With the stage set for the filing of nominations for the May 16 Assembly election in Tamil Nadu, political activities touched a feverish pitch on Thursday. Filing of nominations will begin on Friday morning all over Tamil Nadu. As a precursor of the high-pitch electioneering the State is going to witness in the next one month, unidentified miscreants pelted stones at the DMDK headquarters at Chennai early Thursday morning. Glass panes and windows were shattered in the early morning attack. According to office bearers of the DMDK, nobody was injured in the stone pelting. Police has registered a case following a complaint lodged by TS Sudheesh, the youth wing leader of the DMDK.
Though party spokesman Mathivannan feigned ignorance about the motives behind the attack, DMDK leaders pointed out that the incident happened following the speech delivered by party founder Vijayakant on Wednesday at Kulithalai. The DMDK chief ridiculed Muthuvel Karunanidhi who has set his ambition to become the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for the sixth time. “It is bizarre to see a man of 93 years of age running for the post of the Chief Minister. See his desire. He wants to become the Chief Minister though he is 93…see his desire,” said Vijayakant imitating and mocking the DMK chief.
The DMK cadre are highly volatile and intolerant to any kind of criticism against Karunanidhi and Stalin. There were incidents in the past when those who criticised the father-son duo came under attack.
With the DMK and the DMDK cadre revolting against the respective party leadership in the selection of candidates for the Assembly election, can the Congress party workers lag behindIJ Hundreds of party activists staged a demonstration in front of the TNCC headquarters against the party leadership for overlooking workers who have been toiling for the growth of the Congress in the State. A party cadre by name Selvan climbed atop a cell phone tower carrying a party flag and threatened that he would leap to death if he is denied a seat. Thanks to the timely intervention by the police and the fire and rescue department, the Congress worker was made to climb down from the tower.
Hundreds of party workers staged a demonstration in front of TNCC headquarters in Chennai demanding the fielding of their nominees as the party candidates. Police has been posted at Satyamoorthy Bhavan to ensure no untoward incidents happen at the Congress headquarters. Thursday also saw the candidates belonging to the Congress calling on DMK chief Karunanidhi seeking his blessings. All of them touched the feet of the grand old man of Indian politics who wished all of them luck and good wishes. Khushbu, who walked over to the Congress camp after the 2014 lok Sabha election too called on Karunanidhi to introduce the party candidates to her former mentor. It was a nostalgic moment for both Karunanidhi and Khushbu who came face to face after two years.
“Kalaignar (as Karunanidhi is addressed by the cadre) had taught me a lot of things and the importance of being patient and how to act with a balanced mindset,” said Khushbu after the meeting. Khushbu had been denied access to Karunanidhi by Stalin and his family members following reports in a popular Tamil magazine that there is a chance of Khushbu becoming the new Maniyamma (the young girl whom EV Ramasamy Naicker, the Dravida Kazhagam founder married while the latter was 71) of the DMK.