M K Stalin

Tamil Nadu ready to support cyclone affected Sri Lanka: CM Stalin

Chief Minister M K Stalin on Sunday said the Tamil Nadu government is ready to lend a helping hand to cyclone-wrecked Sri Lanka, by providing food and medicine, through the Union government. Stalin said he has directed Chief Secretary N Muruganandam to form a committee of officials to work in coordination with the Central government in this regard. Meanwhile, the CM said that steps were taken by the state's Commissionerate of Rehabilitation and Welfare of Non-Resident Tamils to safely bring back home passengers from Tamil Nadu stranded in Sri Lanka, and in the first phase, as many as 177 people, including 4 children and 60 women, were brought back to the state on Sunday morning. Conveying his condolences to the bereaved families in Sri Lanka, the chief minister said that the Tamil Nadu people shared the grief of the people of the island nation.

Cyclone Ditwah nears Tamil Nadu coast, red alert issued for delta districts

Cyclone Ditwah was slowly moving closer towards the Tamil Nadu coast and it was likely to bring heavy rainfall, the weather office said on Friday, as the state government reviewed its preparedness to face the second such weather system in a month. The weather office forecast heavy rains in the southern and Cauvery delta districts of the state, between November 29 and 30. The name, 'Ditwah', referring to a lagoon, was suggested by Yemen. It is likely named after Detwah Lagoon, a large, saline lagoon on the northwest coast of the island of Socotra in Yemen. In a bulletin on Friday evening, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the cyclonic storm 'Ditwah' over the coast of Sri Lanka and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal moved slowly northwards with a speed of 3 kmph during past 6 hours and lay centred at 2.30 hrs of today, November 28 over the same region. It is located about 300 km south-southeast of Karaikal, 410 km south-southeast of Puducherry and 510 km south-southeast o

Stalin writes to Modi, says rejection of metro projects caused resentment

Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday conveyed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi his disappointment over the Centre's rejection of proposals for Metro Rail projects in Coimbatore and Madurai and said it has caused resentment among public and sought reconsideration of the decision. High-capacity public transport alternatives are an imperative in large growth engine cities, Stalin said and underscored that Tamil Nadu was the most urbanised state in the country with a high per-capita private vehicle ownership. Writing to Modi, the chief minister said, under such circumstances, the state government prepared the DPRs for Coimbatore and Madurai Metro Rails and forwarded it to the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) for approval. However, the proposals were rejected by MoHUA, he said and conveyed his government's disappointment and anguish in this regard. "It has created deep resentment amongst the people of the two cities that their deserving needs have been rejected, as ...

No rest until amending Constitution to fix timelines for guvs: CM Stalin

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M K Stalin on Friday asserted that "there will be no rest" until amending the Constitution to fix timelines for Governors to clear Bills. In his first reaction to the Supreme Court's advisory opinion on the Presidential Reference, he said, "Our fight for State rights and true federalism will continue." In a statement, Stalin said that the Supreme Court's opinion in its answer to the Presidential Reference will have no impact on the April 8, 2025 judgment in the case of State of Tamil Nadu vs Governor of Tamil Nadu. In fact, the chief minister said that the Bench tendering the advisory opinion has reaffirmed that the elected government should be in the driver's seat, and there cannot be two executive power centres in the State. "The Governor has no fourth option to kill the Bill or exercise a pocket veto (as was done by the TN Governor). He has no option to withhold the Bill simpliciter," the CM asserted.

