular were not mentioned in the Tamil Nadu Prevention of Cruelty of Animals (Conduct of Jallikattu) Rules, 2017. Hence, the regulatory authorities cannot form new rules but only act in furtherance of the existing rules and policies of the government. A division bench of Justices R Suresh Kumar and G Arul Murugan said that while some of the conditions could be accepted, others may not. Instead of staying the circular, the court directed that if any new applications seeking permission to conduct bullock cart, rekla or horse races are sought, the same shall be considered and decided based on the existing rules and conditions. The court adjourned the case to June 18.

PM has no bias, he had only reacted to Congress manifesto, says Tamilisai Soundararajan

COIMBATORE: Former Governor and BJPs South Chennai candidate Tamilisai Soundararajan on Wednesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not discriminate against minorities and he had only reacted to the Lok Sabha election manifesto of the Congress party. Interacting with the media at the Coimbatore International Airport, Tamilisai asserted that Modis mantra is development and growth for all and he never differentiated between the minority and majority communities. In a recent election speech the PM warned that the Congress wants to distribute the nations wealth among infiltrators and those who have more children if it comes to power. This is widely deemed to be a reference to the Muslim community. Actually the PM stated that our countrys resources are plundered and our property should not go into the hands of infiltrators as over one crore who intruded into West Bengal were issued ration cards by the state government, Tamilisai clarified. In her defence of the BJP stalwart, Tamilisai also said even Muslims benefited from the central governments popular schemes. Muslims too were among the 10 crore beneficiaries of free LPG connections and the National Health Protection Scheme. However, the opposition parties are creating an impression that only they can protect the minorities. By projecting the BJP and Prime Minister Modi as against them (minorities) they are trying to make it a major issue in the election campaign, she said. Tamilisai also charged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was not in the country to speak against it. We dont know where he is now. It is sad the Congress is accusing the PM when the party is having a leader like Rahul Gandhi who is unable to stand with the people during the election, said Tamilisai in an apparent reference to his recent absence from the poll campaign owing to ill-health. While referring to the BJP governments efforts to empower Muslim women, Tamilisai also took potshots at Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin. Despite CM Stalin speaking about womens rights, he did not take steps to help Muslim women go to the Hajj alone. However, the PM has given visa relaxation and appointed a woman as the V-C of Aligarh Muslim University, she remarked. Tamilisai also raked up her partys claim that the names of several eligible voters in the state were missing from electoral rolls. She urged the Election Commission to reconsider including the voters in the list as lakhs of voters were denied the right to franchise. Its sad that the Election Commission officials are saying that they can rectify the fault in the voters list only in the next election, she said. Tamilisai also questioned why CM Stalin, who is raising his voice even for small issues, remains silent over the alleged deletion of voters from the list. She also visited the temple near Perumanallur at her native place. ECI urged to ban Modis campaigns Madurai: Various human rights organisations like the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and the Peoples Watch, have requested the ECI to impose a ban on PM Narendra Modis election campaigns, after he allegedly violated the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and used pejorative language against minority communities during a recent canvassing trail. The bodies collectively submitted a petition to Collector-cum-Returning Officer MS Sangeetha, in which they said that PM had made a hate speech in Rajasthans Banswara. Modis speech, the statement added, was aimed at instigating hatred between Hindus and Muslims.

1,200 tonnes of additional garbage cleared after every event during Chithirai festival

Different government departments work in tandem and make strenuous efforts to keep city clean and hygienic despite the sheer size of crowd that descended and littered on Madurai streets during major events of the Chithirai festival

Three killed as car falls into roadside ditch on Tiruchi - Madurai national highway

Brought home a CL500 jeep instead of a Polo GT: My impressions so far

BHPian TorqueMonster recently shared this with other enthusiasts. I've always dreamed of owning a sports car. Playing Forza for the first time, made me decide that if I were to get a car, it would be a Red Ferrari 458 Italia. But with time, common sense and monetary constrains, I had to look into more humble suggestions, and nothing else could catch my eye more than a red VW Polo, specifically GT TSI. Contrary to what I would have wanted, I now have a Grey CL500 Jeep lying around in my garage. Why a Jeep? - My Jeep obsession would start only post my Team Bhp Membership. While I am a big fan of SUV's and Trucks, such as the Endeavor or the Izuzu V - Cross, my goal, was to always get a car, that I can tune, and modify, both visually and performance wise. And this is until I stumble across the 4x4 and Off - Roading Section of Team Bhp. I went on an entire binge - reading session, of most ownership threads, restoration, and long term ownership threads. Something about the fact that such vehicles can go anywhere, and can be modified endlessly, stuck with me. If I were to ignore cars and bikes, travel would be my passion. I always have a plan to overland, to go over the most remotest of places, or travel across the country in my Vehicle, and explore it thoroughly. And then comes a green MM540, as a temporary member of my Garage. My first real experience with owning a Jeep. It was certainly not in the best of conditions, as my first experience with the vehicle was with it breaking down halfway towards Rameshwaram. But the fact that I could take this vehicle up any hill, confortably cruise at 60 - 70, that too open top made all of this a fun experience. Even more than this, I loved the attention it creates every time its parked. From compliments such as nice Jeep, or people already giving out offers for buying it, this vehicle, despite its utilitarian origins, screams looks and attention. Enough reading of the 4x4 thread kick started the inner mechanic within me, determined with the fact that I could, with enough parts, assistance and brainstorming, can make a jeep that suits my needs. The MM540, despite all the positives I had mentioned, was a pain to drive, terribly built, and most importantly, was 2wd. Now my motives were clear. I do need a Jeep. Once I need a Jeep, I needed to modify it, as per my requirements, both with comfort features, and that of looks. Lastly, while purely optional, I also required the vehicle to have alright perfomance, to cruise on the highway, and to tackle any off - road focus. Yes, I know that the ideal suggestion that anyone would give here would be that to get a New Thar. Or a Jimny if I'm not badge conscious. Yes, these are lofty ambitions to keep in mind , for a Vehicle built for off - roading. But I was determined enough, armed with the knowledge obtained under every 4x4 thread, that it could be possible. If people couldn't dissuade me from bringing the KB100 back from the dead thrice, they certainly can't stop me from getting the Jeep. So what car to get ? - I had multiple options to choose from, as there were Jeeps of all types, all shapes and sizes, multiple Engine options. They included - 1. Mahindra MM540/50- This was the primary choice of Vehicle, which was being searched. There are enough threads on this vehicle in this forum, and I was determined about the fact that this vehicle will clearly fit my needs. My search for the MM540 almost led me to getting a red MM540, with a DI Engine. While negotiations were going fine, the travel distance, along with Fitness Renewal being pending, ensured that this vehicle went from top priority to that of out of consideration. 2. 1960's Jeep CJ - Looked good, but my biggest skepticism was that of owning a vehicle this old. For Context, Jawaharlal Nehru was the PM when this vehicle was bought, the first James Bond movie had just dropped, and it was still 7 years for US to put a man on the moon. Despite the appeal in owning a piece of history, I was still skeptical about the maintenance a moving musuem like this would have. Dropped. 3. Used Jeep Compass Trailhawk - Jeep? Yes, 4X4? Yes. While technically being correct for my requirements, the fact that I have to prepone the eventual upgrade to the Dzire I have (I already have plans for getting a better vehicle than the Compass in a couple of years) along with not so good reviews about Jeep Maintenance made me stay away from this purchase. Plus the fact that the only 2 vehicles of this in the used market were running cheaper than a top end Creta, also made me question the possibility of any reliability issues, or that of terrible depreciation on Jeep's. 4. A Mahindra Major, which had been slightly modified - I honestly don't know how old this vehicle is, but considering that the price was decent, and that it was on route to a trip I was going, I decided to give it a shot. While I got welcomed by a very nice owner, who explained in detail about the vehicle, the bodywork needed a lot of work, and as much as I could try fixing things, metallurgy is nothing something I want to put myself into. So despite nice owner, vehicle got rejected. A sojourn to Palakkad, and how I brought Phantom back - With there being enough struggles with that of finding a Jeep, preponing the bigger car purchase for a Trailhawk was looming on the horizon. As I was prepared to uninstall Olx, I decide to give one more search, this time, expanding my search to the neighbouring state, as far as its in a 5 - 6hr radius. And then she appears, Phantom. A Grey Mahindra CL500. In almost cinematic fashion, I cut my ongoing college lecture to give the owner a phone call. And I was sold. The vehicle looked excellent on paper, was a daily driver, and the owner gave a full rundown on the maintenance he does on the vehicle, just on the first call itself. Hence, in a leap of faith, plans were made, a drive to Palakkad, on the trusted Dzire, on board to welcome a new member of the Garage. Bringing along a trusted mechanic, a thorough analysis of every aspect of the Jeep was undertaken. That first glimpse, irl. The vehicle had everything that I would have wanted. A nice color scheme, open top, and most importantly, well maintained and well owned. It had its cons, like that of needing slight paint work, or that there was no spare tire on the vehicle to begin with. While the speedo and tachometer were working, the rest of the gauges were shot. The rear seats also had issues, as they would keep on sliding back, but I have no plans of keeping the rear seats in the first place so not a bother for me. Never has there been a more quicker purchase, the Vehicle was in that good condition. Considering the age of the vehicle, and that the other issues were fixable by myself, it was a done deal. 6hrs later, the vehicle proudly sits at its new home in Madurai, with its garagemate being my trusty Super Meteor 650. Positives 1. The Stance - This Vehicle screams attention, this time, even more than the previous MM540 that I had. It has a very intimidating stance, owing to its Grey and Black Color Scheme, and the massive 31x10.50 r15 tyres. Ive had people give way, the same way they would for a Fortuner. Its a vehicle everyone will notice if they see it. 2. Torque - And by Torque there is a lot of it. The slope leading to my Garage is easy to tackle. Rough Roads, also easy to tackle. Slight off - road and travelling in hills, the midrange of this vehicle makes it the fastest vehicle in the hills. It is literally the car equivalent of my Thunderbird, looks good, and between the speeds of 40 - 60, it is in its true zone, will tackle any roads, any gradient or surface, any slopes, with zero hesitation. 3. Reliability - Yes, an older vehicle, especially bought used will not be the most reliable vehicle, as evidenced by the fact that most restoration or modification builts require a significant time invested in bringing the vehicle to a good condition, be it physically or mechanically. Not for this car. Unlike the Mahindra Major or the MM540 I was previously about to buy, this vehicle, had zero rust. some surface level rust was there, but there was nothing that could not be fixed. Its a jeep, so other than the bodywork, there was nothing else on the car which could break. With regard to the Engine, the MDI engine has been bulletproof. This vehicle has run 50,000km on its present engine, and upon first inspection, done duly by the mechanic we had brought along with us while buying the vehicle, we were told that this vehicle is in perfect condition, and that this is the kind of engine that would fetch a good price, if people were wanting to swap it to their older jeeps. Only issue, and if I were to nitpick, on this vehicle was that of brakes, with an issue where the front left drums were not engaging properly at times. Thankfully, that issue has also been duly taken care of. 4. Practicality - While on paper, this is nowhere close to a practical vehicle, but this is in terms of transport as a personal vehicle. Otherwise, this is the most practical vehicle out there. I can fit my entire KB100 inside the back of my vehicle, and the Vehicle being open top ensures that headroom is no issues. There is underseat storage, a dedicated metal box that can be locked, and the fact that everything from huge saplings to even a young tree, a motorcycle, people, and basically almost any luggage that can be taken can easily fit in the back of the vehicle says a lot about the practicality of the vehicle, and its durability. And all of this is without a single drop in engine perfomance. The vehicle will take almost anything you put to it with zero hesitation. While a Hilux has always been on my bucket list (and it will be in my garage in a couple of years), removing the rear seats has made this practically a pick - up truck of sorts, and I am happy with the dual role it can perform, as a jack - of all trades vehicle of my garage. Negatives 1. Top - End Performance of the Engine - This vehicle struggles to go past 60. It is not meant for long highway drives, even then, considering the fact that I have to navigate the great highways of Tamil Nadu to eventually reach the hills, the most excrutiating part of any drive is the highway. This leads to often awkward situations in highway, where despite the size of my vehicle, every vehicle, even something as small as an XL100 could gap my jeep with an entire buslenght to spare. 2. Brakes - There are some massive gripes I have with the brakes of the vehicle. Because its mostly ineffective. The pedal has a lot of travel, and there is a very fine line between normal braking, and putting your brakes suddently. The vehicle comes to an abrupt stop if I hit the brakes ever so slightly too much, Anything before that, the brakes don't engage, or are ineffective. Another issue with the brakes is that if I am to ever hit the brakes suddently, the vehicle has a tendency to try to steer itself to the left or the right, almost as if the vehicle is struggling to stop. The only rectification for this is to put a set of disk brakes, but once again, the cost and overall time and effort needed for this are complex, so at least for now, it is not feasible. 3. Lack of Safety Features - I don't expect the vehicle to come with airbags or ABS, but at the very least, for an open vehicle with no doors, I'm sure seatbelts should have been a thing. Currently seatbelts are being fixed, taken from a Gypsy, but work is still in progress. 4. Handling - For tough roads, that would totally bottom out any other cars, even SUV's, this vehicle takes all of these roads head on like nothing had happened, the cost of that being that driving dynamics in the city are not idea. The lack of power steering is annoying, to the extent where I find the Dzire feel like a luxury car in terms of ease of driving. A power steering is possible, issue being that the entire power steering set - up is from an older non - specified Mercedes Benz, I'm assuming based on the age could be a W124. The availability, along with labour makes it not feasible at least for the time period. The lack of power steering also ensures that it is almost impossible to go around the small roads of Madurai City, as taking turns is a total hassle in itself.If I were to compare this vehicle to my bikes, I would say that it has the performance of my Thunderbird 350, the size and handling of my Super Meteor, and the feature list of my KB100. The vehicle, sitting next day morning, at the garage, after successfuly driving across the highway to Madurai, its new Home. Once the vehicle was put through a bit more usage, especially mechanical, a table discussion was undertaken. On what to do with the Jeep. Like I had stated earlier, this Vehicle was certainly not going to stay stock. There were 3 options before us - 1. Off - Road Build - The most possible out of all the options, as the tyres and engine related work has already been done to the vehicle by the previous owner, who also used to regularly take it offroad, or if not put it through usage at an estate. The only things required were a bit of bodywork, along with a couple of performance mods. Only issue is that both me and my dad have very different views on what counts as performance. While changing the gear ratio's is enough performance to my dad, my inner tuner is not satisfied. What I want was a 2.6 Crde, from the 1st Gen Scorpio. 10 mins into researcing the possibility, I managed to find out that while possible, such an Engine Swap is not feasible. As stated by Behram Dhabar Sir in a thread, the engine mounts and the overall weight of the 2.6 is too much for the Jeep. While it is possible, I don't think there is any mechanic I can trust to undertake this. Hence, this has been paused. Going through all the Engine Swap threads, for now, all forms of Engine Swaps have been vetoed. Maybe, if required, might consider a DI Turbo. But not for now. Only issue was that, despite buying a Jeep, I can't off - road (I will get to this part soon, I would love to participate in the next possible Off - Road event if it happens anywhere nearby), owing to the fact that the previous MM540 I had used was merely 2wd and also was not in the best of conditions. 2. Confortable Build - Yes, a ladder on frame Jeep, and comfort/luxury are 2 things that do not go hand in hand at all. But still, the idea of new bucket seats, a roof, and a retrofitted AC, especially in the dry and dusty Madurai seemed like luxuries that are good to have. Idea eventually rejected as if I wanted creature comforts, I could walk 5 steps to the right where my Dzire is, which will take me anywhere with zero issues. 3. Fix the vehicle one at a time - After thoroughly analyzing both time and finances available, the sole practical decision was made. Firstly, to ensure that the Vehicle is in 100 percent condition, both with respect to looks, and performance (as much as the Engine would allow for). To ensure this, firstly, there needs to be electrical works undertaken, in the form of wiring being fixed, LED Lights, and taillamps. Before all of this, its best to show photos of the Vehicle, before it eventually goes into the transformation phase The front of the Vehicle. The Timeless Jeep Looks, updated with a new bullbar (welded on as an extension to the stock bumper), along with aftermaket Auxiliary Lamps. Only slight eyesore being that of the blank indicators on the grill of the vehicle, and that long pole which I jokingly refer to as a flagpole. Considering that the vehicle is open top and comes inbuilt with a flagpole, can be a good side hustle in the current election season The side profile of the Vehicle, clearly shows 2 things. Its open top, and has no rear seats. On a much detailed glance, you will also observe that its just a Vehicle and 2 seats. Simple, but also elegant. Once again, there is badge, that says 4wd, despite the Vehicle not being 4wd. Continue reading BHPian TorqueMonster's review for more insights and information.

