CHENNAI : How much can a persons clothing reveal about who they are? To women in the humble northeastern state of Tripura, a narrow piece of cloth hides away centuries of indigenous history. The risha assumed to have etymological origins in the old Kokborok language, is a conjunction of the words ri meaning cloth and brsha, meaning small. On Friday, textile designer and founder of Tilla, Aratrik Dev Varman, and designer and illustrator at Tilla, Jisha Unnikrishnan, joined in conversation with the founder of Prakriti Foundation, Ranvir Shah, to discuss the significance of the narrow piece of weaved cloth that marked out a forgotten piece of history and cultural identity. Leaving a womens breasts uncovered may seem to be humiliating or uneasy for many in the present context. However, according to general editor of Marg magazine, Naman P Ahuja says, Covering is a utilitarian requirement for comfort while working rather than one that is based on status or shame. The most recent issue of Marg, Indias oldest art magazine, delves into the case of Tripuri women weaving the breast cloth risha, for this reason, in an attempt to assert a distinctly tribal identity. The colour of the dye, type of patterns and miniscule changes in weaving make the risha different for each tribe. Tilla foundation has worked in the northeast tirelessly for over five years, collecting samples, patterns and designs to revitalise and restore the lost artform. The 1x5-metre-long cotton fabric that wraps around the chest is traditionally woven by women in the tribal communities of Tripura on a loin loom, also known as a komor tant, which is a loom without a frame, held together with tension from the weavers body with a backstrap. Usually, it is accompanied by a knee-length skirt known as rignai, made by sewing together two or more risha-s. Women are taught how to weave at a young age. The risha follows a woman throughout her life, says Aratrik. It is worn after her first time menstruating and gifted to her at her wedding. She is also cremated in her favourite risha, so that she can carry it forward to her next life. The evolution of the risha as a resilient piece of fabric also took it to the royal court, adorned by the Manikyas. In turn for the cottons and natural dyes indigenous communities used, Tripuri royal princesses imported rich silks and elaborate zari work from their neighbouring countries. This dual historic identity makes the risha a distinguished textile. Marg magazine also documents the fall of the risha during the colonial period. European notions of uncivilised clothing had caught on and tribal women with bare shoulders were scorned for it. Secondly, the Swadeshi movement called for a mainstream national identity. In the palace, saris became a more modern, national, and national clothing option, Aratrik explains. Through photographs of Manmohini Devi, Raja Bir Chandras third wife, he traces the trajectory of how the risha changed in the palace. Architect Tirupurasundari Sevvel, who was among the audience, posed a question to the panel: Do the traditional tribal patterns on the risha have any mathematical reasoning to them? No, answers Jisha after a little contemplation. But there is certainly a language to the motifs. In their years of intense research, Aratrik and Jisha have embraced the adaptations and various forms the deceivingly simple piece of cloth had taken. While the old designs have been swapped out for contemporary cross-stitches and the cotton harvested locally has been substituted with shimmery lurex yarn, the weavers still pride themselves on the quality of their work made with the backstrap looms. The cloth that we can weave on this loom is far superior to other cloth. It is tighter and more durable, and even though people have stared weaving our traditional designs on a frame loom, it is not the same, Chandrani Deb Barma testifies. Chandrani is a banker who weaves when she has the time, exemplifying the future of the risha, talking about drawing weaving inspiration from YouTube! Aratrik, contrarily, has vowed to save the past that has been woven with the threads in the risha, choosing not to translate the traditional designs to other clothes like shawls. We need to respect it as a risha, and not as a stole, he concludes.