Tamil Nadu CM slams Centre over rejection of plea on paddy moisture norms

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday slammed the BJP-led Union government for rejecting the state's request to relax moisture norms for paddy procurement and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to immediately intervene to protect the state's farmers. In a social media post, Stalin said the Centre had turned down Tamil Nadu's plea to allow procurement of paddy with a higher moisture content in view of heavy northeast monsoon rains in the Cauvery delta and other districts. Only on Wednesday did the Prime Minister attend a farmers meet in Coimbatore, after the Centre had denied a Metro rail project for the western city, besides Madurai. "Even before the dampness of his visit has dried, the union BJP government has rejected our request for relaxation of moisture norms in paddy procurement," the CM said. According to him, the state has been pressing the Centre to raise the permissible moisture level in paddy from the existing 17 per cent to 22 per cent for the current Kharif

Stalin slams Centre's 'no metro' move for Madurai, Coimbatore as revenge

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday hit out at the Union BJP government for rejecting Metro Rail projects for Madurai and Coimbatore, calling the move an act of "revenge" against the people of the state. In a post on 'X,' Stalin said the Centre had told the state "No metro" for the "Temple City" of Madurai and "South India's Manchester", Coimbatore, despite similar projects being cleared in other smaller cities in BJP-ruled states. "The Union BJP government has denied Metro Rail for Temple City Madurai and for South India's Manchester, Coimbatore, on flimsy grounds. A government exists to serve people without bias. Yet the Union #BJP treats #Tamil Nadu's democratic choice as a reason to take revenge," wrote CM Stalin in his post. The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry recently reportedly returned Tamil Nadu's Detailed Project Reports for the two Tier-II cities, citing the Metro Rail Policy, 2017, which restricts central support to urban agglomerations with a ...

AIADMK flags lack of wheat in ration shops; TN govt to supply by mid-Nov

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami flagged the lack of wheat stock at the fair price shops across Tamil Nadu, prompting the state government to respond by assuring the supplies by November 15. State Food and Civil Supplies Minister R Sakkarapani, in reply to Palaniswami's claim that wheat was not available in 12,573 ration shops, has said that the state government has been continuously requesting the Centre to allocate more wheat to Tamil Nadu. From January 2024 to September 2024, only 8,576 metric tons of wheat was allotted by the union government on a monthly basis. Following Chief Minister M K Stalin's insistence, wheat allocation to the state was increased to 17,100.38 metric tons from October 2024 to February 2025, Sakkarapani said. This was being distributed to the general public in fair price shops without any hindrance. Currently, the Centre has reduced the wheat quota to the previous quantum of allotment, he said in a statement here on November 9. The average

No protection for women in TN, crimes against them increases: AIADMK chief

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Saturday claimed there was no protection to women and girls in Tamil Nadu, as crimes against them continued to "increase." Targeting the state government on women's safety, Palaniswami said it was very disheartening that women and girls lacked safety under the present DMK rule. The DMK government appeared to take pride in compensating 6,999 victims of sexual violence, as per the provisions of the POCSO Act, by providing them Rs 104 crore during its rule, he said. "The Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Minister has said that the government provided a relief of about Rs 104 crore to 6,999 girl victims. Is it a matter of pride to compensate girl victims, or is it wise to reduce crimes against them," Palaniswami asked while addressing the party's 54th foundation day meeting at Omalur in the district. The state government had disbursed the sum under the Women Victims Compensation Fund. Stating that party leaders and former Chief ...

Palaniswami criticises CM Stalin for ignoring monsoon crisis, praises films

AIADMK general secretary and Tamil Nadu Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami on Sunday lashed out at Chief Minister M K Stalin over the government's handling of the ongoing monsoon-related issues and charged the CM with becoming a "full-time movie critic". Palaniswami has been raising the issue of crop damage in the state due to the heavy monsoon rains. In a social media post, the LoP said he could feel the indescribable pain of the farmers when he held the sprouted paddy crops in his hands recently. "But the hands of the CM that need to hold this paddy are holding those of the film crew," he said in an apparent reference to Stalin recently watching Tamil movie 'Bison' and congratulating its director and the team. Although, there was nothing wrong in watching movies or lauding the talented movie crew, he said. "But, forgetting why he became chief minister, the puppet CM has become a full-time movie critic and this is a matter of concern," Palaniswami said. Referring to Sta