Chithirai festival | Sea of devotees gather at Madurais Vaigai river for glimpse of Lord Kallazhagar - The Hindu

Chithirai festival | Sea of devotees gather at Madurais Vaigai river for glimpse of Lord Kallazhagar The Hindu

'Vararu Vararu Alagar Vararu' chants echo through streets of Madurai

MADURAI: Chants of Vararu Vararu Alagar Vararu and Govinda Govinda echoed through the streets of Madurai as Lord Kallalagar, adorned in traditional green silk attire, was taken on a procession on his vahana, a golden horse, before entering the Vaigai River early on Tuesday. Lord Kallalagars procession from Alagar Hills to Madurai, part of the Chithirai festival celebrations, is the largest festival in Madurai, attracting lakhs of devotees who congregate to witness the procession and the rituals. After visiting hundreds of mandagapadis, with more than 460 mandagapadis located along the procession path, Lord Kallalagar was brought in a golden palanquin to the Arulmigu Prasanna Venkatachalapathy Temple in Tallakulam on Monday night. After performing rituals, the deity was adorned in green silk, representing agricultural prosperity, and taken on the golden horse from the temple to the Vaigai River. Earlier, Lord Veera Ragava Perumal, mounted on his vahana, a silver horse, was brought to the northern banks of the Vaigai. Lord Kallalagar was brought to the Vaigai northern banks by 5:45 am. Upon arrival, Lord Veera Ragava Perumal, in a symbolic gesture, received Lord Kallagar on a special platform made for the deity to enter into the river. The procession circled on the platform after entering the Vaigai, allowing lakhs of people to get a darshanam of the deity. Devotees chanted 'Govinda Govinda' and showed deepam to offer their prayers to Lord Kallalagar. After the pooja, the procession proceeded along the Vaigai Bank road to Ramarayar Mandapam for the Theerthavari ritual, during which thousands of devotees sprayed scented water on the procession deity using 'thopparai', customary bags made of goat leather. The procession then proceeded to the Vandiyur Perumal temple. Later in the day, Lord Kallalagar will head to the Thenur Mandabam, to lift the curse of Sage Manduka, and then proceed to the Ramarayar Mandapam during midnight for Dashavatar darshanam. Lakhs of people from various places reached Goripalayam to view Kallalagar entering the Vaigai River. Minor hiccups Owing to the immense crowd, the Vaigai Bank road was fully packed and minor issues were reported, which were addressed by the cops at the venue. The district administration had made arrangements alongside the procession path to allow devotees to witness the event. The city corporation also set up drinking water facilities and toilet facilities in many places. However, owing to the large crowd, some people at Goripalayam faced some issues. Thousands of police personnel from neighbouring districts were also deputed at the event venue to maintain law and order and manage the crowd. In contrast to last year, people were allowed to enter the Vaigai River this year, averting a stampede-like situation that occurred near the Devar statue last year. Considering the water flow in the river, swimmers from police and fire departments were deputed, along with life jackets and life buoys.

Chithirai fest: A night of divinity, celebrations in Madurai - The New Indian Express

Chithirai fest: A night of divinity, celebrations in Madurai The New Indian Express

Thoonga Nagaram steps out to watch Alagar enter Vaigai

MADURAI: Chants of Vararu Vararu Alagar Vararu and Govinda Govinda echoed through the streets of Madurai as Lord Kallalagar, adorned in traditional green silk attire, was taken on a procession on his vahana, a golden horse, before entering the Vaigai River early on Tuesday. Lord Kallalagars procession from Alagar Hills to Madurai, part of the Chithirai festival celebrations, is the largest festival in Madurai, attracting lakhs of devotees who congregate to witness the procession and the rituals. After visiting hundreds of mandagapadis, with more than 460 mandagapadis located along the procession path, Lord Kallalagar was brought in a golden palanquin to the Arulmigu Prasanna Venkatachalapathy Temple in Tallakulam on Monday night. After performing rituals, the deity was adorned in green silk, representing agricultural prosperity, and taken on the golden horse from the temple to the Vaigai River. Earlier, Lord Veera Ragava Perumal, mounted on his vahana, a silver horse, was brought to the northern banks of the Vaigai. Lord Kallalagar was brought to the Vaigai northern banks by 5.45 am. Upon arrival, Lord Veera Ragava Perumal, in a symbolic gesture, received Lord Kallagar on a special platform made for the deity to enter into the river. The procession circled on the platform after entering the Vaigai, allowing lakhs of people to get a darshanam of the deity. Devotees chanted Govinda Govinda and showed deepam to offer their prayers to Lord Kallalagar. After the pooja, the procession proceeded along the Vaigai Bank road to Ramarayar Mandapam for the Theerthavari ritual, during which thousands of devotees sprayed scented water on the procession deity using thopparai, customary bags made of goat leather. The procession then proceeded to the Vandiyur Perumal temple. Later in the day, Lord Kallalagar will head to the Thenur Mandabam, to lift the curse of Sage Manduka, and then proceed to the Ramarayar Mandapam during midnight for Dashavatar darshanam. Lakhs of people from various places reached Goripalayam to view Kallalagar entering the Vaigai River. Owing to the immense crowd, the Vaigai Bank road was fully packed and minor issues were reported, which were addressed by the cops at the venue. In contrast to last year, people were allowed to enter the Vaigai River this year, averting a stampede-like situation that occurred near the Devar statue last year. Considering the water flow in the river, swimmers from police and fire departments were deputed, along with life jackets and life buoys. Man fatally stabbed amid crowd, one held Madurai: The Mathichiyam police arrested a man in connection with the fatal stabbing of a 28-year-old, and injuring his friend in Alwarpuram around 1.30 am on Monday. Police identified the deceased as Sonai (28) of Sivaganga district. Sonai was standing with his friend M Karthick. Karthick was reportedly involved in a dispute with the accused, A Sathishkumar, as his wife and the latter were involved in an extramarital affair. With this as the motive, Sathishkumar stabbed Karthick, amidst the Chithirai festival crowd. When Sonai attempted to stop the attack, he sustained stab injuries. The duo was taken to the Government Rajaji Hospital, where Sonai succumbed to his injuries. Karthick is undergoing treatment. Meanwhile, the Mathichiyam police arrested Sathishkumar and are investigating. ENS

Lord Kallazhagar enters Vaigai river as part of Chithirai festival in Madurai

Lord Kallazhagar enters Vaigai river as part of Chithirai festival in Madurai - The Hindu

Lord Kallazhagar enters Vaigai river as part of Chithirai festival in Madurai The Hindu

Lord Kallazhagar descends into river Vaigai as part of Chithirai Brahmotsavam (VIDEO)

Madurai (Tamil Nadu): Lakhs of devotees from various parts of the country thronged the Vaigai River bed in Madurai city on Tuesday morning to witness the spectacular event of Lord Kallazhagars entry into the river. The historical event was held as part of the ongoing 12-day annual Chithirai Brahmotsavam festival of the World-renowned Sri Meenakshi-Sundareswarar Temple. #ChithiraiThiruvizha in #Madurai Lord #Kallalagar In #Vaigai river with the lot of people #ChithiraiThiruvizha2024 #ChithiraiFestival2024 #LordKallazhagar #Kallazhagar pic.twitter.com/HRd5kfrgtY Cine Flow (@CineFlowTamil) April 23, 2024 The decorated idol of Lord Sundararaja Perumal, adorned in resplendent green silk (a symbol of prosperity and booming agriculture) and mounted on a golden stallion taken in a procession from the temple in the early hours, had entered the River Vaigai in the guise of Lord Kallazhagar, amid the chanting of Govinda, Govinda by the devotees. On the riverbed, the deity was received as per tradition by Lord Veeraraghava Perumal, mounted on a silver stallion. #WATCH | Tamil Nadu: Thoonga Nagaram (the city that never sleeps), Madurai remained awake through the night to witness Lord Kallazhagar's entry into the into Vaigai river this morning, as a part of Chithirai festival. The Chithirai festival began at Meenakshi Amman Temple on pic.twitter.com/0SqpC6qHiL ANI (@ANI) April 23, 2024 It was estimated that around 10 lakh devotees congregated in Madurai to witness the event. Earlier, a garland of Tulsi, brought from the famous Sri Aandal Temple at Srivilliputhur, was adorned for Lord Kallazhagar a customary practice to express the affection of Goddess Aandal towards the Lord. After the rituals at River Vaigai, the idol of Lord Kallazhagar was taken in a procession to the historic Ramarayar Mandapam in the city, where the devotees sprayed water on the Lord as part of the tradition. The Chithirai Brahmotsavam of Sri Meenakshi-Sundareswarar Temple is a celebration of unity and amity with a Saivite festival telescoping into a Vaishnative festival. The district administration, in coordination with various government departments, has made elaborate arrangements for the grand event.

Police arrest man for murder in Madurai

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Lord Kallalagar enters Vaigai river as part of Chithirai festival in Madurai

MADURAI: Amid the resounding chants of 'Govinda Govinda' ny lakhs of devotees and the blaring of speakers with 'Vararu Vararu Alagar Vararu', Lord Kallazhagar, draped in traditional green silk and mounted on his golden horse Vahana, entered the Vaigai river in Madurai during the morning hours of Tuesday. The procession of lord Kallalagar from Alagar hills to Madurai as part of the Chithirai festival is Madurai's largest festival. Throughout the procession lakhs of people would throng to venues to attend the rituals. Among other important events in the procession, on Tuesday morning the deity's entry into Vaigai river was held in the morning hours. After visiting hundreds of Mandagapadi (In total more than 460+ Mandagapadi are there along the procession path), lord Kallalagar was brought in the golden Palanquin to the Arulmigu Prasanna Venkatachalapathy temple in Tallakulam by Monday night. After rituals the procession deity was adorn in traditional green silk, which represents prosperity in agriculture among the masses. Mounted on the iconic Golden horse Vahana the processsion statrted in the wee hours wee hours from Tallakulam temple towards Vaigai river. Earlier, lord Veera Ragava Perumal, mounted on his Silver horse Vahana arrived at the northern Banks of the Vaigai river, Lord Kallazhagar arrived at the Vaigai northern banks by 5:45 am. Upon arrival, Lord Veera Ragava Perumal welcomed Kallazhagar onto the special platform prepared for his entry into the Vaigai river. The procession then circled around the platform, allowing the thousands of devotees to have darshan of the deity while chanting 'Govinda Govinda' and offering prayers with deepams to Kallazhagar. After Pooja, the procession proceeded along the Vaigai banks road to Ramarayar Mandapam for the Theerthavari ritual in which thousands of devotees disguised as deities Kallazhagar and Pathinettam Padi Karuppu who would spray scented water at the procession deity using leather bags 'Thopparai'. Following which the procession proceeded to Vandiyur Perumal temple. later in the day, Lord Kallalagar would be visiting the Thenur Mandabam for lifting the curse of Sage Manduka and later the procession will arrive at Ramarayar Mandapam during the midnight hours for Dashavatar darshan. District administration has made arrangements alongside the procession path allowing the devotees to witness the events. The city corporation has provided drinking water and toilet facilities at many places, however the packed up crowd at Goripalayam faced hardships. Several thousands of police personnels from neighbouring districts were deputed in the event venue to maintain order and manage the large number of crowd. Comparing with last year, people were allowed to enter into the Vaigai river this time, thus the stampede situation that happened near Devar statue roundabout last year was averted. Considering the water flow in the river rescue swimmers from police and fire department were deputed in the venue with life jackets and life buoys.

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Chithirai festival | Sea of devotees gather at Madurais Vaigai river for glimpse of Lord Kallazhagar

Thousands of residents participated in the annual ritual of Lord Kallazhagar entering the Vaigai river

ADAS malfunction resulted in a collision. ADAS dangerous in India?

BHPian RahulNagaraj recently shared this with other enthusiasts. Thanks to Gautham for sending this in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP share page!Dear Sir/Maam, I would like to share my experience here in the forum about an unfortunate incident that happened with my car. It's a serious safety issue and after several attempts to rectify it with Honda nothing seems to be working, so the least I expect is to at least make people aware of the issue and drive safely. We were travelling at around 60-70 km/h on the national highway from Madurai towards Chennai in broad daylight at around 10-10:30 am. The car's automatic collision mitigation system activated suddenly with no visible obstacle on the road and the car came to an immediate stall resulting in a severe rear-ending. I have attached an image for your reference. This is a serious issue and after that, I have to switch off the ADAS and drive the vehicle manually. Yes, I understand several things can go wrong in a system, but Honda has responded that the car is perfectly fine and safe to drive.Check out BHPian comments for more insights & information.

Dharmapuri district records its hottest day in 8 years, dog days to continue across TN

CHENNAI: Heatwave conditions continue to prevail over north interior districts of Tamil Nadu where the mercury went up several degrees above normal on Monday. Dharmapuri recorded its highest temperature in the past eight years on Monday, but Erode topped the chart with a sizzling 43 degree Celsius. The regional meteorological centre (RMC) in Chennai has issued a temperature warning till April 26. Due to high temperatures and humid conditions, hot and uncomfortable weather is likely at isolated pockets over Tamil Nadu during the next five days, said P Senthamarai Kannam from RMC. The all-time record for Dharmapuri was 42.2 degree Celsius recorded on April 25, 2016. The second highest of 41.2 degree Celsius was recorded on Monday. Mercury had breached 40 degrees in 12 districts, including Erode, Dharmapuri, Tirupattur, Tiruchy Tiruthani, Vellore, Karur, Madurai, Namakkal, Salem, and Coimbatore. The met office said maximum temperature is likely to be 2-3 degrees above normal at a few places over interior Tamil Nadu for the next five days. The temperature will be 39-41 degrees over the plains of the north interior districts and 34-38 degrees over rest of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal area. Humidity is likely to be about 30%-50% in the afternoon hours and 40%-75% during the rest of the day over the plains of interior districts; and 50% to 85% over the coastal areas during the next five days. Weather blogger K Srikanth said the hot and humid conditions are likely to prevail for the next two weeks.

Great Spectacle!! The most anticipated event of Lord Kallazhagar entering Vaigai River in Madurai Today!!,Lord ... - livechennai.com

Great Spectacle!! The most anticipated event of Lord Kallazhagar entering Vaigai River in Madurai Today!!,Lord ... livechennai.com

Meenakshi, Kallalagar descend on Madurai; city revels in divine trance

MADURAI: As the Chithirai festival at the Arulmigu Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple is set to conclude on Tuesday, the temple car procession that is on its way to the Vaigai witnessed great pomp in Madurai on Monday. Several thousands thronged the Maasi streets on the eleventh day of the ongoing festival, while others gathered on rooftops to catch a glimpse of the divine spectacle. Ever since the festival was kickstarted on April 12, Madurai city has donned the attire and aura of a bride. This metaphor further came alive with the coronation of deity Meenakshi and the celestial wedding of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareswarar, on April 19 and 21 respectively. With the most anticipated festival set to culminate at the Meenakshi temple with the Thirthavari on April 23, the deities Meenakshi, Sundareswarar, and Piriyavidai, adorned in gems and silk, were brought to the Keela Maasi street along with a procession. Other deities were carried in palanquins. Following a customary pooja at the Karuppasamy temple, the temple car travelled around the four Maasi streets. In view of thousands turning up in the wee hours of Monday, security arrangements were in place. CCTV cameras and watch towers were set up along the procession path. The city corporation has also set up mobile toilets and water tanks along the road to aid the large number of devotees, who arrived to take part in the procession. A birds-eye-view of the procession seemed like the temple car was floating amid a sea of people. Notably, the city corporation also deputed hundreds of sanitation workers, who were instructed to follow the procession and clean the streets as when the temple chariot proceeded. Several organisations and people erected stalls alongside the Maasi streets and offered refreshments and food to devotees. Meanwhile, the Kallalagar procession arrived at the Tallakulam Perumal temple in Madurai on Monday. Rituals will be performed here before the procession enters Vaigai River on Tuesday morning. The procession deity will be carried on a golden horse vahana on its way to the Vaigai, before being proceeded to the Vandiyur Perumal temple. The procession deity visited over 450 mandagapadis along the path.

Most Tiruppur shops remain shut as workers fail to return after voting

TIRUPPUR: At least 40% of the 2,000 shops and commercial establishments in Tiruppur city remained shut after workers who went home to cast their votes are yet to return. Kongu Traders and Shopkeepers Association president K Ramesh told TNIE, Though we were happy to send our workers to their native places to vote, many of them did not return on Saturday. Most of the workers are from Madurai, Ramanathapuram, Pudukkottai, and Pattukottai Sivaganga Tirunelveli. They have extended their leaves. Some of the workers went for voting aong with their family members. Male workers may find it difficult to convince their spouse to return. Anway, business has been dull for the past three days. Vanigar Sangam (Tiruppur) coordinator K Ganeshan said Workers of furniture, provision shops, and bakeries are from southern districts. The shops remained closed since the Tiruppur district administration and the labour department announced leave on Friday for election. We had no option because most of the families were from far places like Thoothukudi, and Tirunelveli. Since most of them moved along with their family members including children they could not return within the same day. This caused the closure of shops in the city. The male workers will be returning on Monday morning. G Raghavan, a trader said, Not just shops even street hawkers and roadside sellers were missing since Friday. Some shops also remained closed for the past three days. Some departmental stores operated with the help of migrant workers. An official from the Tiruppur Administration said, This is an unusual situation as the polling date fell on Friday. Workers extended their leave. Extra buses have been arranged from the southern districts to enable workers to return to Coimbatore, Tiruppur, and Erode. Around 90 buses were expectd to return from southern districts to Tiruppurs old bus stand (Central Bus stand), new bus stand and Kovil Vazhi bus stand on Sunday.

Carnival-like atmosphere on Masi streets of Madurai

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Tamil Nadu: Gang hurls tiffin-box country-made bomb at man over business motive

MADURAI: The Madurai district police are on the lookout for a gang who allegedly hurled a tiffin-box country-made bomb and grievously hacked a 28-year-old man over business motives in Keelavalavu village in the night hours of Friday. The injured person, identified as V Naveen of Rajaveethi in Keelavalavu, lost the middle and ring fingers of his right hand in the attack, and is undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Madurai. According to sources, the incident took place when Naveen was sitting inside a car in Keelavalavu village. The suspects -- Vellaiya Thevan, his associate Michael alias Mahalingam and four others -- hurled a tiffin-box countrymade bomb in front the windshield of the car. Naveen, who sustained minor injuries in the explosion, rushed out of the vehicle in a bid to flee the place, when the suspects hacked him. Following this, the suspects fled the spot after villagers started to gather in the region, sources added. It is also learnt that the hurled bomb contained nails stuffed with cracker chemicals, which is different from the already known tiffin box bombs. Police said Vellaiya Thevan and Naveen's relatives -- A Rajesh and M Gopi -- entered into a dispute a few days ago during a temple festival in the village. Further, another argument erupted between them afterwards, which could have led to the attempt to murder, they said. Besides, Naveen and Vellaiya Thevan had been doing tobacco business in foreign countries and a business motive is believed to be the major reason behind the attack, police sources added. Meanwhile, special teams have been formed to nab the suspects and Superintendent of Police BK Arvind intensified investigation. The Keelavalavu police have registered a case against six persons including Vellaiya Thevan under 147, 148, 294 (b), 326, 307 IPC sections, 3 of Explosive Substance Act and 3 of TNPPDL Act. Further investigation is underway.

Scores witness Meenakshi temple celestial wedding in Madurai

MADURAI: Nearly 10,000 devotees witnessed the highly anticipated celestial wedding of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareswarar, as part of the ongoing Chithirai festival, at the Arulmigu Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple in Madurai on Sunday. While those with passes had gathered at the Thirukalyana Mandabam, thousands of others who were around the temple, watched the live telecast of rituals. The Chithirai festival was kickstarted on April 12. In line with the temple tradition, the Thirukalyanam was conducted on a stage set up at the junction of North West Aadi street within the temple premises. The rituals started at 4 am, with the Odhuvamurthigal singing Thirumurai. Procession deities of Lord Pavala Kanivai Perumal and Lord Subramaniya Swamy (lord Murugan) from the Thiruparangundram temple arrived by 6 am. Adorned in traditional attire and embellished in gems, both Goddess Meenakshi and lord Sundareswarar were brought to the Thirukalyana Mandabam along with a procession. The celestial wedding was conducted between 8.35 am and 8.59 am, in the rishabha lagna, with priests reading out hymns from the Vedas. Married women who had gathered in and around the temple, tied the thali around their necks and removed them after the wedding. Apart from 10,000 people who had gathered in the temple premises alone, ministers and other dignitaries from Madurai were present. For those who could not get passes, and had gathered around the temple, the rituals and ceremonies were telecast live. Extensive security arrangements were in place to manage the crowd. The wedding feast was arranged at Sethupathi high school. We had arrived at the venue the previous night to get front-row seats. But, we could not make it to the temple. The temple doors were opened in the morning, which is when we sought dharshan of the newly-wed deities, kept at the Thirukalyana mandabam, said a devotee named A Parvithra, from Madurai. The searing heat gave us a hard time during the day. Thats why, we had sought refuge in the shade. Refreshments and food offered up by philanthropists, who had set up stalls, helped. The entire area had donned a festive mood, said Mahilarasan, another devotee from Madurai.

Devotees treated to a grand feast after celestial wedding in Madurai

Garland, silk vasthram, parrots of Andal taken to Madurai for Lord Kallazhagar

Devotees throng Madurai temple to witness celestial wedding

Madurai celebrates celestial wedding of deities as thousands of devotees throng temple - The New Indian Express

Madurai celebrates celestial wedding of deities as thousands of devotees throng temple The New Indian Express

Three injured in country bomb attack near Melur in Madurai district

The Keezhavalavu police have picked up two suspects for inquiry

Kokalancheri waste treatment plant abiding by norms: TNPCB

MADURAI: In the wake of residents of five villages boycotting polling, demanding the closure of a private waste treatment plant in Kokalancheri, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) on Saturday said that the unit had been functioning in adherence with the norms. In a letter to District Collector MS Sangeetha, AIADMK ex-minister RB Udhayakumar said that the private waste treatment industry was treating medical and poultry waste, due to which people living in the 30 villages in the vicinity were worried about potential environmental and health hazards. Stressing on this issue, the villagers boycotted the elections. The industry could have been shut permanently, he said in the letter. Following the boycott, Sangeetha ordered the TNPCB to inspect the unit and file a report. After the inspection, TNPCB officials said that the unit, which started functioning on September 21, 2023, has a licence that is valid till March 31, 2026. This industry gets poultry waste from municipalities, town panchayats and panchayat unions and stores around 5 tonnes. Later, the waste is boiled for 40 minutes. To control the bad odour, a 30-metre high chimney is in place, and the treatment is done according to the norms to prevent air pollution and emanation of foul odour, a source said. The plant is neither treating any medical waste nor chemical waste. They are abiding by the norms, TNPCB zonal engineer Gunasekaran said.

Tamil Nadu: Sample projection by CEOs office led to wide variation in turnout percentage

CHENNAI: The significant difference in the voter turnout data between the provisional figures released by the office of Chief Electoral Officer after the Lok Sabha elections at 7.30pm (72.09%) on Friday and at 12am (69.46%) on Saturday stirred considerable confusion among the public. While minor variations are expected in these figures in every poll, variations in the range of seven to 13.5 percentage points in several constituencies led to concerns over data quality. Enquiries by TNIE revealed that a method of projection based on data directly collected by the office of the CEO from a sample number of polling stations led to these variations. According to officials, periodic updates provided by office of CEO on Friday and later at 7.30pm were based on this sample- based projection. In contrast, the Saturday 12am figure was based on actual data from all assembly segments fed by the respective Returning Officers to the ECIs online portal, Encore. Interestingly, even after 24 hours of polling, the final turnout figures were not released until Saturday night. Releasing the same 12am figures at 7.30pm on Saturday, CEO Satyabrata Sahoo said data entry for each polling station was still under way. The respective ROs are doing it for all polling stations. We expect very minor variation (in the final figures), he said. The statewide turnout remained at 69.46% as on Saturday night. Sahoo, however, added that turnout for Thoothukudi will be sharply revised to 66.88% from 59.96% as there were delays in entering data to the Encore portal on Friday. Except for this constituency, only very little changes are likely in other seats, he added. The revision in Thoothukudi will marginally increase the statewide turnout data when the final figures are released. The variations reported earlier due to sample-based projections were sharp in the three seats in Chennai district, and Sriperumbudur, Coimbatore, Sivaganga, and Madurai (refer infographic). Dharmapuri locals have more at stake S Kumaresan , a labourer and a native of Pennagaram who works in Bengaluru, said, In villages, everybody knows everybody else. So when a person from our village calls you to come and cast vote for a political party, we just cannot ignore it. This is a big reason for casting the vote. Moreover, this also gives us the chance to meet up with family and friends. R Mariappan, a labourer working in Coimbatore, said, Most migrant labourers working in the district either work in Dharmapuri, Tiruppur or Coimbatore, which are not too far. It only takes a few hours to reach home. Moreover, in rural areas, if you do not vote, the ward members or panchayat president will not respect you. Though we vote for people of our choice, cadres cutting across party lines would solicit our opinion on local matters. If you do not vote, then your opinion may not matter. The district, which comprises one municipality, 10 town panchayats, and 251 gram panchayats, has consistently trumped bigger districts like Chennai, Coimbatore and Salem that are relatively more urban in nature. Speaking to TNIE, Collector K Santhi said, Dharmapuri has always been a good performer in polling. One of our key initiatives to bring in voters was by analysing previous Lok Sabha election data. We had identified poor performing polling stations and increased SVEEP (Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation) activities there using self-help groups, she said. Political parties, however, attribute this increase in polling percentage to political awareness. CPM district secretary A Kumar said, All three major parties the DMK, PMK and AIADMK were well-received by the elderly and youth across the district. As most people in Dharmapuri belong to weaker sections of the society, they have more at stake. SP Venkateshwaran, Dharmapuri MLA and PMK district secretary (West), said, As an MLA, I have gone to many rural areas where we are increasingly questioned by youth. In a sense, youth are actively monitoring the political scene.

Apathy, lack of documents, transgenders stay away from getting 'inked' in Tamil Nadu

RAMANATHAPURAM: The indelible ink mark, a symbol of participation in the worlds largest democratic exercise, holds great value for crores of Indians. For transgender persons, however, it is another avenue where their rights are weighed down by various societal factors. The general apathy towards us or our plight has contributed to our lack of interest in voting during the elections, Mumtaj, a transgender activist from Ramanathapuram, told TNIE. Even as the participation of transgender voters has increased over the years, with more eligible transgenders registering with the Election Commission of India to exercise their franchise, the participation of transgenders largely remains below 30%. The situation is no different in Ramanathapuram, which has over 70 registered transgender voters. During the Lok Sabha elections in 2014, 14 transgenders voted, accounting for a mere 17.50% turnout. This further dipped in 2019, when only 8 votes were polled. This year again, just 22 of the 79 transgenders voters cast their votes. In Madurai and Sivaganga, the situation is not better either. While just 10 of 63 transgenders voted in Sivaganga, 54 transgenders, of a total of 198, voted. Despite a series of awareness programmes by the government and other organisations, the participation of transgenders remains bleak in several places. Though there are more than 250 transgenders in the district, the number of transgender voters is just 79 in Ramanathapuram. Despite struggling for nearly two years, many of us are unable to get voter IDs or other documents. Apart from this, many of our issues remain unresolved. Though we are provided pattas, they are allotted for lands that are near graveyards or are in far-off places. While we wish to stand on our legs, the lack of financial assistance only adds to our misery. We are even ill-treated in many places. In such situations, many of us are unbothered about voting, Mumtaj. If our issues are addressed, perhaps there would be an increase in voter participation among the transgender community, Mumtaj added. Safe Transgender Association president Kajol told TNIE, Comparatively, the numbers of registered transgender voters are much lower than the number of transgenders who are registered with the transgender welfare board. Many of the transgenders still use their old identity to cast votes, while others are facing issues making changes to their documents. Special camps must be organized in every district, to facilitate transgender voters to make changes to their documents, Kajol added. Priya Babu, a Madurai-based transgender activist, said, We are a sizeable population now across the nation. Ttransgenders need a reserved constituency so that we can gain representation in the Parliament. Otherwise, transgenders can be provided with a nominated post in the assembly and parliament. Even though we will not get votes in the Parliament, we could at least have representatives there to speak about our issues.

Answer scripts damaged; Madurai Kamaraj univ holds re-exam for 17 - The Times of India

Answer scripts damaged; Madurai Kamaraj univ holds re-exam for 17 The Times of India

Preparations underway for grand feast for celestial wedding in Madurai

Issues unresolved, villagers threaten poll boycott in Tamil Nadu

MADURAI/SIVAGANGA/VIRUDHUNAGAR/DINDIGUL/RAMANATHAPURAM : Even as the polling process took place smoothly across the districts, villagers who were irked by officials' apathy, lack of facilities and other issues decided to boycott the polls. In Manamadurai assembly constituency Seethurani village, residents boycotted the election, seeking proper roads and drainage facilities. Manamadurai MLA Tamilarsai attempts to convince the villagers went in vain. However, the district administration convinced the voters and assured them to look into the issues, after which they casted votes. Plea to shut fertilizer firm In Virudhunagar constituency, over 2,000 voters from Chennampatti and Peikulam villages of Tirumangalam assembly segment boycotted the elections and staged a protest on Friday, demanding the permanent closure of a private fertilizer company which treats chicken waste and manufactures fertilizer, in their region. Stating that the wastewater discharged after treatment has been affecting waterbodies and groundwater in the surrounding villages, including K Chennampatti, Avalsoorampatti, Kurayoor, Melapatti, Peikulam, and Odaipatti, and the stench emananting from the unit, the villagers said they had flagged the issue with the officials a few days ago and even staged a protest. While the officials held peace talks and promised action, no measures have been taken so far, the villagers said, adding that they would not cast their vote unless the company is sealed. Later, officials again held talks with the residents and temporarily shut the company, assuring the villagers that a peace committee meeting would be held in a few days. The villagers refused and demanded a permanent closure of the company as they did not trust the officials. As the polling drew to an end, some residents from four villages voted. No facilities, no votes Over 300 villagers staged a protest in Seeragampatti village of Ooralipatti panchayat in Natham assembly constituency, stating that the elected representatives did provide them fulfill basic facilities and boycotted the election. The villagers alleged that since 20 years, candidates gave poll promises such as bringing roads, toilets and providing drinking water. After the elections, none of the promises were fulfilled. Angered, the residents hoisted black flags, staged protests and also raised slogans against the government and elected representatives. Upon receiving information, police and administrative officials reached the village and pacified them, after which they cast their votes. Similarly, in the second ward in Aayakudi municipality of Palani also boycotted the polls. After the officials intervention, villagers resumed the polling. Act against persons who assaulted our villager Urging action against persons who assaulted their village, residents of Saveriar Pattinam in Mudukulathur threatened to boycott the poll. A villager from Saveriar Pattinam, on the condition of anonymity, stated that recently a local villager, an ex-army man was brutally assaulted by a local politico from Mudukulathur along with a gang. With serious injuries, the victim was sent to a hospital in Madurai and despite complaining, no action was taken against the accused. Till 11 am, there were no booth agents at a polling center in Saveriar Pattinam. Accordingly, Sub Collector Abhilasha Kour reached the venue and pacified the agitated villagers. After officials provided an assurance, the villagers returned to vote.

