Know your candidate: DMK announces nominees for Rajya Sabha polls in TN

Know your candidate
 

Amid rumours that the Congress is negotiating with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), its ally in Tamil Nadu, for one Rajya Sabha seat for former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the latter on Monday announced the names of two prospective candidates. The DMK nominated M Shanmugam, general secretary, Labour Progressive Front, and senior counsel B Wilson, former additional solicitor general of India, as its candidates for the Rajya Sabha polls. Among the two, Wilson's nomination is interesting. The 53-year-old senior advocate represented the DMK in the “burial” case involving the late M Karunanidhi, former DMK chief and father of the current party President M K Stalin. After the DMK's rival and ruling party All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam did not allow Karunanidhi to be buried at the Marina Beach, Wilson managed to get a directive from the Madras High Court for "a decent burial" for Karunanidhi on the beach, next to DMK founder C N Annadurai. Wilson has also represented Stalin, Kanimozhi and Dayanidhi Maran in various cases.

Real happiness
 

Speaking at the 70th annual day celebrations of the chartered accountants' apex body, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, on Monday, Vice-President of India Venkaiah Naidu (pictured) pointed out a "happy" coincidence. July 1, he said, happened to be Doctors' Day, CA Day and GST Day. The day also happened to be his birthday or at least that was the date mentioned as his birthday in his school enrolment form, Naidu added. But what would make him happiest? He would experience real happiness if economic frauds come to an end in the country, Naidu said.

Juggling cricket & work
 

The Congress party's Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha member Shashi Tharoor was photographed watching the India versus England match of the Cricket World Cup in London on Sunday but was very much present in Parliament on Monday to take part in the House proceedings. In a tweet, Tharoor said he spent the weekend in the UK, where he delivered two speeches at the Bradford Literature Festival, and watched the “rather disappointing” cricket match. Tharoor wore the team's orange and blue new jersey during the match at Edgbaston. "The match had its moments (though selfie-seekers ensured I missed some of them!) but it petered out in an anti-climax," he tweeted. Tharoor caught Air India's overnight flight to Delhi, and with the three-hour delay, Tharoor said on the social media network, he would miss the Question Hour. He, however, attended the House in the afternoon when again he was sought out by members who wanted to discuss the cricket match.