BJP-AIADMK planning electoral win thru SIR, won''t fructify: Stalin

With the EC announcing to implement the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Tamil Nadu from next week, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Sunday charged the opposition BJP-AIADMK combine with trying to win election through SIR by "snatching away the voting rights" of people. In a letter to party workers, the ruling DMK president pointed out to the Election Commission announcing that SIR will be implemented in Tamil Nadu from next month and the controversy surrounding the EC's exercise in Bihar, where "65 lakh people lost their voting rights." The opposition INDIA bloc and its key constituent DMK have been warning that SIR will be used in Tamil Nadu also for electoral gains, he said. "The BJP and its ally AIADMK are estimating that they can win (the 2026 Assembly polls) by removing the names of working class people, SCs, minorities and women through SIR." "Those who don't have the strength to face people in the electoral field and thinking that the

TN sanctions ₹186 cr to provide free meals to Chennai sanitation workers

The Tamil Nadu government has accorded administrative sanction for Rs 186.94 crore towards providing free meals to the sanitation workers in the Greater Chennai Corporation for three years. The move will facilitate the GCC to provide meals to about 29,455 conservancy workers, including staff working under the private contractors, at 512 locations, a government order issued by the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department said. The announcement comes close on the heels of prolonged agitation by the sanitation workers protesting against the privatisation of waste management operations in two zones under the GCC, and regularisation of jobs. The free meal scheme is among the six special welfare initiatives announced by the government on August 14. The civic body will hire a catering agency on contract for three years to prepare food in designated kitchens. The meals prepared in compliance with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India norms, will be packed and ...

Rain lashes TN, red alert issued in 8 districts; CM reviews situation

As the Northeast monsoon intensified across Tamil Nadu, the regional weather office on Tuesday issued heavy rainfall alert to a number of districts, while Chief Minister M K Stalin reviewed the situation with officials and directed that precautionary measures be put in place in view of the downpour. A 'red' alert was issued for 8 districts and an orange alert for Chennai for Tuesday, even as widespread rains lashed various parts of the state, according to the Met department. Stalin reviewed precautionary measures being undertaken in the city and its surrounding districts and the Cauvery delta districts that have been witnessing steady downpour. A red alert was issued to Villupuram, Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Tiruvallur, Thanjavur, Pudukottai and Ramanathapuram, an official from the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) said. Similar alert was sounded for neighbouring Puducherry union territory as well. "Heavy rain is likely in the entire north coastal belt, but extreme

CM Stalin accuses BJP govt of bias, says people have numerous questions

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday alleged that the Centre was totally prejudiced against the state. Not only state Finance Minister Thangam Thenarasu, who pointed out the fiscal prejudice against Tamil Nadu, but also the hearts of the people in the state were filled with many questions, he said. "I (wish to) ask some of them. How can corrupt individuals emerge clean from the 'washing machine' after joining the BJP alliance?" Stalin repeated his 'washing machine' analogy to accuse the BJP of laundering the reputations of tainted politicians. "What kind of arrogance is it that the country's important schemes and laws are named only in Hindi and Sanskrit? Why are Union Ministers limiting our children by telling them unscientific superstitions? What are you going to achieve by creating chaos through Governors in the states ruled by the opposition parties?" Stalin asked in a post on 'X' tagging Thangam Thennarasu. He questioned the alleged vote rigging to cheat people's .

Karur stampede: Total ₹4.87 cr aid issued to victims' families, says Stalin

Stalin stated that the government was developing a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for crowd control and preventing such tragedies from occurring in the future

TN Assembly session begins with tribute to 41 victims of Karur stampede

The Tamil Nadu Assembly session commenced on Tuesday with the House passing a resolution to condole the tragic death of 41 persons during a stampede in Karur on September 27. Immediately after the House met, Speaker M Appavu read out a resolution and conveyed the heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the bereaved families whose kin died during the stampede at a meeting of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam addressed by its founder actor-politician Vijay. He said Chief Minister M K Stalin directed the officials and medical professionals to provide good treatment to the injured and also rushed to the hospital and consoled the affected families. The Chief Minister announced solatium to the families of the victims and also the injured, Appavu said and urged the members to observe two minutes' silence as a mark of respect to the departed souls. Following this, the DMK, AIADMK, BJP, Congress, the VCK and other members stood up to pay their respects. The House made obituary references to former