Heat wave on polling day; Erode district sizzles at 43C

CHENNAI: Heat wave conditions swept several parts of the state, especially north interior districts, on Friday causing great discomfort to enthusiastic voters who turned out in large numbers to exercise their franchise. Erode recorded the hottest day this summer with the mercury clocking 43 degrees Celsius, which is 5.2 degrees above normal. The regional meteorological centre had issued a heat wave warning for north interior districts on polling day and cautioned people to take adequate measures. Districts that recorded temperatures in excess of 410C were Vellore (41.90C), Karur (41.50C), Trichy (41.30C), Tiruthani (41.20C), Salem (41.2), Dharmapuri (410C) and Madurai (410C). In Chennai, the temperature was between 38-39 degrees Celcius, which was 2-2.7 degrees above normal. The Met office said the temperature may fall marginally on Saturday, but no big change is anticipated till April 23. Light to moderate rain with thunderstorms and lighting is likely to occur at one or two places over Western Ghats and adjoining districts of Tamil Nadu. The dry weather is very likely to prevail over the rest of the state, Puducherry and Karaikal. Humidity is likely to be about 30-50% in the afternoon and 40-75% during the rest of the day over the plains of interior districts; and 50-85% in coastal areas for the next five days, the Met office said.

Commuters protest at Kilambakkam terminus in Chennai

CHENNAI: Demanding buses to delta regions and southern districts, hundreds of commuters staged a protest at the Kilambakkam Bus Terminus on Thursday night. Alleging insufficient bus services, a group of commuters attempted to block the GST Road but were stopped by the police. The transport department, however, attributed the overcrowding at the terminus to the high turnout of commuters, and denied shortage of buses. Despite repeated assurances from transport officials and the police that buses were en route to the terminus, commuters alleged that there were insufficient buses to Tiruchy, Thanjavur, Madurai and other places. Most SETC and TNSTC buses returned from other parts of the state after 12.30 am, and they were diverted to the in-demand routes to pacify the commuters and reduce crowding at the terminus. Transport Secretary K Phanindra Reddy, in a statement issued on Friday, said that four lakh commuters travelled by buses on Wednesday and Thursday, 1.18 lakh higher than those who travelled to their hometowns during the 2021 Assembly elections. In addition to daily regular services of 2,092 buses a day, 3,115 special buses were operated from Chennai on Thursday and Friday. Reddy further said that in response to the state governments request, the railways had operated additional special trains and attached extra coaches to several trains on Thursday. Transport department officials worked throughout the day to ensure uninterrupted operation of bus services, he added. He also appreciated the transport officials and employees who stayed at the bus terminus until 5 am on Friday to facilitate the transportation of commuters.

Polling officer with saffron turban replaced in Madurai

MADURAI: A polling officer, who had donned a saffron turban at a booth in Madurai, was replaced after DMKs polling agents expressed an issue with the turbans colour. The incident happened at a booth in Sethupathi Higher Secondary School, where polling officer III Gunabalan was engaged in election duty. He had donned a saffron turban, which indicates a political partys colour. DMK agents Saravanapandi, Mani, and Bala Kamatchi spotted Gunabalan and alerted the polling officials, asking the police to replace him. The DMK cadres said that Gunabalan was indirectly promoting the BJP. Thus, Gunabalan was replaced. Later, voting resumed. The police said that Gunabalans practice of wearing the turban was not based on religious grounds.

Passengers fume amid long wait for buses in Coimbatore's Singanallur bus stand

COIMBATORE/TIRUPPUR: A large number of passengers gathered in front of the Singanallur bus stand in Coimbatore on Friday morning, upset over inadequate bus services especially to Madurai and Theni districts. A lot of passengers who had arrived at the Dharapuram bus stand in Tiruppur also could not find enough services to southern districts on the voting day. At Singanallur bus stand passengers alleged that they had been waiting over two hours and not a single bus departed to southern districts of the State from there. At 10.30am the agitated passengers tried to hold a sit-in before the bus stand but police prevented it . Police claimed that buses had left for Madurai and Theni on Thursday night. Traffic was halted for more than 20 minutes due to large gathering. Police sources said they contacted the TNSTC officials who in turn arranged the bus within the next one hour. Thepolice also assured to arrange additional buses. A large number of passengers also assembled at Dharapuram bus stand around 6:00 a.m, said sources. They claimed they were natives of Dindigul, Madurai, Pudukkottai and Ramanathapuram districts. There were similar scenes at Palladam and Kangeyam as passengers had to wait for several hours for a bus. At Palladam, passengers said they didnt get a bus on the Coimbatore-Madurai route for more than 3 hours. At Kangeyam several people were waiting for buses to Tiruchi, Kumbakonam and Thanjavur city. Cop manhandles irate passenger Meanwhile, it was alleged that a cop manhandled a passenger for questioning the delay in buses. According to sources, A team of officials with DySP (Dharapuram) S Kalaiarasan arrived at the spot and tried to pacify the crowd. As things got out of hand, afew passengers confronted police and began to argue with him. Responding to the allegation, DySP said, It was just an argument with passengers. One passenger over-reacted to the incident. He was not injured.

Madurai Lok Sabha constituency records 61.95 % voter turnout; polling largely incident-free

Water released from Vaigai dam for Chithirai festival in Madurai

Residents boycott polls in two villages in Madurai district

Chennai Central sees decline in voter participation

Chennai Central sees decline in voter participation Polling in Chennai Central, one of the three Lok Sabha constituencies in the city, has been the lowest in Tamil Nadu, which went to polls on Friday, till 3 pm. Voter turnout in this constituency was 24.09 percent at 11 am, 32.31 percent at 1 pm and 41.47 percent at 3 pm, Chief Electoral Satyabrata Sahoo said. As per the status at 3 pm, the state had polled 51.41 percent, he told reporters here. Dharmapuri with 57.86 percent saw the highest turnout in the state at 3 pm followed by Namakkal at 57.67 and Kallakurichi at 57.34 percent. Eight constituencies (out of 39 in the state) polled below 50 percent at 3 pm. These included the three constituencies in the city - Chennai North, Chennai South and Chennai Central- which polled 44.84, 42.10 and 41.47 percent, respectively. The others are Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, Tirunelveli, Madurai and Sriperumbudur.

Lok Sabha polls | Senior citizen from Madurai whose name was missing on voter list writes to CEC, gets prompt response, casts vote

The 72-year-old said his name was missing on the list released on April 5 despite being there in the draft rolls; he said officials in Madurai had not helped when he had approached them, leading him to write to the Chief Election Commissioner, New Delhi

Lok Sabha elections: Tamil Nadu records 39.51 pc voter turnout by 1 pm

Lok Sabha elections: Tamil Nadu records 39.51 pc voter turnout by 1 pm The average voter turnout in 39 constituencies of Tamil Nadu where Lok Sabha elections are underway stood at 39.51 per cent till 1 pm as per the data released by the Election Commission of India. The south Parliament constituency of Chennai recorded a voter turnout of 28.92 per cent till 1 pm whereas the Chennai north constituency witnessed 29.05 and the voter turnout in central Parliament constituency was recorded 28.08 per cent. Voting percentages for the other constituencies participating in phase 1 elections are Arakkonam- 40.30 per cent, Arani- 44.16, Chidambaram-37.76 per cent, Coimbatore-35.89 per cent, Cuddalore-37.84 per cent, Dharmapuri-40.70 per cent, Dindigul-42.12 per cent, Eorde- 43.54 per cent, Kallakurichi-46.06 per cent, Kacheepuram-39.92 per cent, Kanniyakumari-37.86 per cent, Karur- 46.23 per cent, Krishnagiri-39.78 per cent, Madurai-35.79 per cent, Mayiladuthurai-40.50 per cent. Nagapattinam-42.05 per cent, Namakkal-46.31 per cent, Nilgris-40.88 per cent, Perambalur-45.86 per cent, Pollachi-40.08 per cent, Ramanathapuram-40.90 per cent, Salem-46.89 per cent, Sivganga-34.10 per cent, Sriperumbudur-30.65 per cent, Tenkasi-39.91 per cent, Thanjavur-41.14 per cent, Theni-41.28 per cent, Thoothukkudi-39.11 per cent, Tiruchirappalli-38.13 per cent, Tirunelveli-38.24 per cent, Tiruppur-44.08 per cent, Tiruvallur-38.55 per cent, Tiruvannamalai- 41.74 per cent, Vallore-39.5 per cent, Viluppuram-43.84 per cent and Virudhunagar-42.19 per cent. Meanwhile, there was a substantial increase in the voter turnout charts across the states in the country, with North-Eastern state of Tripura still leading at 53.04 per cent till 1 pm as per the data released by the ECI. Other Northeast states like Meghalaya (48.91) and Manipur (46.92) are also witnessing high voter turnout percentages. After Tripura, West Bengal is experiencing high voter turnout at 50.96 per cent. Voting for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024 began on Friday across 102 parliamentary constituencies spread over 21 states and Union Territories as the mega seven-phase electoral exercise commenced at 7:00 am. Voters will exercise the franchise until 6:00 pm. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking his third consecutive term, while the opposition bloc-INDIA- a coalition of opposing parties formed to take on the BJP in the general elections, is eyeing ousting him from power. In Tamil Nadu in the 2019 general elections, the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, comprising the Congress, VCK, MDMK, CPI, CPI(M), IUML, MMK, KMDK, TVK, and AIFB, registered a landslide victory, winning 38 of the 39 seats in the state. Those voting in the first phase include seats in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhatisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry. An estimated 8.4 crore male voters, 8.23 crore female voters, and 11,371 third-gender electors are eligible to vote in the first phase of Lok Sabha polls, according to the ECI data. The counting of votes will be held on June 4. (ANI)

Tamil Nadu CM, governor and other leaders cast their vote across TN for LS polls

CHENNAI: A slew of political leaders and celebrities exercised their franchise in their respective polling stations across Tamil Nadu on Friday for the Lok Sabha polls. Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi cast his vote at a polling booth here while Chief Minister M K Stalin, former Chief Ministers, O Panneerselvam and Edappadi K Palaniswami and leaders of political parties exercised their franchise. Ravi and Stalin urged people to turn up enthusiastically and do their democratic duty. Stalin, his wife Durga Stalin, DMK leader Kanimozhi (contesting from Thoothukudi) and BJP leaders L Murugan (Nilgiris candidate) and Tamilisai Soundararajan (South Chennai) voted here. Former CMs, Palaniswami and Panneerselvam cast their vote in their home districts of Salem and Theni respectively. Information Technology Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan voted at Madurai. In Chennai, veteran Communist leader R Nallakannu, and Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin cast their votes. Will quit politics if cash for votes accusations are proven: Coimbatore BJP LS candidate Annamalai Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai voted at his native village in Karur district and Naam Tamilar Katchi top leader Seeman at Neelankarai in Chennai. PMK's Dharmapuri candidate Sowmiya Anbumani voted at Tindivanam. Veteran actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam founder Kamal Haasan, who campaigned for the DMK-Congress alliance in the LS polls voted at Teynampet in Chennai. Celebrities including Rajinikanth, Ilaiyaraaja and Ajith Kumar were among the among the early voters. Actors Trisha, Dhanush, noted villain Mansoor Ali Khan who is contesting as an independent in Vellore, lyricist Vairamuthu and many tinsel town celebrities also cast their votes in their respective polling stations. Single phase polling was underway from 7 AM in all the 39 constituencies in Tamil Nadu. In neighbouring Puducherry, AINRC founder and Chief Minister N Rangasamy arrived at a polling booth on a two-wheeler and cast his vote. Meanwhile, two elderly voters in Salem died after arriving at the polling booth to cast their votes and a report has been sought on the matter, state Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo said.

Tamil Nadu: Six years on, college yet to send complaints of sexual harassment to ICC

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Thursday questioned the Devanga Arts College, Aruppukottai in Virudhnagar, for its failure to forward complaints of sexual harassment raised by girls to the Vishaka Committee of the Madurai Kamaraj University even after six years. The first bench of Chief Justice SV Gangapurwala and Justice J Sathya Narayana Prasad raised the question when a public interest litigation petition filed by Ganesan of Revolutionary Students and Youth Federation came up for hearing. The bench directed the counsel for the college to file a reply explaining the failure to forward the complaints of the victims to the Vishaka Committee by July 7. The issue came to the fore in 2018 when the affected students accused P Nirmala Devi, an assistant professor, of compelling them into illicit sexual activity. The CB-CID registered a case and arrested her. Ganesan had filed the petition seeking setting up of a special investigation team headed by a woman DIG to probe the matter.

AIIMS works in Madurai started off sans green clearance

CHENNAI: Construction work has commenced at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) site in Madurai nearly five years after foundation stone was laid by the PM in 2019, but the work has allegedly been undertaken in violation of environmental laws without statutory clearances, sources said. While the work started at the site with a low-key vaastu pooja in March this year, the project is yet to obtain the mandatory environmental clearance (EC) from Tamil Nadu State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) and Consent to Establish (CTE) from Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board. Without these approvals, no civil work, except fencing of the site and construction of temporary sheds for guards, can be carried out. But, as per the pictures posted by the official handle of AIIMS Madurai on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on April 16, several other works are under way. Men and heavy machinery were seen deployed at the site for constructing multiple structures. According to the pictures, the works under way included soil filling for quality control lab, project office for L&T (which has been awarded the contract for construction), and excavation of earth for the store shed and laying of foundation for weighing bridge. None of these works, however, can be taken up without the prior environmental clearance as per the EIA Notification, 2006, and the subsequent Office Memorandums (OMs) issued by the union environment ministry from time to time. The AIIMS Madurai, which was being built under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) scheme, falls under category B1 project for which the EC will be issued by the SEIAA. An application for Terms of Reference (ToR) to prepare EIA study for the project was filed on February 27 and was issued by SEIAA on April 17. After the acceptance of EIA study, the EC will be issued. But, before completing these processes, construction was started on March 5. When contacted, AIIMS Madurais superintendent engineer Alok Devrani told TNIE, We just started a few permissible pre-construction works. All major civil works will be undertaken only after obtaining the EC. The construction site is a barren land. There is no forest or tree cover. This is a government project for larger public good. We have not violated any rules. AR Rahul Nadh, member-secretary, SEIAA, told TNIE he would send a team to assess the ground situation. Certain pre-construction works are permitted, but need to verify whether the ongoing construction work falls under that ambit, if not we will advise them accordingly. Meanwhile, sources said Madurai District Environmental Engineer (DEE) of Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board has visited the AIIMS Madurai site on Thursday evening and advised the authorities concerned to stop all construction works, except building a temporary room. If anymore construction is carried out, a show-cause notice will be issued. This is an important government project. We have asked the AIIMS officials to wait till all the clearances are obtained and not rush with the construction. If not, issuing EC will be further delayed because, under the law, there is no provision for obtaining post-facto clearance, a senior TNPCB official said. Later in the evening, AIIMS Madurai put out a tweet, stating that that all activities currently under way are pre-construction activities conducted in accordance with the mandated protocols. The main construction activities will commence once the Environmental Clearance is obtained from the Government of Tamil Nadu (GoTN), it added. According to an official release from Madurai AIIMS director, Larsen & Toubro (L&T), a leading global construction company, has been awarded the Letter of Acceptance (LoA) by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) for the construction of the project on March 4, 2024. The total project duration is 33 months from the date of commencement.

