The DMK never professed atheism nor interfered in devotees' faith and anybody was free to worship the gods of their choice, Tamil Nadu Minister P K Sekar Babu said, slamming the BJP for raising a new strategy to target the ruling party. The DMK always gave full freedom to people of all faiths to worship and never interfered, he said, strongly reacting to BJP state chief K Annamalai's recent accusation that the DMK was forced to reverse its previous stance on atheism owing to the BJP's activities in Tamil Nadu. "Whether it is Muslims, Christians, Buddhists or Hindus, the DMK gave full freedom to them to worship the gods of their choice. we never interfered in the devotees' belief," Babu, who holds the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments portfolio, told reporters here on Thursday. "The DMK is not a divisive force. You can chant any god's name like Jai Shree Ram, Harohara Muruga, Venkatachalapathy, Govinda, Govinda, anything is acceptable," the minister said. Asked about ...
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday carried out raids in multiple cities in Tamil Nadu as part of a drugs trafficking-linked money laundering investigation against former DMK functionary Jaffer Sadiq and others, officials said. As many as 25 premises in the state capital Chennai, Madurai and Tiruchirappalli are being searched by ED officials, accompanied by an escort of central paramilitary forces, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said. The premises of Sadiq, who is also a producer of Tamil films, film director Ameer and some others are being covered, they said. Sadiq, 36, was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) last month for his alleged involvement in the smuggling of about 3,500 kg of pseudoephedrine with a street value of more than Rs 2,000 crore. The ED took cognisance of this NCB case and some other FIRs to file the money laundering case against Sadiq and others. The NCB has said that Sadiq's links with Tamil and
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday accused the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu of spreading a false campaign on the Katchatheevu islet, ceded to Sri Lanka by India in 1974, and for making "irresponsible" statements on the issue. Then DMK president and TN Chief Minister M Karunanidhi was aware of the ruling Congress' move but did not object, she said. The Congress, which failed to come to power in Tamil Nadu after 1967, owes an explanation to the nation for the loss of the territory which former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi described as a tiny mass of rock, she said. Sitharaman claimed former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had described Katchatheevu as a "nuisance." "Let them set right the lies they have been saying for half a century," Sitharaman told reporters after an interaction at the Viksit Bharat Ambassador campus dialogue programme here. Ahead of the April 19 Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu, the Katchatheevu issue has taken centre stage in the state, after Pr
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday targeted the DMK over the Katchatheevu island issue, alleging the ruling party of Tamil Nadu did nothing to safeguard the state's interests. New details emerging on the issue of India handing over the Katchatheevu island to Sri Lank have unmasked the DMK's double standards totally, he said on X, citing a news report which claimed that then chief minister M Karunanidhi had given his concurrence to the agreement despite his party the DMK's public posturing against the deal. The media report is based on an RTI reply received by Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai to his queries on the 1974 agreement between India and Lanka when Indira Gandhi was the prime minister. Modi said, "Rhetoric aside, DMK has done NOTHING to safeguard Tamil Nadu's interests. New details emerging on Katchatheevu have UNMASKED the DMK's double standards totally." "The Congress and DMK are family units. They only care that their own sons and daughters rise. They don't care
The latest dataset released by the EC included scanned copies of the disclosures made by the political parties, running into hundreds of pages
In a first in the history of the Tamil Nadu Assembly, Governor RN Ravi on Monday concluded his customary address to the House within a few minutes, asserting he disagreed with the government over the content of the address and flayed the DMK regime for 'not respecting' the national anthem. In his inaugural address for the year to the House, Ravi said his repeated requests and advice (to the state government) to show due respect to the national anthem and play it at the beginning and the end of the address has been ignored. The House was convened on February 12 by the government for the customary Governor's Address to the Assembly. The Governor said the address has numerous messages with which 'I convincingly disagree, on factual and moral grounds.' Hence, Ravi said 'lending his voice' to such aspects that he disagreed with the government, would constitute 'Constitutional travesty.' "Hence with respect to the House, I conclude my address. Wish this House a productive and healthy ...
Earlier, in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, an 11-member election manifesto preparation committee was constituted in January this year, under the leadership of DMK MP Kanimozhi
"India is known for its diversity but if we allow Congress & DMK agenda to succeed, India will break up. Freedom of speech is not for self-determination," the Union Minister added in his post
The Supreme Court on Wednesday tagged a plea, which has sought registration of an FIR against Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin over his "eradicate Sanatan Dharma" remark, with another similar pending petition. A bench of justices Aniruddha Bose and Bela M Trivedi was hearing a plea seeking direction for registration of an First Information Report (FIR) against Udhayanidhi Stalin and DMK leader A Raja for their comments on Sanatan Dharma. On September 22, the top court had agreed to hear a separate plea filed by Chennai-based lawyer B Jagannath seeking registration of an FIR against Udhayanidhi Stalin and others over his "eradicate Sanatan Dharma" remark, which the petitioner likened to hate speech. Udhayanidhi Stalin, who is also an actor, is the son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and ruling DMK chief M K Stalin. The plea filed by Delhi-based advocate Vineet Jindal came up for hearing before the bench on Wednesday. "We will not issue notice but we will tag it," the bench told
Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK has moved Supreme Court seeking to be impleaded as a respondent in an ongoing case in connection with "freebies"
Seven people, including a Tamil Nadu DMK MLA's son, were killed when the high end SUV they were travelling in crashed into a boundary wall and turned turtle at Koramangala here early on Tuesday
The condition of 62-year old MLA, who has been fighting for his life with severe Covid-19 pneumonia rapidly deteriorated early this morning
DMK MLAs assailed order of Speaker P Dhanapal disqualifying them as MLAs as unauthorised and illegal