M.K.Stalin, met former Transport Minister K.N. Nehru in the Cuddalore Central Prison

DMK treasurer M.K.Stalin coming out of central prison after meeting K.N.Nehru, former Minister in Cuddalore on Monday.

             Former Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has alleged that Chief Minister Jayalalithaa is enacting a drama by claiming that she does not have the powers to reverse the decision of the President who rejected the mercy petitions of Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan. The three are facing death penalty in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

           Mr. Stalin, who met former Transport Minister K.N. Nehru in the Cuddalore Central Prison on Monday, told reporters on the jail campus that Ms. Jayalalithaa had made a statement in the Assembly that she did not have the powers to offer clemency to the three convicts who were scheduled to be hanged on September 9.

           Mr. Stalin opined that even if the Chief Minister did not enjoy the powers to cancel the capital punishment on the basis of the clemency petitions she could have recommended it to the Centre through a motion in the Assembly. About the DMK's stand on the issue, Mr. Stalin said that party leader M. Karunanidhi had already sought the cancellation of the capital punishment.

        Asked whether the DMK would launch any agitation in this regard, Mr. Stalin said that the party would follow the directions of Mr Karunanidhi. Referring to the continuing arrests of former DMK ministers and functionaries, he said it was being done with an eye on the local body elections. 

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Groupism within the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Cuddalore district : Former MLA flays some party functionaries

CUDDALORE: 

        Groupism within the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Cuddalore district came to the fore at the executive committee meeting held in the presence of former Health Minister M.R.K. Panneerselvam, district secretary of the party, at Kurinjipadi on Wednesday.

        The meeting took stock of the reasons for the rout the party suffered in the Assembly elections. Some of the speakers blamed it on the alliance partners, stating that they either remained complacent or did not do proper field work. When it was the turn of former MLA (Nellikuppam constituency) Saba Rajendran, who lost the Panruti seat to P. Sivakolunthu of the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam by a margin of 10,716 votes, he attributed his defeat to the “surreptitious activities” of certain party functionaries.

        Mr. Rajendran even pinpointed Venkataraman, Anna Gramam union secretary of the DMK (who was also present at that time), as having primarily worked against him and therefore called for his removal from the party. The meeting adopted resolutions on how to celebrate the birthday of DMK chief M. Karunanidhi in a grand manner by distributing educational aid to students and organise demonstration against the new government for having deferred the implementation of the uniform system of education.

         However, it noted that for the partymen of the district, which remained a bastion of the DMK, the recent election results must have come as a shock. But, to lift their spirits, the resolution called upon them not to take the electoral setback to their heart. However, soon after the meeting concluded, some partymen, said to be supporters of Mr. Rajendran, physically assaulted Mr. Venkataraman. Mr. Panneerselvam came to the latter's rescue .

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I am Chief Minister till poll is over said Karunanidhi

CUDDALORE: 

         “In the eyes of the Constitution and the Election Commission, I am the Chief Minister till the election verdict is known,” said Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president M. Karunanidhi.

          Addressing a public rally here on Saturday, Mr. Karunanidhi said that if he got majority, he would continue to be Chief Minister, and if not, he would be sent home. But, for the past 20 days he was not going to the Secretariat as the Election Commission had imposed restrictions on him in handing over the prize money to Indian cricket team for winning the World Cup.

        Mr. Karunanidhi said that after participating in the Villupuram public meeting a couple of days ago, Higher Education Minister K.Ponmudy told him that the V.I.P. guest house was out of bounds for him. Therefore, he had to stay at the party office, Kalaignar Arivalayam. Mr. Karunanidhi recalled that in his earlier days he was accustomed to spreading a towel underneath a tree to sleep.

          Later, during his journey to Cuddalore he could not stay at any of the travellers' bungalows to take his food. He could have his food only after his supporters screened his cabin with towels. Mr Karunanidhi acknowledged the fact that during election time all leaders, including the Prime Minister, were bound by the rules. He did not have any complaint against the top officials of the Election Commission but the behaviour of those in the lower rungs created doubts whether they were exceeding their limit.

         He said that All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader Jayalalithaa had the audacity to demand that the Election Commission change a police officer in his entourage as if she was already a Chief Minister. Mr Karunanidhi recalled the shabby treatment meted out to former Chief Election Commissioner T.N.Seshan during Ms. Jayalalithaa's regime, which he duly condemned.