From Madurai to capital: Woman on Bullet covers 21,000km to drum up support for PM

Collector Should Not Intervene In Temple Traditions: Madurai Bench Of Madras HC Stays Order Regarding Spraying Water On Lord Kallazhagar

Elections 2024: BJP, Dravidian giants pull out all stops as battleground Tamil Nadu braces to vote

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu was marked by fierce campaigns and acrimonious debates, and a never-before-seen kind of spirited fight put up by the BJP, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to gain a foothold in the Dravidian land in 2024 was a striking feature. Elections to 39 Lok Sabha seats in the state will be held on Friday and the fate of 950 candidates will be decided by about 6.23 crore voters who are set to exercise their franchise in nearly 68,000 polling stations. The election mood set in pretty early in the state, in January, with the commencement of repeated visits by Modi, who combined development and honour for Tamil language and culture as his main election plank, which also had the key element of denouncing DMK-Congress over alleged corruption and 'parivarvad' politics. The state witnessed intense campaigning for nearly a month, starting in March. Coimbatore, the hub of western Tamil Nadu, is the most keenly watched constituency in the state and the BJP's K Annamalai is slogging to emerge victorious, battling against Dravidian giants the DMK and AIADMK. He also faces a challenge from the Tamil nationalist Naam Tamilar Katchi in the four-way contest with anti-DMK-Congress votes split into three. The lone joint rally of Congress' Rahul Gandhi and DMK President MK Stalin in Coimbatore is a pointer to the focus on the constituency . Arguably, the 2024 LS polls is the only one in recent history in which the BJP set the tone for campaign discourse by mounting attacks rather than being in defence by coming up with disclosures on the Katchatheevu issue , besides vehemently taking up other matters. The Katchatheevu issue led to a slanging match between the Saffron party, led by a fierce Annamalai and the DMK-Congress combine. While the BJP alleged betrayal by the DMK-Congress, the Dravidian and grand old party posed questions on Chinese incursions. Modi's campaign also saw the Katchatheevu issue gain prominence to a great degree and he sought to pin down the DMK-Congress, saying fishermen now pay the price for their betrayal. The PM also dwelt on the drug menace, following the arrest of expelled DMK office-bearer Jaffer Sadiq by the NCB and the threat to eradicate Sanatana Dharma. In effect, Modi's campaign was exhaustive in Tamil Nadu and he has addressed rallies in constituencies including Chennai, Coimbatore, Vellore and Tirunelveli. A PM visiting Tamil Nadu nine times before a LS election is undoubtedly a first in the state's history. It demonstrated the BJP's resolve to break the electoral jinx it faces in the Dravidian land, almost on its own, with the support of only a few allies, whose influence is confined to select regions. The Pattali Makkal Katchi, the BJP's key ally, has focused its energies in Dharmapuri, where Sowmiya Anbumani is in the fray. DMK's Dayanidhi Maran (Central Chennai), A Raja (Nilgiris), Kanimozhi (Thoothukudi), BJP's L Murugan (Nilgiris), Tamilisai Soundararajan (South Chennai), former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam (Ramanathapuram), Congress Party's Karti Chidambaram (Sivaganga), AIADMK's J Jayavardhan (South Chennai) and AMMK chief TTV Dhinakaran are among the prominent candidates. Barring the 2014 victory of Pon Radhakrishnan from the Kanyakumari segment, the Saffron party, since 1998, has won in Tamil Nadu only when it aligned with either the AIADMK or DMK, the Dravidian twins. South Chennai, Tirunelveli, Coimbatore, Nilgiris and Vellore are the seats where the BJP nominees have gone the extra mile to convince voters. DMK president and Chief Minister Stalin, the star campaigner of his party, led the campaign on the themes of social justice , his regime's welfare measures and the dangers the nation faced due to the BJP, which have wrecked fiscal federalism. He often described the polls as the second independence movement to free the nation from the BJP's divisive politics and repeated the electoral bond scam to claim that it has unmasked the corrupt face of the BJP. The Saffron party will do away with reservation and change the Constitution and that it is allergic to social justice were among the allegations he made in his campaigns. EXCLUSIVE | BJP still not able to understand the political climate of Tamil Nadu: MK Stalin On expected lines, DMK vows to act against NEET, CAA, UCC in its manifesto A key focus of the DMK's campaign was its attle to get funds from the Centre, including for flood relief . Stalin and his party leaders said not a rupee was given by the Centre and Nirmala Sitharaman's claim of Rs 5,000 crore in central assistance to tackle the situation arising out of floods was actually the state's own borrowing from banks merely channelled through the Union government. Stalin, throughout his campaign, did not spare the main opposition, the AIADMK. Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of CM Stalin and a minister, crisscrossed the state, held roadshows and targeted the BJP on a slew of issues, including the Madurai AIIMS being a non-starter. When Udhayanidhi repeatedly attacked PM as 29 paisa Modi as the Centre returned only 29 paisa out of every one rupee paid as tax to the Union government by the state, Annamalai countered, saying no other state received as much funds as Tamil Nadu from the Centre and if he did not stop the 29 paisa jibe, his party will refer to him as Ganja Udhayanidhi as the contraband is available widely in the state. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami was among the early birds on the poll landscape and he addressed a rally of ally SDPI in January and said there is no need to project a 'PM face' to seek votes. The main opposition party's campaign was steered by Palaniswami, the former CM and leader of the opposition, who took on the ruling DMK over every single issue that mattered, including the alleged collapse of law and order and the drug menace. Towards the end of the campaign, he fiercely attacked the BJP for being discriminatory on the basis of caste and religion. When Annamalai claimed AIADMK would disappear following polls, without losing cool, Palaniswami, in a repartee, said voters will teach them a lesson and no force could touch the party that has stormed several struggles. Identical manifestos: Rivals DMK & AIADMK on same page Battle between ideas of Periyar, social justice and that of RSS, PM Modi: Rahul in TN poll rally AIADMK not worried about opinion poll predictions: EPS

For Chithirai, special cultural performances to be held at Thirumalai Nayak palace in Madurai, with free entry

The T.N. Tourism Department is organising the cultural performances, which will be held from April 21 to 25

Tamil Nadu gears up for LS polls as BJP campaigns intensify

Tamil Nadu gears up for LS polls as BJP campaigns intensify Tamil Nadu is all set to vote on April 19 for the Lok Sabha polls, that was marked by fierce campaigns and acrimonious debates, and a never seen before kind of spirited fight put up by the BJP, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to gain a foothold in the Dravidian land in 2024 was a striking feature. Elections to 39 Lok Sabha seats in the state will be held on Friday and the fate of 950 candidates will be decided by about 6.23 crore voters who are set to exercise their franchise in nearly 68,000 polling stations. The election mood set in pretty early in the state, in January, with the commencement of repeated visits by Modi who combined development and honour for Tamil language and culture as his main election plank that also had the key element of denouncing DMK-Congress over alleged corruption and 'parivarvad' politics. The state witnessed intense campaigning for nearly a month starting from March. Coimbatore, the hub of western Tamil Nadu is the most keenly watched constituency in the state and BJP's K Annamalai is slogging to emerge victorious battling against Dravidian giants the DMK and AIADMK. He also faces challenge from the Tamil nationalist, Naam Tamilar Katchi in the four-way contest with anti-DMK-Congress votes split into three. In his electoral parting shot Annamalai asserted ''Dravidian politics'' is not needed anymore in Tamil Nadu and described himself as a son and younger brother of people. The lone joint rally of Congress' Rahul Gandhi and DMK President M K Stalin in Coimbatore is a pointer to the focus on the constituency. Arguably, the 2024 LS polls is the only one in recent history in which the BJP set the tone for campaign discourse by mounting attacks rather than being in defence by coming up with disclosures on Katchatheevu issue besides vehemently taking up other matters. Katchatheevu issue led to a slanging match between the Saffron party, led by a fierce Annamalai and the DMK-Congress combine. While the BJP alleged betrayal by the DMK-Congress, the Dravidian and grand old party posed questions on ''Chinese incursions.'' Modi's campaign also saw Katchatheevu issue getting prominence to a great degree and he sought to pin down the DMK-Congress saying fishermen now pay the price for their betrayal. The PM also dwelt on the drug menace, following the arrest of expelled office-bearer of the DMK, Jaffer Sadiq by the NCB and the threat to ''eradicate Sanatana Dharma.'' In effect, Modi's campaign was exhaustive in Tamil Nadu and he has addressed rallies in constituencies including Chennai, Coimbatore, Vellore and Tirunelveli. A PM visiting TN nine times before a LS election is undoubtedly a first in the state's history. It demonstrated the BJP's resolve to break the electoral jinx it faces in the Dravidian land, almost on its own, with the support of only fewer allies, whose influence is confined to select regions. The Pattali Makkal Katchi, the BJP's key ally has focused its energies in Dharmapuri, where Sowmiya Anbumani is in the fray. DMK's Dayanidhi Maran (Central Chennai), A Raja (Nilgiris), Kanimozhi (Thoothukudi), BJP's L Murugan (Nilgiris), Tamilisai Soundararajan (South Chennai), former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam (Ramanathapuram), Congress party's Karti Chidambaram (Sivaganga) and AIADMK's J Jayavardhan (South Chennai) and AMMK chief TTV Dhinakaran are among the prominent candidates. Barring the 2014 victory of BJP veteran Pon Radhakrishnan from Kanyakumari segment, the Saffron party won in Tamil Nadu, since 1998, only when it aligned with either the AIADMK or DMK, the Dravidian twins. South Chennai, Tirunelveli, Coimbatore, Nilgiris and Vellore are the seats where the BJP nominees have gone the extra mile to convince voters. DMK president and Chief Minister Stalin, the star campaigner of his party, led the campaign on the themes of social justice, his regime's welfare measures and ''dangers'' the nation faced due to the BJP, which has wrecked fiscal federalism. He often described the polls as the second independence movement to free the nation from the BJP's ''divisive politics'' and repeated the ''electoral bond scam'' to claim that it has unmasked the corrupt face of the BJP. The Saffron party will do away with reservation and change the Constitution and it is allergic to social justice were among the allegations he made in his campaigns. A key focus of the DMK's campaign was on its ''battle'' to get funds from Centre including for flood relief. Stalin and his party leaders said not a rupee was given by the Centre and Nirmala Sitharaman's claim of Rs 5,000 crore central assistance to tackle the situation arising out of floods was actually the state's own borrowing from banks merely channelled through the Union government. Stalin throughout his campaign did not spare the main opposition AIADMK. Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of CM Stalin and a Minister crisscrossed the state, held roadshows and targeted the BJP on a slew of issues including the ''Madurai AIIMS being a non-starter.'' When Udhayanidhi repeatedly attacked PM as ''29 paisa Modi'' as the Centre returned only ''29 paisa out of every one rupee paid as tax'' to the Union government by the state, Annamalai countered saying no other state received as much funds as Tamil Nadu from the Centre and if he did not stop the 29 paisa jibe, his party will refer to him as 'Ganja Udhayanidhi'' as the contraband is ''available widely'' in the state. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami was among the early birds on poll landscape and he addressed a rally of ally SDPI in January and said there is no need to project a 'PM face' to seek votes. The main opposition party's campaign was steered by Palaniswami, former CM and leader of opposition who took on the ruling DMK over every single issue that mattered, including alleged collapse of law and order and drug menace. Towards the end of the campaign, he fiercely attacked the BJP for being discriminatory on the basis of ''caste and religion.'' When Annamalai claimed AIADMK would disappear following polls, without losing cool, Palaniswami in a repartee said voters will teach them a lesson and no force could touch the party that has stormed several struggles.

Tamil Nadu gearing up for LS polls, with BJP working hard to secure victory

Tamil Nadu gearing up for LS polls, with BJP working hard to secure victory Tamil Nadu is all set to vote on April 19 for the Lok Sabha polls, that was marked by fierce campaigns and acrimonious debates, and a never seen before kind of spirited fight put up by the BJP, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to gain a foothold in the Dravidian land in 2024 was a striking feature. Elections to 39 Lok Sabha seats in the state will be held on Friday and the fate of 950 candidates will be decided by about 6.23 crore voters who are set to exercise their franchise in nearly 68,000 polling stations. The election mood set in pretty early in the state, in January, with the commencement of repeated visits by Modi who combined development and honour for Tamil language and culture as his main election plank that also had the key element of denouncing DMK-Congress over alleged corruption and 'parivarvad' politics. The state witnessed intense campaigning for nearly a month starting from March. Coimbatore, the hub of western Tamil Nadu is the most keenly watched constituency in the state and BJP's K Annamalai is slogging to emerge victorious battling against Dravidian giants the DMK and AIADMK. He also faces challenge from the Tamil nationalist, Naam Tamilar Katchi in the four-way contest with anti-DMK-Congress votes split into three. In his electoral parting shot Annamalai asserted ''Dravidian politics'' is not needed anymore in Tamil Nadu and described himself as a son and younger brother of people. Arguably, the 2024 LS polls is the only one in recent history in which the BJP set the tone for campaign discourse by mounting attacks rather than being in defence by coming up with disclosures on Katchatheevu issue besides vehemently taking up other matters. Katchatheevu issue led to a slanging match between the Saffron party, led by a fierce Annamalai and the DMK-Congress combine. While the BJP alleged betrayal by the DMK-Congress, the Dravidian and grand old party posed questions on ''Chinese incursions.'' Modi's campaign also saw Katchatheevu issue getting prominence to a great degree and he sought to pin down the DMK-Congress saying fishermen now pay the price for their betrayal. The PM also dwelt on the drug menace, following the arrest of expelled office-bearer of the DMK, Jaffer Sadiq by the NCB and the threat to ''eradicate Sanatana Dharma.'' In effect, Modi's campaign was exhaustive in Tamil Nadu and he has addressed rallies in constituencies including Chennai, Coimbatore, Vellore and Tirunelveli. A PM visiting TN nine times before a LS election is undoubtedly a first in the state's history. It demonstrated the BJP's resolve to break the electoral jinx it faces in the Dravidian land, almost on its own, with the support of only fewer allies, whose influence is confined to select regions. The Pattali Makkal Katchi, the BJP's key ally has focused its energies in Dharmapuri, where Sowmiya Anbumani is in the fray. DMK's Dayanidhi Maran (Central Chennai), A Raja (Nilgiris), Kanimozhi (Thoothukudi), BJP's L Murugan (Nilgiris), Tamilisai Soundararajan (South Chennai), former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam (Ramanathapuram), Congress party's Karti Chidambaram (Sivaganga) and AIADMK's J Jayavardhan (South Chennai) and AMMK chief TTV Dhinakaran are among the prominent candidates. Barring the 2014 victory of BJP veteran Pon Radhakrishnan from Kanyakumari segment, the Saffron party won in Tamil Nadu, since 1998, only when it aligned with either the AIADMK or DMK, the Dravidian twins. South Chennai, Tirunelveli, Coimbatore, Nilgiris and Vellore are the seats where the BJP nominees have gone the extra mile to convince voters. DMK president and Chief Minister M K Stalin, the star campaigner of his party, led the campaign on the themes of social justice, his regime's welfare measures and ''dangers'' the nation faced due to the BJP, which has wrecked fiscal federalism. He often described the polls as the second independence movement to free the nation from the BJP's ''divisive politics'' and repeated the ''electoral bond scam'' to claim that it has unmasked the corrupt face of the BJP. The Saffron party will do away with reservation and change the Constitution and it is allergic to social justice were among the allegations he made in his campaigns. A key focus of the DMK's campaign was on its ''battle'' to get funds from Centre including for flood relief. Stalin and his party leaders said not a rupee was given by the Centre and Nirmala Sitharaman's claim of Rs 5,000 crore central assistance to tackle the situation arising out of floods was actually the state's own borrowing from banks merely channelled through the Union government. Stalin throughout his campaign did not spare the main opposition AIADMK. Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of CM Stalin and a Minister crisscrossed the state, held roadshows and targeted the BJP on a slew of issues including the ''Madurai AIIMS being a non-starter.'' When Udhayanidhi repeatedly attacked PM as ''29 paisa Modi'' as the Centre returned only ''29 paisa out of every one rupee paid as tax'' to the Union government by the state, Annamalai countered saying no other state received as much funds as Tamil Nadu from the Centre and if he did not stop the 29 paisa jibe, his party will refer to him as 'Ganja Udhayanidhi'' as the contraband is ''available widely'' in the state. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami was among the early birds on poll landscape and he addressed a rally of ally SDPI in January and said there is no need to project a 'PM face' to seek votes. The main opposition party's campaign was steered by Palaniswami, former CM and leader of opposition who took on the ruling DMK over every single issue that mattered, including alleged collapse of law and order and drug menace. Towards the end of the campaign, he fiercely attacked the BJP for being discriminatory on the basis of ''caste and religion.'' When Annamalai claimed AIADMK would disappear following polls, without losing cool, Palaniswami in a repartee said voters will teach them a lesson and no force could touch the party that has stormed several struggles.