5-hour power cut in parts of Chennai on July 26
CHENNAI: Power supply will be suspended in the following areas from 9 am to 2 pm on Friday to facilitate maintenance work. Tambaram: Mudichur, Parvathy Nagar, Sriram Nagar, Manavalan Nagar, Senthil Nagar, Maruti Nagar, Indira Gandhi Road, KVT Kirin City, Chelliyamman Temple Street, Pallava Nagar, Old Perungalathur Main Road, Parvathy Nagar, Rajakeepakkam, Ganesh Nagar, Velachery Road, Chittalapakkam Main Road, Thirumal Nagar, Mehta Nagar, Rajeshwari Nagar, 100 Feet Road, Sundaram Colony, Chelly Nagar, Maruti Nagar Main Road, and Manawala Nagar Main Road. Avadi: Puzhal, Nagappa Estate, MGR Nagar, Balaji Nagar, Otravadai Street, Gangatharan Street, Lakshmi Amman Temple Street, Ambedkar Street, VOC Street, Reddy Street, St Anthony Koil Street, NSK Street, Tirupur Kumaran Street. Maduravoyal: Alapakkam, Porur Garden, Vanagaram, Rajesh Estate, Chettiar Agaram to Main Road, Om Shakti Nagar, Mahalashmi Nagar, Rajiv Gandhi, Ponniamman Temple Street, ICL main street, and Numbal Urban Tree. Arumbakkam: Nerkundram, Jayalakshminagar, Balakrishnanagar, Dhanalakshminagar, Moogambigainagar, Janakiraman Colony, Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, Rajiv Gandhi annex, Balakrishnanagar, Bhuvaneswarinagar, Sakthinagar, NT Patel road, Krishna nagar. Ambattur: Ponniammannagar, Rajankuppam, Metro city ph-I, VGN Mahalakshminagar, Yadaval street, Perumalkoil street. Parts of Guindy, Sholinganallur and Adyar will also be affected.
MP chief minister visits textile manufacturing unit in Tirupur
India narrowly misses semifinals at World Junior Squash Championships
CHENNAI : India boys and girls lost narrowly in the quarterfinals of the World Junior Squash Championships Team competition in Houston. The sixth-seeded boys went down 1-2 to fourth-seed South Korea, and the girls by an identical margin to third seed Malaysia. Yuvraj Wadhwani got India boys off to a winning start with a 3-2 win over Seojin Oh. However, Shaurya Bawa, who last week won individual bronze, went down to individual silver medallist Joo Young Na in four close games. In the deciding tie, Kun Kim proved too strong for Arihant KS. India results (quarterfinals): Boys: India lost to South Korea 1-2 (Yuvraj Wadhwani bt Seojin Oh 11-7, 4-11, 7-11,11-7,11-6; Shaurya Bawa lost to Joo Young Na 9-11, 11-6, 9-11, 6-11; Arihant KS lost to Kun Kim 7-11, 6-11, 9-11); Girls: India lost to Malaysia 1-2 (Shameena Riaz lost to Whitney Wilson 7-11, 3-11, 10-12; Anahat Singh bt Thanusaa Uthrian 6-11, 15-13, 11-6, 5-11, 11-6; Nirupama Dubey lost to Doyce Ye San Lee 7-11, 11-7,11-5, 10-12, 3-11). Orazly makes winning start In a fierce battle between two foreign Grandmasters Annageldyev Orazly (Turmenikistan) and Sizhvesky Alexander (Russia) on the top board, the latter employed the Pelikan variation of Sicilian defence. In an attacking game, black outwitted white after winning an exchange. Combining his Queen and rook he scored an emphatic victory by attacking the white king at the 21st Tamil Nadu IM Norm Closed Circuit Tournament. J Meghanatha Reddy, Member Secretary SDAT inaugurated the meet by making a formal move over the chess board against GM RB Ramesh in the presence of Manickam, president, of TNSCA. Results: Round 1: Annageldyev Orazly 1 (Turmenikistan) 0 lost to Alexander (Russia) 1; Mangandan S (India) .5 drew with Manik Mikulas (Slovakia) .5; Akash G (India) 1 bt Athvik Adiga (India) 0; Lokesh N (India) 0 lost to Adireddy Arjun (India) 1. Apurva advances Apurva Vemuri of Telangana blanked Ashmita Mitra of Bengal 6-0, 6-0 in the girls qualifying third round match of the Indium Software AITA tennis championship organised by TNTA. Results: Women: Qualifying 3rd Round: Apurva Vemuri (TS) bt Ashmita Mitra (WB) 6-0, 6-0; Aadhya Balaji (TN) bt Ana Varshney (UP) 6-1, 6-1; Adithi Are (TS) bt Elin Harshini (TN) 6-1, 6-2; Aditi Tyagi (HR) bt Deeksha (TN) 6-2, 6-1; Diya Ramesh (TN) bt Aareyalee Amrutsinh Chavan (MH) 6-4, 6-4; Danica Nirmal Fernando(MH) bt Gauri Anant (MH) 6-0, 6-0; Gayatri Rajesh Menon (KL) bt Richa Dadasaheb Chougule (MH) 6-3, 6-0; Diya Bhatia (UP) bt Kotishtha Modak (MH) 1-6, 6-3, 10-4. Men: Qualifying 2nd Round: Arjun Mahadevan bt Abraar Kariim 6-1, 6-2; Dhruv Promod bt Suresh Babu D 6-1, 6-2; Hemant Kumar bt Girish Dadasaheb Chougule 6-1, 6-0; Mahalingam A Kandhavel bt Lohith Aksha W/O; Nithin Adhith bt Jachin Boas 6-1, 6-4; Krish Subhramanaiam bt Nitin Padbanaban 6-2, 6-1, Rethin Pranav bt Vishnu Balachander 6-2, 7-5; Shashank M bt Aniketh Venkataraman 4-6, 6-4, 10-4; Rahul Ram bt Sai Kiran CR 7-5, 6-2; Sampath Somgovin bt Koushik Saravanan 6-2, 6-2; Sharaniyan S bt Kollapaneni Mohan Krishna 6-7(1), 6-1, 10-3; Nithik Sivakumar bt Manish Balaji 4-1 Retd; Faraz Shaker bt Harshad Nandha Kumar 6-1, 6-0. Chelladurai Raja shines Pooli Chelladurai Raja took 6/18 as Tenkasi beat Cuddalore in a thrilling finish of TNCA Inter Districts U-16 Tournament 2024-25 (P R Thevar Trophy). Brief scores: Vellore (Group A): Cuddalore 106 in 39.3 ovs (Pooli Chelladurai Raja S 6/18) lost to Tenkasi 107/9 in 39.3 ovs (P Arun 3/17, S Abhilash 3/26); Vellore 127 in 48.1 ovs (NE Nithesh 59, RK Kedar 3/32) lost to Thiruvallur 131/2 in 31 ovs (S Naveen 38 n.o, I Junaid Mustaq 35); Dindigul (Group B): Nilgiris 100 in 28.3 ovs (V Boorwin 34, SU Muhammed Raseen 35, J Aswath 5/26, N Suryaprakash 3/12) lost to Ariyalur 101/4 in 29.2 ovs (S Sivaseran 35); Dindigul 243/9 in 50 ovs (BL Sanjay Balaji 124 n.o, A Hemanth 45, D Aswin Kumar 3/68) bt Pudukkottai 114 in 39 ovs (M Mohammed Ashfaq 3/21, K Deepan 3/24); Ranipet (Group C): Tirupattur 169 in 49.4 ovs (Tharun 61, Anirudh Sridhar 3/28, S. Mukundhan 3/21) lost to Kancheepuram 170/3 in 26.1 ovs (Adhvick Eswaran 67); Ranipet 94 in 41 ovs (N Deva 3/9) lost to Kallakurichi 95/9 in 33.4 ovs (P Dharun Kumar 6/16); Salem (Group D): Salem 292/5 in 50 ovs (S Pugal 89, K Karun Danush 44, R Dhesigan 48, VG Pugal Vishnu 72 n.o, B Tharun 3/65) bt Dharmapuri 119 in 44.1 ovs (T Akash 37, A. Anish Duke 4/12); Mayiladuthurai 139 in 48 ovs (V Nithishwar 47, Z Mohammed Haalid 4/16) lost to Coimbatore 140/ 4 in 30.5 ovs; Sivagangai (Group E): Tirupur 125 in 37.2 ovs (S Dhanvanth Anamangad 50, K. Kaviarasan 3/36) bt Sivagangai 122 in 48.4 ovs (J Arul Sebastin 33, S Arish Rahul 3/10); Theni 145 in 43.1 overs (MP Abhiman Sundar 41, V Arun 5/11) bt Tirunelveli 113 in 37.4 ovs (R. Daksh Anirudh 4/20, M.P. Abhiman Sundar 3/5); Thoothukudi (Group F): Kanyakumari 143 in 41.4 ovs (Immanuel Easter Josese 56, Shakthivel 4/42) bt Thiruvarur 91 in 34.6 ovs (M. Mohamed Mavasim 4/19); Thoothukudi 126 in 44.5 ovs bt Thanjavur 117 in 32.5 ovs (AJ Abhinav 5/30); Tiruchirappalli (Group G): Tiruchirapalli 294/8 in 50 ovs (T. Pakirthan 115, N Ajay Sachin 61, V Shailendar 3/40, Surenthar 3/50) bt Nagapattinam 134 in 46.3 ovs (S Dheeran 40, A. Rufus Stewart 3/14, J. Ajay 3/23); Madurai 130 in 49.3 ovs (Ashwath 37, Mohammed Rafan 4/9) lost to Erode 134/5 in 33.5 ovs (Sakthivel 34, Ridam Kumar 34, Pranav Ram 3/26); Thiruvannamalai (Group H): Ramathapuram 238/5 in 50 ovs (A Abdul Malik 119 n.o, G Arunbuvanesh 34) bt Karur 112 in 30.2 ovs (GM Ruthuvik ashwa 3/3); Chengalpattu 234/9 in 50 ovs (AZ Laiq Aariz 44, Siddarth Balakrishnan 41, R.T. Vetri Selvan 3/38) bt Tiruvannamalai 158 in 40.6 ovs (S Abhishek 45, S Mohamed Thareek 30, S Akshay Barath 3/26, S Varun Vikas 3/33).