He introduced the alliance candidates 

M.R.K.Panneerselvam (Kurinjipadi),

Ela.Pugazhendi (Cuddalore), 

Saba Rajendran (Panruti), 

T.Velmurugan (Neyveli), 

D.Ravikumar (Kattumannarkoil), 

Sinthanai Selvan (Thittakudi), 

Sridhar Vandayar (Chidambaram), 

T.Needhi Rajan (Vriddhachalam) and 

Arivuselvan (Bhuvanagiri).

Defends candidate

         Speaking at a public rally held on the Manjakuppam grounds on Saturday, Mr. Karunanidhi defended fielding Ela.Pugazhendi as the DMK candidate for the Cuddalore constituency. He said that the selection of Mr Pugazhendi caused flutters in the party.

        (He was making veiled reference to the disenchantment among the supporters of sitting Cuddalore MLA G.Aiyappan for not given the party ticket and subsequent suspension of the MLA). Mr Karunanidhi appealed to the party cadres to work for the victory of Mr Pugazhendi whose father Ilamvazhuthi had served the party from his childhood.

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Promises will be kept says Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram

EXUDING HOPE: Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram addressing a public meeting int Vriddhachalam on Saturday.

CUDDALORE: 

         Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram has categorically said that each one of the promises given in the current election manifesto of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is possible and will be kept, and therefore, the people can have trust and vote for the Democratic Progressive Alliance candidates in the Assembly elections.

         He was addressing a public meeting at Vriddhachalam in support of Congress candidate T. Needhi Rajan on Saturday. In fact after the election he would meet M.Karunanidhi to request him to give both free grinder and mixer to the people. He denounced the opinion poll predicting defeat for the ruling alliance as an exercise in futility, because it went wrong in the earlier two elections and disproved the so-called anti-incumbency factor.

          Both developmental works and welfare schemes were essential for the people and hence, United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi and DPA leader M.Karunanidhi, acting with such double vision, had been providing them these in adequate measures, he said. He recalled that during the 2006 elections he told the people of Tamil Nadu that the then poll manifesto of the DMK was very much possible, even though the opposition parties raised serious doubts over its implementation and the DMK men stood wonderstruck.

        Those who go by their conscience would know that Mr Karunanidhi had fulfilled all the promises such as supply of rice at Re 1 a kg and writing off farm loans to the tune of Rs 7,500 crore. In fact, Mr Karuananidhi had shown the way for the Centre to waive farm loans to the extent of Rs 72,000 crore across the country. Besides this, he also implemented the unannounced promises such as construction of concrete houses, introduction of “108” ambulance services and life-saving treatment for the ordinary people in corporate hospitals.

       Mr Chidambaram said that whereas the previous five-year regime of Jayalalithaa was full of bitterness such as en masse dismissal of 1.5 lakh government employees, imposition of the ESMA and TESMA, sacking of the road workers, closure of the uzhavar sandhais, posing threat to the minority communities with the law against conversion, “ludicrous ban” on animal sacrifice in the places of worship and the midnight arrest of Mr Karuananidhi. During her rule the economic condition of the State was in a bad shape, he said. He questioned Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam leader Vijayakant about the reason for shifting his constituency from Vriddhachalam to Rishivandhiym. After all, he (Mr Chidambaram) was contesting the elections from the same Sivaganga seat for the past 25 years.

          Mr Chidambaram gave an assurance to the voters that Congress candidate Mr Needhi Rajan, a native of Vriddhachalam, would stay on in the constituency and serve the people. If elected he would again be fielded in the 2016 elections so as to ensure continuity, Mr Chidambaram added. Cuddalore MP K.S.Alagiri and former MP Vallal Peruman also participated.

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DMK suspends sitting Cuddalore MLA Mr. Aiyappan

CUDDALORE: 

       With hardly four days to go for the Assembly elections, the suspension of sitting Cuddalore MLA G.Aiyappan by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam high command for alleged anti-party activities has come as a shock to party cadres.

       The rank and file of the party fear the winning chances of DMK candidate Ela. Pughazhendi will be affected. Veterans and moderates within the party express the view that differences should have been either sorted out or kept under wraps at least till the polling day before which nothing cataclysmic would have happened. The AIADMK camp is gleeful over the turn of events as the party feels that it is a godsend opportunity for it to expose the façade of unity within the ruling party. If the rift is so wide open, how could there be solidarity among the DMK allies, they ask.

          When contacted, Mr. Aiyappan said that it was the price he had to pay for his unflinching loyalty to M. Karuananidhi and his party and untiring services rendered to the people.

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