Political parties give honour killings & caste conflicts the back seat: Activists

THOOTHUKUDI: A day before Tamil Nadu is set to go to polls, human rights activists have decried the back seat that issues like honour killings, custodial torture, kandhuvatti menace, and caste conflicts have taken during political hustings. Speaking to TNIE, People's Water Director Henri Tiphagne and A Kathir, director of Evidence, said that neither the DMK, Congress, VCK, their mother alliance INDIA bloc, nor the BJP, or AIADMK and Puthiya Tamilagam have bothered to address the uptick in violence in the southern districts. According to Evidence, over 28 cases of honour killing occurred in Tamil Nadu between 2022 and 2024. Over 350 people belonging to the scheduled caste (SC) community were murdered during the 2017-22 period. Not only against SCs, honour killing is prevalent within backward communities as well as same castes, said Kathir, and criticised political parties for excluding social issues from the ambit of development and welfare. Amid election campaigns, three custodial deaths were recorded in Madurai, Villupuram, and Chennai prisons, between April 5 and 16, said Tiphagne. Activists led by Kathir, under the banner Dalit Human Rights' Defenders' Network, met as many as 45 MPs to enact a draft bill on 'Freedom of Marriage and Association, and Prohibition of Crimes in the name of Honour, 2022' in the parliament. But, there was no response, he said. A bill seeking strict action against honour killing was discussed in the parliament in 2010, when Veerapa Moily was the law minister, but there has been no progress since, he added. Tiphagne also said that political parties, including the opposition, have failed to seek fastracking of punishment against police officials who gunned down 13 anti-Sterlite protesters. Advocate Ayyalusamy of Kovilpatti said that Kandhuvatti menace has plagued the middle class and downtrodden in Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli. But, he added, the police refuse to register a case against money lenders. The demand seeking amendment to the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Charging Exorbitant Interest Act also has not seen much progress, Ayyalyusamy said. The BJP, which is also the opposition in Tamil Nadu, had allied with the Tamilaga Makkal Munnetra Kalagam led by John Pandian and AMMK, which are inclined towards the dominant castes, said a political analyst.

Kallalagar procession: Activist urge corporation to prevent sewage inflow into Vaigai river

MADURAI: With the preparations underway in full spirit and devotees waiting eagerly for the entry of Kallalagar procession into the Vaigai river, activists flagged the discharge of untreated sewage into the waterbody and alleged that it could cause health hazards to the people who will enter into the river during the festival. As nearly five lakh devotees will gather to witness the procession, exposure to the sewage water, which has been released to the river at several points, for a long time could cause health issues, activists said. In spite of submitting several petitions, the sewage discharge (into the river) continues to occur in the city. Apart from other regions, sewage has been directly being released into the waterbody through the Pandalkudi channel and also a pipeline from the general hospital. Hence, immediate action should be taken to prevent the mixing of sewage, said Raja of Vaigai Makkal Iyakkam. When contacted by TNIE, a senior official from the city corporation said that the sewage gets treated at the 2MLD plant near Goripalayam ahead of being released into the river, via the Pandhalkudi channel. Further, on the basis of complaints, the corporation will be placing sand bags in the channel to prevent untreated water from being released into the river, he said, and assured action to prevent sewage discharge into the river. Meanwhile, District Collector MS Sangeetha along with other officials inspected the procession route to the venue where Kallalagar enters into the Vaigai river near the AV bridge, and ensured that all basic amenities including water tanks are in place. The Kallalagar procession is a major event of the Chithirai festival, one of the largest festivals in Madurai. This year, Kallalagar's entry into the Vaigai river is scheduled to be held on April 23.

PC legacy vs new-faces in Tamil Nadu's Sivaganga

SIVAGANGA: Stronghold of Congress, the Sivaganga constituency, formed 57 years ago, has faced 14 parliamentary elections, with the candidates of the grand old party winning eight times. Congress apart, the candidates of DMK, AIADMK, and TMC had made it to the parliament from the constituency twice each. It is none other than former union minister P Chidambaram who made Sivaganga a Congress fortress, as he won from the constituency seven times - 1984, 1989, 1991, 2004 and 2009 on Congress ticket and 1996 and 1998 on TMC ticket. His, son Karti P Chidambaram of Congress is the sitting MP of the constituency. The father-son duo has managed to represent the constituency for almost 30 years. This time around, 52-year-old Karti of Congress-DMK alliance, who secured 52.18% vote in the last election, is pitted against first timers A Xavierdass (49) of AIADMK and BJPs T Dhevanathan Yadav (63), one of the richest candidates, who is also the managing director of a television channel. Kartis candidature despite opposition from inside the pary is testimony to the fact that Chidambaram still wields influence in the party and the region. EM Sudarsana Natchiappan, a former Congress MP, who had opposed giving MP seat to Karti in 2019 again raised the issue unsuccessfully this time as well by joining hands with former Karaikudi Congress MLA KR Ramasamy and other anti-Chidambaram faction in the district. Karti is not staying in the locality. But if he is determined to do something, he has the capacity to get it done, as he brought law college and agriculture college to the district. Though there is slight anti-incumbency against Karti, he has the advantage this time as the opposition has fielded newbies, said a resident K Mayilvaham (40) from Tirupattur taluk. Another resident, Shankara Subramanian from Sivaganga said though Chidambaram Sr held the highest office including home ministry and finance ministry for many years, the constituency did not develop even like that belongs to an ordinary MP. The people expected more from Chidambaram, however he and his son failed to meet their expectations during their tenures. Karti wont even visit the family functions and death ceremonies of his party cadre. Whenever he visit the district, he maintains a distance with the people. However, he has an office in locality through which he tracked all developments, said Shankar. A Congress cadre said Chidambaram Sr has a good relationship with DMK high command since Kalaignars time and it is continuing even in now. Belonging to Chettiar community, one of the communities that has a decent vote bank in the locality, Karti was supported by the DMK district secretary and minister KR Periakaruppan, who belong to Yadavar community. Meanwhile, AIADMKs A Xavierdass, is the partys Kallal union secretary. PR Senthilnathan, who is the district secretary of the party and backed Xavierdass as candidate, had won from the constituency against Karti during the latters maiden election in 2014. However, Senthilnathan was not given an MP seat in 2019 when the party faced the election in alliance with BJP that fielded H Raja. In 2021 Senthil became an MLA by taking over the assembly seat from then minister Baskaran. There was a talk that Baskarans son Karunakaran may be given an MP seat from the constituency. However, A Xavierdass, belonging to the Chirstian community, was chosen by the party high command. The third candidate, T Dhevanathan Yadav, a Chennai native and founder president of Inthiya Makkal Kalvi Munnetra Kazhagam, was given the seat to contest by BJP in Lotus symbol. The earlier BJP candidate H Raja who contested in 2014 and 2019 got 13% and 21% vote respectively. Moreover the AMMK candidate in 2019, Therpogi Pandi got 11.29% which altogether may help him in the locality. NTK candidate V Ezhilarasi, who is native of Thanjavur district is confident of securing more than the previous candidate of the party V Sakthi Priya who had secured 6.66% vote in 2019. Karti has dealt effectively with spot questioning in a tonhur-in-cheek manner. In one such occasion, he even tried to woo the next generation voters, schoolchildren, as he assured them if elected he would stop home work, assignments and exam in the education system. Moreover, the senior Chidambaram actively campaigned for his son by countering the opposition, said Muthumani from Karaikudi. Another resident Sudalai Raja said Dhevanathan in his campaign calls the regime of Chidambaram family as the dark days. He even went a point ahead in the campaign by signing document that if he is elected there will be no need to approach the collector. Xavierdass in a campaign assured he would take steps to implement complete liquor ban not only in Tamil Nadu but also in India. Candidates giving promises for pulling votes went beyond a realistic level, he said. D Daniel, a native said creating employment is an important task for any MP as many people migrate from the district in search of jobs. Except Karaikudi, other assembly segments like Tirupattur, Manamadurai, Sivaganga have not attained growth. The Spices Park was established decades ago but it has not attained growth by attracting entrepreneurs. The local people have been demanding stoppage for more trains in the stations in Karaikudi, Sivaganga but no measure was taken. The Chettinad products are famous abroad and gained attention from the tourists. The district has a lot of old- bungalows which could be used as a tool to promote tourism in the district. And the district has a lot of graphite potential but that was not included in any government plan. There are around 20 candidates in the election fight including Karti, who often solves the Wordle without efforts and shares in his X (formerly twitter) handle. We have to wait and watch whether he will be elected again from the constituency, he added.

Missing medical colleges: on the case of the Madurai AIIMS

Indias poor doctor-population ratio cannot be set right without better Centre-State ties

DMK terms BJPs 100 questions as humbug

Chennai: The 100 questions raised against the DMK through paid full page newspaper advertisements by the BJP on Tuesday was a sheer humbug by the party that had refused to answer the plethora of questions, raised at least a 100 times, on its failure to honour its election promises in the past 10 years of rule, the DMK said. Responding to the 100 questions, the DMK, pointing to the BJP's charge that 43 of the promises in the DMK manifesto for the 2021 Assembly elections had not yet been implemented, said that it meant that the DMK government had honoured 462 of the total 504 promises and that the rest would be implemented in the next two years of its tenure. Only after honouring all the promises given in 2021 would the DMK face the 2026 Assembly elections, which the people of Tamil Nadu and all the honest political parties knew about other than the BJP that was not politically honest, the DMK said. It was the DMK that taught the nation about the democratic practice of coming out with a manifesto before an election and then implementing the promises given in it before the next elections, the statement said, adding that the BJP would not be aware of it. Mentioning that the BJP was yet to honour the promises it gave to the people n 2014 despite 10 years of rule, the DMK said that the BJP was only capable of asking questions and not answering questions, reminding one of the character Tharumi in the Tamil film, Thiruvilaiadal. When Lord Shiva appeared before the grumling Tharumi, in the film, and asked him if he would like to take questions or raise them, Tharumi would say that he only know to ask questions and not answer them. The BJP could not answer the questions raised at least a 100 times because it had not done anything, it said and referred to, among other things, the setting up of AIIMS in Madurai, for which the announcement was made in 2015 and the foundation laid in 2019, after which no work was carried out at the site. Only after State Minister for Youth Affairs, Udhayanidhi Stalin picked up the lone brick from the site and went around the State displaying it at meetings to symbolize the neglect of the AIIMS project did some work happen at the site, it said. It asked the BJP government as to why did not respond to demands from the State for relief when floods affected the southern districts and also the northern districts in two instances last year and why it did not even console the affected people when it rushed an assistance of Rs 1000 crore to Gujarat the moment the State was hit by floods and even without the State government asking for it. Was not Tamil Nadu, too, part of India and was not Modi the Prime Minister for the whole of India, the DMK asked, demanding the reply from the BJP that connived at loan defaulters fleeing to other countries after taking loans to the tune of thousands of crores of rupees. The DMK said that the BJPs trickery to divert the attention of the people by raising 100 false questions would not work as it was nothing by total deception.

Allow us to participate in Chithirai festivities, 'hand fan' wielders in Madurai tell officials - The New Indian Express

Allow us to participate in Chithirai festivities, 'hand fan' wielders in Madurai tell officials The New Indian Express

Madras High Court junks plea to stop polls in Nellai

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition seeking a direction to stop the polls in Tirunelveli Lok Sabha constituency alleging that BJP candidate Nainar Nagendran suppressed facts on a pending criminal case in his nomination papers. The first bench of Chief Justice SV Gangapurwala and Justice J Sathya Narayana Prasad said the court cannot consider the petition due to want of time as the polling day is fast approaching. It is too late in the day, the bench said. However, it added the petitioner can seek remedy through an election petition after the polls. The petition was filed by V Maharajan, a practising advocate from Madurai. He alleged that Nagendran had suppressed the facts of pending criminal case filed under sections of IPC and SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act registered at the Nanguneri police station. He also said asset details were also not properly revealed in the nomination papers. The court also dismissed another petition filed by Sekar alleging that his application to contest the polls in Madurai constituency was rejected on the grounds it was proposed by those belonging to another constituency.

Suggest ways to stop money distribution to voters: Madras HC

MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the State Election Commission (SEC) to offer suggestions, if any, to effectively prevent the distribution of money to voters. Hearing a petition seeking to quash the proceedings pending in a 2011 case on the charge of distributing money to voters, an advocate, R Anand, submitted to the court that most FIRs registered for such offences were not reaching the court, and final reports were being filed only in selective cases. The advocate also said that even though such cases are being registered every year, there have been no convictions. The petitioners, facing charges of distributing money to voters in 2011 under Section 171 (E) of the IPC, filed petitions seeking to quash the proceedings pending against them as the final reports of the case were filed beyond the period of limitations. Appointing Anand as amicus curiae in the matter, Justice B Pugalendhi, to ascertain the mechanism that is in place for effective prosecution of the cases, directed the government advocate for the SEC to obtain the details on the number of cases registered in the 2019 Lok Sabha election and 2021 Assembly election concerning the distribution of money or bribe to voters. The judge also sought details on the current stage of the cases and details of convictions, if any. The SEC must explain how they are following up cases registered for electoral offences, he said. The judge opined that though cases were registered for bribery, it appeared that penal actions for the offence are not effective. In the petition the court is dealing with, the case was registered in 2011 for the distribution of money, but final reports were filed after 10 years, the judge said.

Tamil Nadu's Virudhunagar pins hopes on the stars

VIRUDHUNAGAR: Despite being home to many an industry, including cracker manufacturing units, offset printing press, matchbox and handlooms that play a significant role in contributing to the countrys economy, the working-class people in Virudhunagar Lok Sabha constituency are not all happy, as they have a bunch of unfulfilled demands, including safe working place and sufficient wages. The DMK and its allies are in power in four assembly segments in Virudhunagar district, which has over 8.9 lakh voters. Meanwhile, AIADMK enjoys the power in the other two assembly segments in Madurai district. It has a total voter count of over 6 lakh. In the three parliamentary elections held in the constituency since 2009 following the delimitation, Congress candidate and the incumbent MP Manickam Tagore (48) won twice (2009 and 2019), and the late AIADMK candidate T Radhakrishnan won once (2014). For this election, the ruling DMK has allotted a seat to Congress in the constituency, fielding the incumbent Tagore. Until the seat allotment was declared officially, speculations were rife that the DMK would assign a seat to its other ally MDMK, and field the partys principal secretary Durai Vaiko. Though the voters have reservations on Tagores performance as MP of the constituency in 10 years, several factors including the community he belongs to, the highest vote bank in the constituency, contesting as the ruling partys ally and the support from the two ministers are adding to his winning chances. With two star candidates making their debut in the election, the constituency started gaining significant attention in the political landscape. However, Virudhunagar, identified as one of the 112 aspirational districts in the country by NITI Aayog, has many unsolved issues for years. Some of them include water scarcity due to lack of renovation of dams including Anaikuttam which was not able to store excess water due to shutter leakage. The constituency also is in urgent need of infrastructure development including roadways and railways. Meanwhile, cracker unit workers in the region are worried due to the series of blasts happening now and then. From 2011 to 2023, the district recorded over 190 cracker unit explosions, with more than 338 people losing their lives. S Maheshpandi (33), a Kiliyampatti resident who recently lost his brother in a cracker explosion said, The elected representatives are not implementing their poll promises and are focused on earning money. Despite the upcoming election having new MP candidates, I dont hope it could bring any change in the peoples lives, he said. The assembly segments including Sattur, Virudhunagar, and Sivakasi cater to 60% of matchstick production in the state. Around 5 lakh people, predominantly women and migrant workers from Assam, Bihar, Orissa, and Uttar Pradesh, depend on the business for their livelihood. However, due to the increase in the sale of lighters, the sales of match box have declined by 50% and industries were not able to afford regular jobs to the workers. The voters also wanted PM MITRA Park, considered to be a potential job opportunity for the residents, to be completed quickly. The park was proposed to be set up in B Kumaralingapuram to boost the local economy and create job opportunities. Speaking to TNIE, Virudhunagars Chamber of Commerce and Industries Joint Secretary N Sathiyamoorthy insisted awareness and promotion have to be done to attract more investors for the PM MITRA Park. He also said due to the evolution in logistics, high movement of heavy vehicles has been witnessed in this industrial town in recent years. However, the roads are not proper, and the issue needs major attention, he said. The delay in the construction of AIIMS and providing international status to Madurai airport has also been a major concern in the constituency. Functioning for more than 60 years, the airport has yet to gain the status. However, airports that started functioning after Madurai were recognised as international airports and some of them even gained the status despite not having international flight services.