Sathyamangalam Road, L&T Bypass Road to be widened, Coimbatore MP discusses project work
COIMBATORE: Coimbatore MP Ganapathy P Rajkumar, along with the district collector, Coimbatore Corporation Commissioner, police and highways department officials inspected the Sathyamangalam Road near Ganapathy junction on Tuesday following complaints about frequent traffic congestion. Later, he held a meeting with highways department officials over the projects that are underway in the city. Road development works at the Ganapathy More Market area, widening of the Sathyamangalam road from Kurumbapalayam to Tamil Nadu-Karnataka state border into four-lane and six-lane, and widening of Coimbatore L&T bypass road into a four-lane highway among other project works were discussed in detail during the meeting. According to sources, development work approval for the removal of the accident area at Ganapathy More Market Junction on National Highway 948 has been sanctioned under Annual Plan 2024-25. Under this project, the road from Ganapathi Textool Bridge to Prozone Mall will be widened into four lanes and six lanes. A fund of Rs 639.18 crore has been allocated by the Ministry of Road Transport for preparation of detailed project report and land acquisition for the widening of the Sathyamangalam Road (NH 648) from Kurumbapalayam to Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border into four-lane and six-lane road. For this work, 291.41 hectares of land will be acquired in 31 villages in Coimbatore, Tirupur and Erode districts including 14 villages. The length of the Coimbatore L&T Bypass is 28 km. The road is currently 10 meters wide. The work of preparing a Detailed Project Report (DPR) to widen this highway into a four-lane road is currently underway. A review meeting was held in this regard, sources added.
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Tamil Nadu: Three people charred to death, four severely injured in fire accident near Sulur
COIMBATORE: Three persons were charred to death and four others sustained severe burn injuries in a fire accident that happened in the wee hours of Tuesday near Sulur in Coimbatore. The incident took place at a house at Muthugoundenpudur in the city outskirts where all seven persons had stayed on a rental. According to police, the seven people -- Alaguraja, Muthukumar, Chinnakaruppu, Dinesh, Veeramani, Manoj and Pandeeshwaran -- were working as tanker lorry drivers for an oil company depot situated in Irugur in Coimbatore. They were transporting fuel from the oil depot in Irugur to the fuel-filling stations in Coimbatore and Tirupur districts. It is said that they used to take leftover fuel in tanker lorries to the house for their use. It is alleged that around 20 litres of petrol was kept in the house. On Tuesday, one of the inmates Alaguraja reportedly opened the fuel cane and attempted to fill the fuel into a small cane to pour into a bike. Police said that a fire erupted from the gas stove to the petrol cane and spread the entire house. All seven people in the house were caught in the fire and sustained serious injuries. Alaguraja, Chinnakaruppu and Muthukumar died on the spot. The other four sustained serious burn injuries. The fire service personnel and Sulur Police rushed to the place and put out the fire. The injured were rescued with more than 60% burn injuries and rushed to CMCH for treatment. Sulur Police registered a case and further investigation is on.
Uma Anandan criticised the former High Court judge's report, tagging it biased and condemned the council for not resolving other caste-based issues, such as the exclusion of certain castes from a Christian crematorium in Tirupur's Palladam area.
Dollar Industries to Open 50 Outlets in South India
Dollar Industries aims for 50 new stores in South India within three years, targeting 20% revenue from the region. Expansion in Tirupur underway
Heavy rains predicted in 14 districts of Tamil Nadu
Chennai, June 2 (IANS) The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) has predicted heavy rains in 14 districts of Tamil Nadu in the next 24 hours. The rains, according to the RMC, are due to low-level atmospheric circulation over southern Tamil Nadu. Heavy rains will be in Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Tirupur, Theni, Dindigul, Erode, Salem, Dharmapuri, Tiruppatur, Krishnagiri, []
Muslims donate land for Ganpati temple in Tamil Nadu's Tirupur
Muslims donate land for Ganpati temple in Tamil Nadus Tirupur
2 Girls Gangraped, 9 Individuals Including 3 Minors Apprehended In Udumalpet
The Udumalpet police have taken into custody 9 individuals, including three juveniles, in connection to a gang rape incident involving a minor under the POCSO act in the Tirupur district. The post 2 Girls Gangraped, 9 Individuals Including 3 Minors Apprehended In Udumalpet appeared first on The Commune .
