Hitting out at DMK leaders' remarks on Sanatan Dharma, senior BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Saturday said that attacking the 'Sanatan Dharma' has become a "fashion" for the "frustrated fraternity" but their "bankruptcy will backfire". Participating in the BJP's nationwide 'Meri Maati, Mera Desh' campaign here, Naqvi said 'Sanatan Dharma' is the soul of Bharat and those who are trying to attack that soul, will be destroyed. "If someone attacks the Sanatan Dharma, the oldest faith on Earth, it reflects their mental illness," Naqvi was quoted as saying in a statement from his office. Attacking the 'Sanatan Dharma' has become a "fashion" for the "frustrated fraternity" but the "blasphemous bankruptcy" of the "Sanatan bashing brigade" will backfire, the former Union minister said. Naqvi said Bharat has witnessed hundreds of foreign invasions which not only looted resources but also attacked "Sanatan values and Bharatiya culture" and identity. The foreign invaders succeeded in looti
Under intense attack from the BJP over his alleged anti-Sanatan Dharma remarks, DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Thursday accused the saffron party leaders of "twisting" his statements and vowed to face all cases in this connection legally. He also launched a strident attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he was "globe-trotting", afraid of facing questions over the Manipur violence. "For the last 9 years, all your (BJP) promises are empty promises. What have you exactly done for our welfare is a question currently being raised in unison by the entire country against an unarmed, fascist BJP government. It is in this background that the BJP leaders have twisted my speech at the TNPWAA conference as 'inciting genocide'. They consider it a weapon to protect themselves," he said. What is surprising is that those like Union Minister Amit Shah and Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states were demanding action against him based on "fake news," Udhayanidhi said.
DMK leader Stalin has come under severe criticism since he mentioned on Saturday that Sanatan Dharma should not merely be opposed but 'eradicated'
Over 260 eminent citizens, including former judges and bureaucrats, have written to Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud urging him to take cognisance of DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin's eradicate "Sanatan Dharma" remark. In a letter to the CJI, the signatories, including former Delhi HC judge S N Dhingra, said not only did Stalin make a hate speech but he refused to apologise for his remarks. The letter by 262 people said the undersigned are deeply concerned over the remarks made by Stalin and that these remarks undeniably amount to "hate speech" against a large population of India and strikes at the very core of the Constitution of India which envisages Bharat as a secular nation. The letter said action is needed in order to preserve the secular character of the country. Any delay on the part of the administration in taking action on very serious issues will invite the court's contempt, it said. The letter said the state government has refused to take action and allegedly acted
Further, hitting out at the newly formed opposition bloc, the party said that Congress and INDIA coalition support for 'Stalin's bile is most disconcerting'
Unfazed by attacks from various leaders, Tamil Nadu Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development Udhayanidhi Stalin on Monday said that he would repeat the same thing again
Warning that "nobody can save India if this is not stopped now", Stalin said that the INDIA bloc was created to fight for social justice, federalism, secularism, and social harmony
Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi on Sunday dubbed as "treason" the remarks on Sanatan Dharma' made by Tamil Nadu minister and DMK leader Udayanidhi Stalin and demanded his arrest. The Rajya Sabha MP also asked Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad to clarify their stand on the issue, given their affinity with the DMK. "Udayanidhi Stalin should be arrested and sent to jail for having compared Sanatana Dharma to ailments like dengue and malaria, the former Bihar Deputy CM told reporters here. "The statement amounts to treason (deshdroh') since Stalin did not advocate eradication of the ills plaguing the faith, but called for rooting out the faith itself. The DMK has historically been associated with this type of politics, alleged Sushil Modi. Stalin, whose father M K Stalin is the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and heads the DMK, made the remarks on Saturday when he was addressing a writers' and artists' meet. Sushil Modi also questioned the "silence of Niti
A Special Court trying cases relating to MPs and MLAs of Tamil Nadu on Friday extended the remand of DMK Minister V Senthil Balaji, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) till August 28, 2023. Special Judge Sivakumar, before whom Balaji was produced through video conferencing by the jail authorities, extended the minister's remand to judicial custody till Monday. Directing the jail authorities to produce Senthil Balaji physically before the court, the judge posted to August 28, further hearing of the case. After several rounds of litigation before the courts up to the level of Supreme Court, the Enforcement Directorate had on August 7 taken custody of Balaji for five days and after the completion of the period, it had produced him before Principal Sessions Judge S Alli, who remanded him to judicial custody till August 25. The ED had also filed a charge sheet running to about 3,000 pages before the PSJ on the same day. The PSJ had on August 14 taken the charge sheet on file
Tamil Nadu Minister for Youth Welfare Udhayanidhi Stalin also participated in the one-day hunger strike in Chennai organized by the DMK student wing and the medical wing
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Wilson accused the central government of forcing Hindi throughout India by introducing the three recently introduced Bills in Hindi
On June 14, Balaji was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after 18 hours of interrogation and a search of his official residence and chamber at the state Secretariat
The Supreme Court agreed to hear on Friday the pleas of Tamil Nadu Minister V Senthil Balaji and his wife Megala challenging the July 14 order of the Madras High Court by which it upheld his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices P S Narasimha and Manoj Misra took note of the submissions of senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the minister and his spouse, that the issue would become infructuous if not heard urgently. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the anti-money laundering probe agency, opposed the submissions of Sibal seeking urgent hearing, saying wrong facts have been narrated and the Chief Justice of the High Court is yet to refer the matter to a division bench for further proceedings. If the bench seeks to list it tomorrow then I have no problem, the law officer said. We will list if for hearing, the bench said. The minister and his wife have filed two separate .
Tamil Nadu has attracted fresh investments to the tune of nearly 3 lakh crore from various companies by signing 240 new projects till date, the state government said on Wednesday. The new investments are expected to generate over 4 lakh new jobs in the state. With a vision of growing Tamil Nadu into a USD 1 trillion economy by 2030, the DMK government, after assuming office on May 7, 2021, has been engaged in taking up new measures to boost industrial activity in the state. Chief Minister M K Stalin, along with a host of delegates, have been on overseas trips to invite multinational companies to set up shop in the state. "Till date, this government has attracted Rs 2,96,681 lakh crore investments that will create 4,14,836 new jobs and signed 240 new projects," an official release here said on Wednesday. In a bid to further enhance industrial production, an ultra-modern integrated manufacturing facility is being set up by SOL India Pvt Ltd at an outlay of Rs 145 crore, for which St
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday accused the allies of DMK of being "servile" to the Tamil Nadu's ruling party and said partners in the National Democratic Alliance had freedom to speak facts. In Tamil Nadu, the former chief minister said it was his party, the AIADMK, that led the NDA while at the national level the BJP steered the coalition. The NDA would emerge victorious in 330 Lok Sabha constituencies across the country, the AIADMK top leader said in the national capital. Speaking to reporters, when asked if it was possible to garner 50 per cent plus vote share in view of factors such as price rise, Palaniswami said the country has witnessed growth under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi despite aspects like the coronavirus pandemic. Also, several economies in the world faced challenges. However, in India it was not the case as challenges were tackled well by the NDA. Across the world, the nation's reputation has grown under Modi's ...
The Enforcement Directorate on Monday conducted raids at the premises of DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister K Ponmudy and his MP son Gautham Sigamani in a money laundering case, official sources said. The raids are being undertaken at the premises of the father-son duo in state capital Chennai and in Villupuram, they said while the ruling DMK dubbed the action 'political vendetta.' Ponmudy is the second Minister in the Chief Minister M K Stalin's Cabinet to face ED raids following Senthil Balaji, who was arrested last month in a cash-for-jobs case following searches. The 72-year old Ponmudy is an MLA from Tirukkoyilur Assembly constituency in Villupuram district while his 49-year old son Sigamani is a Member of Parliament representing the Kallakurichi seat. The money laundering case is linked to alleged irregularities when Ponmudy was the state mining minister (between 2007 and 2011) and there were allegations of violation of quarry licence conditions leading to lo
The opposition parties are seeking to put up a united front to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls
Condemning the Enforcement Directorate raids at multiple premises of DMK leader K Ponmudy, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday said all like-minded parties are united against the "vendetta politics" of the Modi government and shall not be bogged down by these "cowardly tactics to trample upon democracy". The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday conducted raids at multiple premises of Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister Ponmudy and his MP son Gautham Sigamani Pon in a money laundering case linked to alleged illegal mining, official sources said. Escorted by armed personnel of the CRPF, the officials of the federal probe agency searched the premises under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). In a tweet, Kharge said, "We condemn the ED raids against Tamil Nadu Education Minister, Dr. K. Ponmudy, just before our crucial opposition meeting." This has become Modi government's predictable script in order to intimidate and divide the opposition, h
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and ruling party chief M K Stalin on Sunday said there is nothing to worry even if the DMK-led state government faces a risk in view of its staunch opposition to the BJP. Speaking about the recent Patna meeting of opposition parties, Stalin said it is more important to ensure that a certain dispensation does not continue -- rather than focus on who captures power -- in an obvious reference to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre. Referring to the proposed next meeting of Opposition parties in Karnataka (17-18 July), the DMK chief claimed that the BJP regime in general and Modi in particular is infuriated by such developments. Hence, Modi is "talking something", forgetting that he is the Prime Minister. There is nothing to worry about that, he said. There need not be even a "wee bit of concern" about any scenario that may emerge, even if it means a threat to the DMK regime in view of the party's stiff opposition to the BJP, Stali
A special court here trying cases against MPs and MLAs on Thursday acquitted Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minster K Ponmudy in a land grabbing case. Holding that the prosecution had failed to prove the case beyond any reasonable doubt, Special Judge G Jayavel acquitted Ponmudy, a senior DMK leader and six others. The prosecution case was that during the period 1996-2001 when Ponmudy was Transport minister in the then DMK regime, he had grabbed 3,630 sq. ft. of government land at Saidapet in the city and registered it in his mother-in-law's name. Following a complaint, the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption filed the present case against Ponmudy and 9 others. During the pendency of the case, his mother-in-law and two others died.