The vanishing left

NEW DELHI : When we review our work on building the independent strength of the party in the last four years, we cannot say we have made adequate political, ideological and organisational efforts for the same, read the Political-Organisational Report introduced during the CPM Party Congress in Kannur in April 2022. The four-year reference was in the context of the partys dismal show in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Staring at an existential crisis, the two main Left parties CPM and CPI have been reduced to single digits in Parliament. The CPM could only secure three seats and its vote share dipped to 1.75 per cent in the last parliamentary polls. Not just the CPM, the performance of all Left parties was at the lowest ebb in their electoral history since Independence. The CPI won just two seats while its vote share plummeted to 0.58 per cent. The other Left Front constituent the RSP bagged one seat with just 0.12 per cent vote share. In 2019, the CPM won one seat (Alappuzha) in Kerala and two (Coimbatore and Madurai) in Tamil Nadu. The CPI won two seats Tiruppur and Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu. The Left parties couldnt open their account in West Bengal. Kerala, Tripura and West Bengal were considered traditional Left bastions. The Left Front governed West Bengal for 34 years from 1977 to 2011 and Tripura for 25 years from 1993 to 2018. The Left has also led governments in Kerala since 1957. Besides running governments in three states, the Left had also played a key role in the Third Front from 1996-98 and in the Congress-led UPA in 2004. Fighting for its pride The CPM has so far announced candidates for 44 Lok Sabha seats, including 17 in West Bengal. It is contesting one seat each in Andaman and Nicobar, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana and Tripura. In Tamil Nadu, the party has got two seats Madurai and Dindigul as part of the INDIA bloc alliance. As part of the INDIA bloc alliance in Bihar, the CPI(M-L) has been allocated three seats and the CPI and CPM have got one seat each. After seat-sharing talks failed in Jharkhand, the CPI decided to go it alone in eight seats in the state. As part of the Left Democratic Front in Kerala, the CPI got four seats. Experts and political commentators term the steep decline in electoral performance of the Left not a good sign in the current political scenario. They say the Left has always helped in shaping public policies aimed at peoples welfare. They, however, add that the Left should be held responsible for their diminishing clout. Ajay Gudavarthy, who teaches at Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), cited a series of misadventures and decisions for the fall of the Left. After pulling out two-to-three nuclear deals, and prior to that, the refusal to make Jyoti Basu the prime ministerial candidate during the coalition era, coupled with a series of misadventures and decisions, did not augur well in the public imagination of the Left. After the rise of Hindutva politics, the Left suddenly became an alien force. People are finding it difficult to identify with their language, Gudavarthy said. Another reason, he said is that the Left takes decades to bring about changes. The lethargic and organisational disciplinary structure is not working in their favour in the current context. They take eons to change, and are bad in catching up. They are not able to cope up with the cultural agenda of the right. There are economic reasons too. Liberalism growing into informalisation (the increase in proportion of workforce in informal sector) has made mobilisation around class politics a very difficult agenda to set. The Left can mobilise trade unions, but when it comes to informal labour, which is migrant and moves from one place to another, the Left is at a loss. They have not developed a strategy or alternative methods to address this. Their failure in mobilising the informal sectors caused the decline in their electoral presence, said Gudavarthy. Rise & fall of the Left The span of about 40 years starting from the fourth Lok Sabha elections in 1967 to the fall of the NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2004 could arguably be the golden age of Left dominance in India. On an average, they had jointly been capturing 50 seats in every election. For the CPM, its best performance came in 2004, when it had won 43 seats, a record since its formation in 1964 after breaking away from the CPI. The CPIs peak was recorded in the third Lok Sabha in 1962. Following the split, in the ensuing election in 1967, the CPM had won 19 and CPI 29. In an interview with this newspaper earlier, CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury said that the dwindling strength of the party in Parliament was the result of ganging up of forces from right to leftagainst the party. However, he had admitted that there were also some lapses on its part. Our electoral support has significantly declined. But at the same time, our ability to set an agenda before the country has actually strengthened... The only issue on which PM Narendra Modi had to back off was the farm stir against the three farm bills, he had said. At its peak, CPMs vote share had crossed the 6 per cent mark and the CPIs above 5 per cent. All India Forward Bloc (AIBC) and the RSP largely retained their numbers as they continued registering victory on two-five seats individually. Professor Biswajit Das of Centre for Culture Media, Jamia Millia Islamia, said that the conventional idea of Left politics in the country has completely declined, in a sense that the kind of ideological baggage the Left had has been appropriated by mainstream parties. The Left has literally exhausted its alternatives. In order to survive, they have to create an alternative space, and also in terms of the jargons or even the language they will use. In fact, their language has been appropriated by the mainstream. There is nothing new they have to offer, he said. He feared that they would gradually diminish because of the ways the larger counter movements are taking place in this country. The Left was not able to accommodate, or adjust itself to, the culture-specific scenarios, Das added. Significance of Left On the importance of Left, Gudavarthy said that they are the only parties in mainstream politics that offer a critique of neoliberal agenda. Much of the Left policies are also by default moving within the neoliberal paradigm, but at least they are offering an ideological critique. They keep the welfare agenda first. If you look at 2004-2014 during UPA, the party played a very important role. The CPM pulled off a wide-range of welfare policies that Congress implemented, he added. CPI general secretary Bhalchandra Kango agrees. After Independence, all movements cultural, students, farmers and workers were dominated by the Left for long. In 2004, 60 MPs of the Left influenced the UPA-I and compelled them to have Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and Right to Information Act. And measures like loan waiver scheme and land to tribals were achievements of the Left, said Kango. Gudavarthy said that a lot of intellectual public presence emerges from the Left parties. The golden era The span of about 40 years from the 4th LS polls in 1967 to the fall of NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2004 could arguably be the golden age of Left dominance in India. On an average, they had jointly been capturing 50 seats in every election. CPMs best performance came in 2004, when it had won 43 seats. *Forward Bloc (Marxist) Communist parties in India CPI is the oldest. It is a state party with presence mainly in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Manipur Founded in 1964, CPM is the largest communist party in terms of electoral performance Founded in 1974, CPI(M-L) Liberation is the third largest party with state party status in Bihar RSP has state party status in Kerala

A writer, doctor and an orator battle it out in Madurai

Modis recent visit to the temple city will help the BJP, but the DMK-led alliance will consolidate minority votes

Lok Sabha polls | T.N. STC to operate 275 special buses from Vellore, for voters to reach hometowns on polling day

The buses, to be operated from April 17, will go to Chennai, Bengaluru, Hosur, Dharmapuri, Tiruchi, Madurai and Puducherry, officials said; return trips will be operated on April 21

SPCSS-TN exhorts people to ensure INDIA bloc's victory

MADURAI: The State Platform for Common School System Tamil Nadu (SPCSS TN) has appealed to the people to bring the INDIA bloc to power in a bid to uphold constitutional values. Speaking to reporters here on Monday, SPCSS TN General Secretary PB Prince Gajendra Babu exhorted the public to peruse the election manifestos released by different political parties, before casting their votes. The BJP's 10 years in power have resulted in market hegemony, which has permeated all sectors of society and education in particular, making it almost impossible for people from the economically weaker sections to pursue education of their choice, said Babu. He further stated that some Kendriya Vidyalaya and Navodhaya Vidyalaya schools are branded under the PM SHRI, while the rest are deprived of the facilities and opportunities that accompany the scheme. He said that school education is being rendered irrelevant with the introduction of NEET and CUET, and coaching centres will replace schools. If the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, in its present form, is implemented by 2030, there will be no fully public-funded state higher education institution. The BJP at different levels has redefined democracy, Babu added. The INDIA bloc has assured that the public-funded institutions will be strengthened under its reign, the planning commission restored, and the demands and aspirations of people fulfilled, stated Babu.

AIIMS students at Ramnad will be shifted to Madurai in 18 mths - The Times of India

AIIMS students at Ramnad will be shifted to Madurai in 18 mths The Times of India

stay Hydrated, Avoid Outdoors To Beat The Heat | Madurai News - The Times of India

stay Hydrated, Avoid Outdoors To Beat The Heat | Madurai News The Times of India

PMs Criticism of Others' Culinary Culture, a Cheap Politics: Stalin

Chennai : Calling Prime Minister Narendra Modis criticism of other peoples culinary culture as cheap politics, Chief Minister M K Stalin launched a virulent attack on the BJP telling the people that the present Lok Sabha election were different as they would decide if India should continue as a democracy or a dictatorship and if it should follow the Constitution framed by B R Ambedkar or let it be replaced with laws written by the RSS. Speaking at an election meeting in Manjapakkam in Tiruvallur district on Monday, seeking votes for Congress candidate Sashikanth Senthil from Thiruvallur constituency and DMKs Kalanidhi Veerasamy from North Chennai, Stalin said the election results would also decide if Reservation would continue in the country and if people of all religions would live in peace and communal amity. Targeting Modi for his alleged blatant lies, the Chief Minister said that while he did not release a single rupee for the next phase of the Metro Rail project in Chennai despite his repeated entreaties he was now saying that he gave Rs 63,246 crore. Similarly, he listed the other alleged lies of Modi on the Sagarmala scheme and AIIMS at Madurai. Stalin asked the members of the fishermen community who were present in large numbers at the meeting if they saw any work being done on the Sagarma Scheme and pointed out that the Prime Minister had lied that Rs two lakh crore had been spent on it. Also pointing out the AIIMS Madurai project was in limbo for many years, he alleged that Modi had claimed to have spent Rs 1960 crore on it as he had been lying on each and everything as he had nothing to mention about the achievements of his government in the past 10 years. He told the voters that the reason why they should defeat the BJP was because the laws brought in by him at night needed to be changed. Modi had appeared one night on television to announce the introduction of demonetization that brought suffering to a wide range of people, he said. In the same manner, the GST that had ruined many industries and forced many people to end their lives by suicide was also enforced one night and it needed to be changed now with the introduction of a new tax regime, which the Congress had promised to do in its election manifesto, he said. Talking about the Congress manifesto, he said many of the DMKs policies and aspirations resonate in it like the abolition of NEET, Rs one lakh assistance to women every year, removal of the 50 per cent ceiling on reservation, 50 per cent quota for women in Central government services, a nation-wide caste census, among others. Expressing regret over the Prime Minister terming the Congress manifesto as a Muslim League manifesto, he said that no one, including Modi had the right to decided what people should eat and accused the Prime Minister of playing cheap politics. If the DMK manifesto was a hero, the BJPs manifesto was a villain as it threatened to bring in the Common Civil Code that would divide the nation on communal lines. There was also a lot of hanky panky in the manifesto that had passages like the reducing the price of sanitary napkin copy pasted from the 2019 manifesto. In that context, he said that the BJP government had levied GST on sanitary pads, leading to their price shooting and it was brought down only after the opposition MPs intervened and fought for the removal of GST. Of the 14 Prime Ministers the country had since Jawaharlal Nehru, no one had misused the triumvirate of ED, I-T and CBI to intimidate the opposition parties and engineering defections from their ranks, to buy MPs and MLAs and to arrest Chief Ministers, to force industrialists to buy electoral bonds and to collect funds for the private trust called PMCare. He also accused the AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami of pledging the States rights to the BJP and also letting loose the police on those, including Stalin and other leaders of various parties, who took part in the protest against the CAA. Thus Palaniswami made the AIADMK, a B team of the BJP, he said.

It will be a battle of professionals in Madurai

The incumbent, Su. Venkatesan of the CPI(M), is a winner of Sahitya Akademi award; he is locking horns with AIADMKs P. Saravanan, a doctor by profession and the BJPs Raama Sreenivasan, a professor; Naam Tamilar Katchis T. Satyadevi, the only woman, is an Assistant Professor

Passenger Bitten By Snake On Kerala-Tamil Nadu Train, Hospitalised: Cops

A passenger was allegedly bitten by a snake on a Madurai-bound train on Monday, police here said.

Man bitten by snake on Guruvayur-Madurai train

Incident happened near Ettumanur

Why Chithrai Festival In Madurai Is A Spectacle Of Coronation And Divine Processions

Every year in the Tamil month of Chithirai, the Chithirai Festival is celebrated in the city of Madurai with great pomp and devotion.

Cops book two OPS namesakes for violating poll rules in Madurai

RAMANATHAPURAM/MADURAI: Days after posters of candidates with the same name as former chief minister O Panneerselvam were seen splashed across the constituency, two namesakes were booked for violating election rules in Thirupullani block. This, however, is not the first time that the namesakes have come on the police radar. Earlier, cases related to similar offences were registered in Paramakudi block. With the polling date just round the corner, politicos are actively campaigning by popularising their symbols. Notably, the posters of OPS' namesakes across Ramanathapuram contain the letters 'OPS' accompanied by their respective symbols. Since these posters were pasted without obtaining prior permission and for not containing details of the printing press, the officials are registering cases against the namesakes and removing the posters. On Friday, case was filed against OPSes with bucket, grapes, and sugarcane farmer symbols at Paramakudi. On Sunday, four violation cases were registered, out of which two are against OPS namesakes. Two were booked in Thirupullani block, based on a complaint filed by election officials. The OPSes with the grape symbol from Solai Alagupuram and the bucket from Thirumangalam were booked by the Mudukulathur police. The third case was booked in Thitupalaikudi area. While the primary accused remains unknown, the flying squad found posters of the original OPS, with the jackfruit symbol, pasted without proper details in Senagudi in Thitupalaikudi area. The fourth case was booked by the Uchipuli police against one Udhaya from Uchipuli, who was caught pasting posters of a political party without any prior permission. During a media interaction held in Madurai, Marudhu Alaguraja, a functionary from the original OPS' faction said, The namesake candidates printed posters and pamphlets from the same press in a bid to create confusion among voters, and pasted these across Ramanathapuram constituency. People are well aware of our symbol. On the other hand, one of the OPS namesakes is said to have submitted a petition with the superintendent of police, alleging that he has been receiving threatening calls after he reportedly started gaining traction among voters.

AIIMS Madurai campus construction picks up pace, ending single brick election campaign

The new AIIMS aims to provide advanced healthcare and medical education in the region

TN got Rs 5.5L cr from union government, BJP blatantly lying: MK Stalin

CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Sunday described as a blatant lie the BJPs claim that the union government allocated Rs 10.76 lakh crore to Tamil Nadu in the last 10 years. Rather, TN has been given Rs 5.5 lakh crore in contrast to Rs 18.5 lakh crore allocated to Uttar Pradesh in the same period, Stalin claimed. Referring to election advertisements issued by the BJP in Sundays newspapers in which the national party claimed its union government had generously allocated Rs 10.76 lakh crore to the state, the DMK chief, in a post on X, said that even within its false claim, the BJP had further reeled out fraudulent accounts under a few heads like the AIIMS hospital (Rs 1,960 crore) in Madurai, Chennai Metro Rail project (Rs 63,246 crore) and Sagarmala project (Rs 2 lakh crore). The AIIMS hospital is yet to be built, and the CMRL and Sagarmala projects have not received a rupee, he said. 10.76 ... ... ! : 1) . , pic.twitter.com/l1pXFT9YIt M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) April 14, 2024 Where is all of TN govts income going ? Thus, by reeling out these false claims, the BJP-led union government is trying to hoodwink the people of Tamil Nadu, he added. Stalin explained that there are two components in the devolution of funds from the union government: The first is direct devolution of funds according to the recommendation of the union finance commission. Under this, TN was given Rs 5.5 lakh crore while UP got Rs 18.5 lakh crore. The second component is allocation of funds for schemes to be implemented by union government directly in the states. Regarding the second component, BJP has reeled out many false accounts, he said. Daring the union ministers to detail the funds spent on these projects in past decade, Stalin asked, The BJP has included Rs 2.5 lakh crore of loans availed by MSMEs in TN as amount given by the BJP government. This is the wildest lie the has BJP reeled out. Please spare our ears. How many lies can the country bear? Responding to the CMs charges, BJP state president K Annamalai, in a post on X, said Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin has been claiming that the central government has given just Rs 1.7 lakh crore, while the CM is saying the State received Rs 5.5 lakh crore. In which account will you keep the funds spent by the central government on improving highways, railway stations, harbours, airports and grants for the schemes being implemented in Tamil Nadu? Since you cant affix your sticker on these schemes, does it mean that these are not funded by the central government? he asked. Can you explain what you are doing with the tax money you receive from TASMAC income, increase in fees for non-existent electricity, house tax, property tax, increase in drinking water charges, increase in registration fee, increase in the price of milk, etc? These constitute 70% of income coming directly to TN government, why the employees, teachers, transport employees are protesting in Tamil Nadu? Where does all the income coming to Tamil Nadu government go? Annamalai questioned. He also said union ministers had assured that the AII MS hospital would be in place in Madurai by 2026 but the CM has been repeatedly asking about it.

Nodal officers memes, songs raise voting awareness in Coimbatore

COIMBATORE: 'Oru viral puratchi puvi thanai kaakkum, Kaiviral maiyaal jananayagam pookum Enniikkai Otraithaan Enralum Un Vakku Ulagai Maatrum.' (One finger revolution will save the world, Democracy will blossom on the ink on the fingertip, Your solitary vote can change the world) M Jayaraman (51), general manager of Aavin in Nilgiris, who has been tasked by collector and DEO M Aruna to ensure 100% voting as nodal officer of SVEEP (Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation) programme penned these lines to raise awareness. Jayaraman is a multi-faceted personality adept in writing books, composing songs, writing poems and making short films. He used his skills to create memes and sensitise young voters not to accept cash or gifts to exercise their franchise. A chance reading of Nanjil Nadans book Soodiya Poo Soodarka, which was gifted by a friend, attracted him to the world of literature. Before reading the book, I used to write thriller stories for a Tamil weekly, Jayaraman told TNIE. He has so far written 15 books and is planning the next one, but not many are aware of it as the books are published under the pen name Ramanmathi. I am not interested in showcasing my name, he said. Education and literary creativity are not related. In 1998, I appeared for the TNPSC exam for the post of veterinary officer after completing BVSc the previous year from Namakkal Veterinary college. I completed my Master of Veterinary Science in 2004, but could not clear the exam even then. Then I prepared for the IAS examination and went up to interview level three times but did not succeed. My parents Mathanagopal and Jayalakshmi, elder brother Selvaraj and younger brother Ragavan then told me to secure a government job since farming was not a viable occupation on our three acres of land in our native village Ayakudi in Palani. I am happy in my position now, Jayaraman said. After ten years of struggle, I got a government job , one year after marriage. I joined as Assistant Director of Rural Development in Kanniyakumari. After working in various positions, I am now in Aavin, Jayaraman said. The Tamil Nadu government has issued an order to make available his books Nellusore and Kalloori Vasam in all libraries across the state. His Thikkatra Payanam was taught in the UG Tamil course in the Lakshmi Narayana College in Madurai a few years back. The 51-year-old has directed a short film on the importance of children bonding with grandparents. A popular social media influencer, he also runs a YouTube channel Ramanmathi kalaikudil.

Tiruchy: After legal battle, this Sri Lankan Tamil is now Kottapattu camps 1st voter

TIRUCHY: I am going to vote for the first time in the general election and assert that I am an Indian. I was dreaming of this opportunity for decades; now I feel I belong here, said Nalini Kirubakaran, 38, who resides in the rehabilitation camp for Sri Lankan Tamils at Kottapattu in Tiruchy. Nalini was born in Mandapam camp, a refugee centre in Rameswaram, in 1986. Her journey from being a stateless citizen to the first refugee of the Kottapattu camp to get voting rights began in 2021 when she moved the Madras High Court after her application for an Indian passport was rejected by a regional passport office. On August 12, 2022, the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court headed by Justice GR Swaminathan directed authorities to issue an Indian passport to Nalini, citing her birth certificate from Mandapam. Notably, a person born in India between 26 January 1950 and 1 July 1987 is a citizen by birth, as per Section 3 of the Citizenship Act, 1995. Eventually, she secured her passport, but continues to reside in the rehabilitation camp, with special permission from the district collector, to be with her family. I have memorised the names of all the Tiruchy candidates, said Nalini as her advocate Romeo Roy urged the candidates to seek her support. Nalini, who received her voter ID earlier this year, wants all other refugees of the camp to enjoy the same rights. Its a dream come true for me. I will vote for the party which assures Indian citizenship to Sri Lankan Tamils and Indian origin Tamils living in camps across the state for several decades, she said. Now, I am engaged in legal battles to secure citizenship for my two children who were born in India, she added. Meanwhile, Stella Mary (name changed), an Indian origin Tamil, who is on a similar legal battle to shrug off her refugee tag urged leaders from Tamil Nadu to fight for their cause in the Parliament. Echoing similar sentiments, Kala (name changed), who has been living in the camp for over two decades, said, Though we are beneficiaries of state government schemes, including Magalir Urimai Thogai, I want to feel that I belong here by exercising my right to vote. It will be giving justice to members of a persecuted community. According to Ashik Bonofer, a professor at Madras Christian College, 58,457 refugees are living in similar camps across the state. The new government needs to have the political will to give citizenship for the Sri Lankan Tamils, he said. Romeo Roy, who fought Nalinis case in the high court and asserted that she is the first in the Kottapattu camp to get voting rights, says he is now on a mission to ensure all other refugees in the camp get to ink their fingers in the countrys future elections.

Elderly man, who claimed himself as father of Tamil actor Dhanush, dies

Madurai (Tamil Nadu): An elderly man, who filed a petition before the Judicial Magistrate (JM) Court at Melur in Madurai district in 2017, stating that popular Tamil actor Dhanush was his biological son and sought a monthly maintenance from him, died of illness on Friday night. Family sources said here on Saturday that R.Kathiresan (72), who fell sick due to various health issues was recently admitted to Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) in Madurai, where he died without responding to the treatment. It may be recalled that Kathiresan and his wife Meenakshi (60) of Malampatti village in Melur Taluk of Madurai district, claimed him (Dhanush) to be their third son K.Kalaichelvan, who dropped out of Class XI in 2002, went to Chennai to pursue his interest in acting and changed his screen name to Dhanush. They also demanded DNA tests on Dhanush to prove their paternity claim and sought monthly maintenance of Rs 65,000 from him, as he had failed to take care of them. Denying their claim, Dhanush moved the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court seeking to quash the case and also opposed the DNA test plea, not because he had something to hide, but because his integrity and right to privacy should not be tested at the instance of people who file frivolous cases. Dhanush said he was born to Tamil film director R.Krishnamoorthy and K.Vijayalakshmi in Chennai on July 28, 1983 and was named as R.K.Vengadesha Prabhu. He further said his father and he had changed their names to Kasthoori Raja and Dhanush K.Raja respectively and notified them in the gazette. He also relied upon a copy of ration card issued to his family in 2005 that contains the names of his parents, brothers and sisters and himself. Based on the submissions of Dhanush, the HC Bench Judge P.N.Prakash on April 21, 2017 rejected the couples demand as false and quashed the maintenance case.

Agro chamber demands politicos to give promises to ensure growth of agri-based industries

MADURAI: In view of the ensuing Lok Sabha polls, the Agro Food Chamber of Commerce and Industry urged politicos to give solid assurances to resolve the issues that remain major hurdles in the growth of agri-based industries in Madurai. In a press release, S Rethinavelu, Founder and President of Agro Food Chamber, expressed concerned over the decline in the number of people actively engaging in agriculture and sought special measures to address the issue. As per the data released by the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, around 46% of the country's population are engaged in agriculture and related activities. However, as a consequence of the perception that agriculture is not a profitable activity, the number of people engaging in agricultural operations is dipping sharply. Nowadays, the youth are not interested in agriculture and it is not a good sign for the economic development of our country. Economic forecasters opine that only India and China will be able to provide food to the entire world in the future and such is the potential of agriculture, the release read. It also stated that the central government should provide more attention towards the development of the agricultural and value-added food products manufacturing sectors in the coming days. Considering this, the agro chamber suggested certain constructive assurances to be given by political parties in their poll campaigns and manifestos, so as to attract more people from different walks of life. Furthermore, Rethinavelu pointed out irrigation issues, which remain one of the major concerns of farmers, and sought the restoration of micro and minor watersheds across the district. Special measures must be taken to address post-harvest loss. Also, we request that all agricultural products should be sold through the eNam portal, and regulated markets should have the necessary infrastructure. In Tamil Nadu, a total of 284 regulated markets function under 27 marketing committees, he said. The chamber also sought to elevate Madurai Airport to an international airport, establish air connectivity to facilitate export of farmers' produce, and thereby motivate investors to set up units in Southern Tamil Nadu to make the region industrially vibrant, sources said.

Country witnessing legalisation of political corruption under BJP rule: Sitaram Yechury

MADURAI: If Prime Minister Narendra Modi is confident that the BJP will cross the 400+ winning mark in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls, then why is he visiting Tamil Nadu for the ninth time in this election phase, asked CPM General Secretary Sitaram Yechury in Madurai on Saturday, adding that Modi knows that north India will not vote for the saffron party this time. Claiming that the country has been witnessing a legalisation of political corruption, Yechury said, While landing in the state on Monday, Modi has to answer how a corrupt person turns pure on joining the BJP. Is this the 'Modi's Guarantee' to fight against corruption? Leaders are termed corrupt by the BJP as long as they are with the INDIA bloc. There is legalisation of political corruption taking place and electoral bonds are its latest example. Yechury, who stated three ways through which corruption crept in electoral bonds -- direct extortion, support for provision of electoral bonds, money laundering, alleged, The four foundational pillars of the Constitution are under attack under Modi's rule. In the Modi regime, a person is guilty until he is proven innocent. That is how they attack the democratic rights of individuals. He further said atrocities are mounting against Dalits, tribals and women in the country, and blamed the BJP for halting the Keezhadi excavation. They (BJP) did not want archaeology findings to go beyond their Aryan-Hindu culture and hence did not allow the excavation to take place, he added.

It's star war in TN's Theni heartland for Lok Sabha polls

THENI : Lying on the lap of the scenic Western Ghats, Theni, replete with its green cover, has always seen stars in the fray. It all started in 1977 when actor-turned politician SS Rajendran contested from Andipatti assembly constituency on AIADMK ticket and embraced success. Following suit are MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa who contested from Bodinayakanur assembly constituency and enjoyed the fruits of success in 1984 and 1989 respectively. Jayalalithaa once again made Andipatti sway her way, in 2006. Though the constituency is serene with its lush-green forests, waterfalls and meadows, it is not without tension, and the main reason for many a legal fight between Tamil Nadu and Kerala - the Mullaiperiyar dam, constructed by British Engineer Pennycuick in 1895, which provides water to five districts - Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Virudhunagar and Ramanathapuram - is in the district. The parliamentary constituency was carved out of erstwhile Periyakulam Lok sabha Constituency comprising Periyakulam, Theni, Bodinayakanur, Cumbum, Andipatti and Sedapatti assembly constituencies in 2008. The constituency that saw 17 Lok Sabha elections so far has seen AIADMK winning eight times, Congress five times, DMK twice and Swatantra Party and Indian Union Muslim League winning one time each. In the last Assembly election, AIADMK won from Usilampatti and Bodinayakanur, and the remaining four assembly segments were bagged by DMK. Coming to 2024, there are a total of 25 candidates in Lok Sabha poll fray. DMK has fielded Thanga Tamilselvan (63), who has won from Andipatti assembly seat in 2011 and 2016 with a margin of 30,196 votes and 21,031 votes respectively. Giving a tough fight to Tamilselvan this time is AMMK general secretary TTV Dhinakaran (60), AIADMK veteran VT Narayanasamy (64), who has been a party member for the last 40 years, and NTK candidate Dr J Madhan (45). Dhinakaran is not a new face in Theni. He had started his political career as an AIADMK candidate by constesting from Periyakulam Lok Sabha constituency in 1999, winning by a margin of 45,806 votes. However in 2004 Lok Sabha election, he lost Theni seat by a margin of 21,155 votes. Though he won in RK Nagar assembly by-election with a huge margin of 40,707 votes in 2016 following J Jayalalithaas death, he could not make the mark at 2021 Kovilpatti assembly fight, losing by a margin of 12,403 votes. Tamilselvan was an MLA from Andipatti thrice (2001, 2001, 2016), and is currently the DMK Theni North secretary. He had also served as a Rajya Sabha MP. Since he was an MLA from Andipatti constituency in 2001-2002 period and had worked as the district secretary of AIADMK, he has a good reputation here. Adding to his popularity is the fact that he is a native of Narayana Thevan patti, located in Uthamapalayam. After the demise of former Chief Minister J Jayalalaithaa, he switched to AMMK before joining DMK. It is learnt Stalin is doing his best to regain Theni LS seat, the only parliamentary constituency that voted in favour of AIADMK last time. P Ravindranath Kumar, son of O Panneerselvam had won from the constituency in 2019. Though AIADMK candidate VT Narayanasamy is in the party for 40 years and serving as Theni East union secretary in the party, it is the first time he is contesting parliamentary election. He belongs to the Naidu community which is the second largest population in the constituency. Big-names in AIADMK including its general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami and RB Udhayakumar had campaigned for him by citing the developments of the constituency during the period of AIADMK. Periyar Vaigai Irrigation Farmers Association coordinator S Anvar Balasingam said though Supreme Court, in 2014, had ordered to retain the Mullaiperiyar water level at 152 feet from 142 feet, no action has been taken yet. Thats not all. S Mariammal said due to non-availability of job opportunities, around 20,000 women have to travel to Idukki district to work in cardamom plantations. A social worker K Kannan said though the incumbent MP O Raveendranath gave so many poll promises including road between T Mettupatti in Bodinayakanur and Sakulathumettu in Kerala, Kuragani and top station, he has done nothing as he was busy solving his own issues. Main fight between TTV, Tamilselvan? During his tenure as Periyakulam MP, TTV Dhinakaran used to stay in the region, addressing peoples grievances. Apart from his MP fund, sources said he used to spend from own pockets to fulfil peoples demands. Political pundits believe the main fight is between mentor (TTV Dhinakaran) and protege (Thanga Tamilselvan).

Expelled DMK leader Jaffer Sadiq injected Rs 40 cr drug money into films, assets, says ED

CHENNAI : More than Rs 40 crore allegedly earned through drug trafficking was injected by Jaffer Sadiq and entities suspected to be linked to him into film production, hospitality, and real estate, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said on Saturday. The ED made these claims in an official statement issued by it following the raids carried out by the agency in Chennai, Madurai and Tiruchy on April 9 in places linked to Jaffer Sadiq who was recently sacked from the ruling DMK. Sadiq, 36, was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) last month for involvement in the smuggling of about 3,500kg of pseudoephedrine with a street value of more than Rs 2,000 crore. The money laundering case stems from separate NCB and Customs Department complaints filed against Sadiq. The search operation carried out by the ED targeted residences and businesses allegedly linked to entities facilitating the laundering of cash generated by Sadiq. Sources said the cash was layered through specific financiers before being injected into various sectors like movie production, hospitality industry, and acquiring of immovable properties. Over Rs 12 crore cash routed for film production, says ED Sadiq, purportedly the mastermind behind an international drug trafficking syndicate, stands accused of smuggling pseudoephedrine camouflaged as health-mix powder and desiccated coconut to Australia and New Zealand, the ED said. It is alleged that he funnelled proceeds from drug sales into diversified ventures that served as fronts for illicit activities, it said. More than Rs 6 crore direct cash payments and more than Rs 12 crore cash was routed and layered for movie production. More than Rs 21 crore cash deposits were observed in the bank accounts of entities controlled by Jaffer Sadiq, the ED claimed. It added that a significant amount of cash was deployed for acquiring immovable properties as well. More than Rs 40 crore cash application have been found, the ED said.

Madurai corporation ramps up preparations for Chithirai fest - The Times of India

Madurai corporation ramps up preparations for Chithirai fest The Times of India

Forum to conduct art festival supporting Madurai CPI(M) candidate