IDBI Bank seeks ROC help over nominee director dispute with NTADCL
IDBI Bank has raised governance concerns over the exclusion of nominee directors from board meetings of New Tirupur Area Development Corporation Ltd (NTADCL) post-loan repayment. Despite provisions allowing their retention until all dues are settled, the directors were excluded, leading IDBI Bank to write to the Registrar of Companies (ROC). NTADCL, which underwent Corporate Debt Restructuring in 2011, excluded IDBI Bank and SBI's nominee directors, citing vacancy due to loan repayment. IDBI Bank seeks ROC's intervention to assert its right to retain Nominee Directors until all dues are cleared, citing clauses in the MRA, AoA, and Companies Act, 2013.
New Tirupur Area Development Corporation and IL&FS spat reaches Registrar of Companies
Annamalai faces tough competition from DMK, AIADMK as he strives for victory
Annamalai faces tough competition from DMK, AIADMK as he strives for victory When the high-profile DMK minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan was moved from Finance to Information Technology department in May 2023, it was widely believed it was a fallout of an audio clip leak by BJP Tamil Nadu chief K Annamalai. Then, Annamalai, who had already been generating political controversies, made solid gains in the perception battle, which was all about whether it was the BJP or AIADMK in questioning the powers that be and performing the role of a vibrant opposition party. Months later, 39-year old Annamalai as the BJP candidate in Coimbatore Lok Sabha constituency is consistent in challenging both the ruling DMK and main opposition AIADMK. By releasing RTI documents on ceding of Katchatheevu, the Congress party also came under his fierce attack. AIADMK leaders even alleged Annamalai spoke ill of Dravidian icon CN Annadurai and late party supremo J Jayalalithaa and that it was the trigger for snapping of ties with the BJP last year. Hence, be it the audio clip episode, or AIADMK breaking ties, Annamalai became a key point of political discourse in one way or the other. Little wonder, Coimbatore, the hub of western region, is the most keenly watched constituency in Tamil Nadu. Thiaga Rajan had denied BJP's allegation that it was his voice that was heard in the audio clip. Nearly a year after shifting him, Chief Minister M K Stalin Stalin said the moved was effected to improve and reform the IT department. Just to prove its electoral heft, the ruling DMK chose to field its candidate from Coimbatore rather than giving it to allies. Former Mayor, P Ganapaty Rajkumar is the DMK candidate. In 2019, DMK ally CPI(M) won the seat. DMK bets on a string of its welfare schemes including fare-free travel for women in buses. It appears to battle some anti-incumbency like discontent among MSMEs over high cost of electricity despite Stalin's measures to address their grievances. Nearly 3,000 MSME units staged a hunger protest last year opposing power tariff hike. An industry source told PTI: ''The MSME units have been worst hit due to power tariff hike. Representations to the government have not elicited a positive response so far.'' The MSMEs are under stress.'' AIADMK's Singai G Ramachandran (36) is the youngest among candidates fielded by major parties. He and Annamalai are both IIM graduates and Rajkumar (58) holds a doctorate in journalism. In the run up to the polls, though leader of Opposition and AIADMK chief, Edappadi K Palaniswami asserted the fight is only between his party and the DMK, the BJP is working hard and enthusiastic too, to give the well entrenched Dravidian parties a run for their money. BJP workers depend on Annamalai's popularity to emerge victorious. He has has made 100 promises to be fulfilled in 500 days and assurances include cleaning up rivers, an international airport and food vans named after former Chief Minister K Kamaraj. Kamaraj was a veteran of the freedom movement, a Congress icon remembered for his honesty and groundbreaking work for the people. Traditionally, a bastion of the AIADMK, the Left outfits and trade unions affiliated to them hold a sway over segments of workers here. Similarly, the BJP has several pockets of influence in Coimbatore and a committed voter-base. This is also a region where the Hindu outfits have a comparatively good presence. However, BJP's cadre strength appears to be no match for the organisational prowess of DMK and AIADMK. The crux of the AIADMK's campaign here is that only its previous regimes brought growth and developed infrastructure and both the DMK and BJP did nothing for the western region. It dismissed an edge for Annamalai as ''maya'' created in the media by the BJP itself. The AIADMK is very confident that only its candidates would win Coimbatore, Pollachi, Nilgiris, Erode and Tirupur segments. Communally sensitive, the car blast, on Deepavali eve in 2022 is fresh in the memory of people. Recently, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a road show here, he paid homage to the victims of the 1998 serial bomb blast in which 58 people were killed. Incidentally, Annamalai has promised to set up a unit of the National Investigation Agency here. A textile and industrial hub, there are several issues in Coimbatore including the demand of MSMEs to slash GST for job work. Days ago, Chief Minister Stalin addressing a meet at nearby Avinashi alleged Modi's ''twin attack'' of demonetisation and GST implementation has hit industries in this western region. ''Industrial units that had once put up notice boards announcing hiring of workers, now display auction notices,'' he then alleged. The industry source said continuous increase in prices of raw materials and allied goods have further hurt the MSMEs. ''Surge in raw material costs leads to cancellation of orders; it will further lead to decline in exports.'' Coimbatore and nearby areas house textile units, manufacturing units of auto components, wet grinders, motor pumps and foundries. Car makers Maruti Udyog and Tata Motors source up to 30 per cent of their automotive components from the city. Kalamani Jaganathan (36) is Naam Tamilar Katchi's pick. In essence, Coimbatore is facing a four-way contest and Annamalai's entry has made the fight pretty tough. In 1999 LS polls, the BJP's CP Radhakrishnan won the seat as part of alliance with the DMK. In 1998 he won that seat, and the BJP was AIADMK's ally then. Elections to 39 Lok Sabha seats in TN will be held on April 19.
Rahul Gandhi's TN visit has trumped Modi's poll campaign: Stalin
Rahul Gandhi's TN visit has trumped Modi's poll campaign: Stalin Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's single day campaign in the state has ''beaten all the election trips'' of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the state to seek votes. Referring to the April 12 meet addressed at nearby Coimbatore by him and Gandhi, Stalin said the turnout and the rally was magnificent like the movie ''Baahubali'', and the ''total BJP was trumped,'' by a single public meeting. Further, the chief minister said Gandhi's single day campaign in Tamil Nadu has ''beaten all the election trips'' of Modi to the state to seek votes. ''Rahul Gandhi has proven that Tamil Nadu people can be won over (ruled) only through love.'' Citing Gandhi's comment in Coimbatore that the Lok Sabha polls are an ideological battle, the DMK chief said he has been all along stating that the election is between the INDIA bloc -- committed to upholding social justice -- and the BJP front which is sowing seeds of ''discrimination'' in society. ''Rahul Gandhi's speech has echoed the same opinion.'' The DMK regime is a beacon of social justice that provided reservation to marginalised people including the Backward, Most Backward and Scheduled Castes. ''If Modi is again voted to power, he will first do away with reservation. It is because BJP is allergic to social justice.'' Modi will also change the Constitution drafted by Dr B R Ambedkar. ''That is why we say that Modi returning to power is a danger to the Constitution, a threat to the whole country.'' Furthermore, the DMK president alleged ''stoking violence is in the BJP's DNA,'' and the nation will be an autocracy and the number of poor people will rise if Modi retains power. Referring to a news item (a video clip was also shared in social media) on BJP workers allegedly assaulting a woman in Tirupur for posing GST related questions, he said both the BJP and Modi are detrimental to the nation and its people. ''The BJP will turn Tirupur into a Manipur,'' he alleged. Pointing to the alleged assault, he accused the BJP of arrogance and alleged the Saffron party has become drunk with power. Industrial growth is possible only in a peaceful environment and peace and growth will be lost if ''violent parties like the BJP is allowed entry.'' Due to GST and demonetisation, industries/MSMEs have been seriously affected. A company that came forward to invest in Tamil Nadu was intimidated and it was forced to start its venture in Gujarat, he alleged. For the Production Linked Incentive scheme, tax is collected from Tamil Nadu people and the Centre is giving concession to start industries in Gujarat. ''Only these people are now seeking votes in Tirupur and Coimbatore.'' Stalin addressed the meet at Avinashi in Tirupur district which is among the areas that fall under the Nilgiris LS constituency, where BJP's L Murugan is seeking his luck. In Coimbatore, TN BJP chief K Annamalai is the candidate.
Try millet dosai, bise bele bath and kara adai at the newly-opened Zodiac restaurant in Tirupur