Tamil Nadu to deliver ration at doorsteps on Oct 6, 7, ahead of Diwali

The Tamil Nadu government on Saturday announced that it will deliver essential commodities under the Public Distribution System directly to the homes of senior citizen and differently-abled family cardholders on October 5 and 6 ahead of the Diwali festival which falls on October 20. This doorstep delivery would be done under the 'Thayumanavar' Scheme launched by Chief Minister M K Stalin in August. The distribution would be taken up simultaneously throughout the state, an official release here said. Senior citizens, aged over 70 years and differently abled family ration cardholders would be spared of the trouble of visiting the fair price shops in their neighbourhood and wait in queues to obtain their monthly ration. Vehicles from the FP shops would bring the essential commodities directly to the doorsteps of the beneficiaries and the PDS staff would use electronic weighing scales and e-POS machines for accurate and transparent distribution, it said. A total of 21.7 lakh cardholder

TN CM condemns RSS commemorative coin; urges safeguarding Gandhi's legacy

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday condemned the release of special postage stamp and commemorative coin marking the centenary celebrations of RSS, and said India should be rescued from the "pitiful state" of celebrating an organisation, which shaped the thinking of a communal element who assassinated the Mahatma. Paying floral tributes to a portrait of Gandhi on his jayanthi here today, the Chief Minister said India is a secular country and Mahatma Gandhi sowed the basic philosophy for it. He is the power that will always provide us strength to face the seeds of hatred among the people and the divisive forces whenever they arise, Stalin said in a post on the social media platform X'. India should be rescued from the pitiful state where the one who is in charge of the country's leadership (Prime Minister) releases special postage stamps and commemorative coin on the centenary of the #RSS movement, which gave shape to the dreams of the communal leader who killed our ...

Don't spread rumour on distressing Karur stampede incident: TN CM Stalin

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday warned against spreading rumours in the social media on the distressing stampede incident in Karur. The deaths of 41 persons in the tragic incident on September 27 was very sorrowful and the victims of the incident should not be viewed as those belonging to a particular party but ought to be seen as fellow Tamils, he said. What happened in Karur was a great tragedy. My heart is heavy due to the great sorrow. After mobilising the district administration immediately after receiving the information, I could not remain in Chennai. I rushed to Karur to console the victims, the Chief Minister said in a video message posted on his official X' site. Stating that he has been watching the posts on the social media, Stalin said it was sad that some people spread rumours about the incident or even indulged in slander. Do not spread rumour, don't slander on the social media about the tragedy in Karur. Everyone should behave responsibly, the Chief .

Rahul Gandhi speaks with TN CM Stalin, TVK chief Vijay over Karur stampede

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi spoke with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin over phone to enquire about the Karur stampede and also called TVK party president Vijay to convey his condolences over the death of his supporters in the incident, party sources said on Monday. Stalin acknowledged Gandhi's call in a post on X. "Thank you, my dear brother Rahul Gandhi, for reaching out to me over phone, conveying your heartfelt concern over the tragic incident in Karur, and sincerely enquiring about the measures taken to save the precious lives of those under treatment," Stalin said. Congress sources said Gandhi telephoned the chief minister to enquire about the Karur stampede. "The Leader of Opposition also called up TVK president Vijay to convey his condolences over his supporters' death," a party source said. The death toll in the September 27 stampede at a political rally led by actor-politician Vijay at Karur in western Tamil Nadu climbed to 40 on Sunday. Over 60 people are being trea

TVK chief Vijay's rally stampede kills 38: How the incident unfolded

The incident occurred about 400 km from Chennai during a massive gathering addressed by Vijay, the chief of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam