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Congress, DMK, AAP call interim budget a poll exercise

Budget deficit typically refers to the situation when a government’s total expenditures exceed its total revenues during a specific period, say a financial year. …reports Asian Lite News

Congress MP Manish Tewari responded sharply to Indian economist and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s presentation of the Interim Budget for the fiscal year 2024-25, labelling it a ‘vote-on-account’ whose only goal is to keep the government solvent for the first quarter of the current fiscal year.

As soon as the budget for 2024-25 was made live, Congress MP Tewari said, “It is a ‘vote-on-account’ which has only one purpose to keep the government solvent for the first quarter of the current fiscal year.”

The Congress leader also expressed concern about the high budget deficit and said, “What’s worrying is that there is a budget deficit of Rs 18 lakh crores. This means that the government is borrowing for its expenditure. This number is only going to increase next year.”

Budget deficit typically refers to the situation when a government’s total expenditures exceed its total revenues during a specific period, say a financial year. It indicates that the government is spending more money than it is earning through various sources.

‘Vote on Account’ is a provision under Article 116 of the Indian Constitution that empowers the government to withdraw funds from the Consolidated Fund of India to meet the government’s expenditure requirements for a limited period, typically a few months.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also said that the Interim Budget 2024-25 was presented in rhetorical language with very little concrete on implementation.

“It was one of the shortest speeches on record in the Budget. Not very much came out of it. As usual a lot of rhetorical language, and very little concrete implementation. The Finance Minister talked about foreign investment without acknowledging that that investment has come down significantly,” Tharoor said.

“She talked about a number of things which are couched in vague language like ‘confidence’ and ‘hope’ and so on. But when it comes to hard figures, very few figures are available. This is going to be a very disappointing speech in terms of being couched entirely in generalities and without enough substance nor any willingness to address the specific problems of the economy,” added the Congress leader.

Shiromani Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal said, “This budget was hollow. There was nothing for the youth, women, farmers…I saw arrogance when they said that they would present the Budget in July. You cannot take any election for granted.”

While DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran said that the budget rated zero when it came to delivery.

“The Finance Minister took a long time to hail praises but delivery was zero. They are going to present a white paper on the previous government… Nothing much has happened in the last 10 years. The people of the country are already disappointed. Moreover, you realise that performance incentives are given to the bridge companies, and not going to the deserving ones. People are rejected with this budget” Maran said.

Newly elected AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal called the budget disappointing.

“This is a disappointing budget. Inflation and unemployment are at their peak in the country but there is nothing about it in the budget…It is a disappointing budget for the common people” the AAP MP said.

BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad however hit back at the opposition saying that India has now entered the Top 5 econnomies in the world from Fragile 5.

“This is a very effective and historical interim budget. It mentions the achievements of the past and a strong path towards the future. We will present the full budget in July… The number of taxpayers has increased. They have faith in the government that their money will not be misused… India has traversed a path from ‘Fragile 5’ to the world’s ‘Top 5’ economies in just 10 years” Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday presented the Interim Budget 2024 and expressed hope that the good policies and the work done by the Central government will help the BJP return to power for the third consecutive time in a row.

Addressing the Lok Sabha, the Union Finance Minister in her budget speech said, “Our young country has high aspirations, pride in its present and hope and confidence for a bright future. We expect that our government based on its stupendous work will be blessed again by the people with a resounding mandate.”

FM Sitharaman in her speech included key subjects on inclusive development, infrastructure, green growth, youth power, financial sector.

Ahead of the General elections, Sitharaman said that the government proposes to increase capital expenditure outlay by 11.1 per cent to Rs 11.11 lakh crore in 2024-25.

FM Sitharaman also said that PM SVANIDHI, a flagship initiative focusing on street vendors has extended credit assistance to 78 lakh street vendors across the country.

Presenting the Union Budget 2023, FM Sitharaman pegged the fiscal deficit target for 2024-25 at 5.1 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP).

As expected and in relief for the citizens, the central government neither tweaked nor put any additional tax burden on citizens, in the interim Budget for 2024-25 tabled by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

FM Sitharaman in her interim budget speech said that the government will encourage vaccination for girls in the age group of 9 to 14 years for the prevention of cervical cancer.

Among others, the Finance Minister highlighted that the BJP-led Central government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi believes in focusing on four major castes – Garib (Poor), Mahilayen (Women), Yuva (Youth) and Annadata (Farmer).

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called the Interim Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Parliament on Thursday, “inclusive and innovative”.

PM Modi, in his first post-budget remarks, said that the Interim Budget empowers the four pillars of Viksit Bharat. (ANI)

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Pinarayi, Stalin call for ‘truly federal India’

The event was a seminar on Centre-State relations and the key speakers were Vijayan, Stalin and Thomas, reports Asian Lite News

For the CPI-M, its Party Congress is its ultimate event and on Saturday evening, its ongoing 23rd edition in Kerala hit a peak with the presence of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and more so with that of “estranged” Congress leader and former Union Minister K.V.Thomas, seated to the right of none other than Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Chief Minister Stalin has called for a collective of states “to fight, to resist” the central government and “create a truly federal India”, media reported.

The event was a seminar on Centre-State relations and the key speakers were Vijayan, Stalin and Thomas.

Thomas, whose attendance could see him being booted out of the Congress as the top leadership and the state unit of the party had warned him against going, received a tumultuous welcome. The CPI-M saw his presence as a moral victory over the Congress, their principal opposition in the state, as Thomas arrived at the hometown of state Congress President K. Sudhakaran, who, on Friday only, remarked that he prays that Thomas won’t turn up.

Stalin, who had landed at the Kannur airport in the afternoon, was received by the top leadership of the CPI-M and when he arrived at the venue, it was to big applause and so was the case each time his name was called out.

Vijayan, in his inaugural address, said in today’s context. the topic of the seminar, Centre -State relations is very important and so is the presence of Stalin.

“But above that is the presence of K.V.Thomas. We invited him as a Congress leader and even now he is one. There were talks that his nose would be cut out if he attends. He is present here as a Congress leader. What will happen tomorrow is a different matter and I am sure nothing is going to happen. All I will say is ‘let us not speculate’,” he said.

Vijayan also took the opportunity to take a dig at the 18 Congress-led UDF MPs from Kerala, saying that “they are doing nothing in the Lok Sabha to put pressure on the Centre to fight for the genuine needs of our state”.

Stalin heaped praised on Vijayan and said he is a person with a difference when compared to other Chief Ministers and it was his responsibility to attend the seminar and decided to attend the moment Vijayan invited him.

KV Thomas, whose attendance could see him being booted out of the Congress as the top leadership and the state unit of the party had warned him against going, received a tumultuous welcome.

“It was a Communist government which was the first in the country to be ousted, while two times in Tamil Nadu, the DMK government was ousted,” he said.

Stalin has called for the formation of a collective of states “to face and overcome these active efforts of disruption”, onmanorama reported.

“We must form a collective of the chief ministers of South India, and then form a collective of chief ministers of all the states of India, separately.

“The Constitution of India needs to be amended to bestow more rights to the states. To make this happen, we must come together, united, looking beyond the boundaries of politics,” Stalin was quoted as saying.

The Tamil Nadu leader said that victory was possible only if “like-minded political parties came together”.

“That will ensure the sustenance of this country, the ideals of social justice, equality, and secularism.

“I hereby request every party to initiate action to ensure such a victory. Let us fight for state autonomy. Let us create a truly federal India. Red salute, comrades,” the news report quoted Stalin as saying.

When Thomas’s name was called out to speak, it was greeted with a huge cheer.

“I stand here with a lot of pride and with great happiness. When I see this huge audience, I feel I have made the right decision to come and I wish my colleagues in the Congress party also will understand. I am for development and there should be no opposition to it,” he said.

It remains to be seen how the Congress reacts.

ALSO READ: Stalin to host Global Investors Meet

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DMK plans to catapult Stalin to national leadership

Party State Organising secretary R.S. Bharathi, however, said that the invitation extended to Amit Shah was a courtesy. He said that even AIADMK leaders have been invited for the function…reports Asian Lite News

The DMK, which is the third-largest party in the Lok Sabha after the BJP and Congress, is trying to catapult party president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin into the national scenario with the grand inauguration of its party office in the national capital on April 2.

DMK parliamentary party leader and former Union minister T.R. Baalu has already extended invitations to BJP president J.P. Nadda, Congress president Sonia Gandhi Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other senior leaders. The invitation to Amit Shah who had earlier refused to meet the delegation of DMK parliamentarians regarding the NEET issue has raised several eyebrows.

Party State Organising secretary R.S. Bharathi, however, said that the invitation extended to Amit Shah was a courtesy. He said that even AIADMK leaders have been invited for the function.

It is not a secret that Stalin has been nursing national ambitions and planning to head a regional coalition against the BJP-led NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. While Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee have been conducting whirlwind tours across the country meeting regional leaders for a possible alternative to the BJP-led NDA at the Centre, Stalin has an advantage with the Congress supporting the DMK leader.

The DMK top brass, including Baalu, is planning to Stalin is catapulted to the national stage. Stalin’s father and late Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Kalignar Karunanidhi had entered into political relationship with both the NDA and UPA earlier and T.R. Baalu has been one of the major architects in these shrewd political moves.

It is to be seen how DMK’s will fructify to push Stalin as an alternate regional leader as there are several other players aspring for a national role.

Political commentator and Director of Madurai based think tank, Socio-Economic Development Front Dr. R. Padmanabhan while speaking to IANS said: “Stalin has all the right to be projected as an alternative to the BJP at the centre but it is to be seen as to how the nation as a whole accept a regional party leader from South of India. The DMK party inauguration is indeed a show of strength and networking at New Delhi and is worth a try.”

ALSO READ-Stalin to embark on 4-day UAE visit

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A challenging year ahead for DMK and AIADMK

The AIADMK’s twin leadership will also have to contend with the ousted General Secretary V.K. Sasikala’s attempts to recapture the party…reports Asian Lite News.

It is going to be a year of challenges for the two major parties in Tamil Nadu — the ruling DMK under Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and the principal opposition party AIADMK led by Coordinator O. Panneerselvam and Joint Coordinator K. Palaniswami.

After a gap of 10 years, the DMK government came to power in May 2021 after a convincing poll victory dethroning the AIADMK government.

With the honeymoon period getting over, the DMK government under Stalin will be under pressure to deliver on its various poll promises, reduce the spiralling prices and others.

On its part, the principal opposition party AIADMK will also be under pressure with the raids against its leaders and former Ministers by the state’s anti-corruption police.

The AIADMK’s twin leadership will also have to contend with the ousted General Secretary V.K. Sasikala’s attempts to recapture the party.

That aside, the opposition party will also have to meet the corruption cases registered against several of its former Ministers/leaders.

Fulfilling its poll promises that involve financial implications is going to be a major task for the DMK government given the debt and the interest burden.

The DMK had made over 500 poll promises, including a Rs 100 subsidy for cooking gas cylinders; monthly power metre reading; increase senior citizens pension to Rs 1,500; write off education/jewellery loans; monthly Rs 1,000 to women; scrapping of entrance exam of medical college admissions.

While the DMK government is claiming that it has fulfilled majority of the poll promises made, those opposed to the party say that most of them don’t involve financial implications.

Opposition parties in the state, the AIADMK and its allies like the BJP, have been citing DMK’s poll promise of reducing petrol price by Rs 5/litre and that of diesel by Rs 4/litre, and its failure to implement the same.

However the state’s Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, ruling out any reduction in the tax rates on the fuel, argued that the Union government has to roll back its taxes on the fuel to 2014 levels.

Rajan said that reduction in tax rates would reduce the state’s revenue by about Rs 1,050 crore.

He also recalled that the reduction of Rs 3/litre on petrol on August 13, 2021 by the Tamil Nadu government would result in a revenue loss of Rs 1,160 crore per annum.

The government has also said some of the poll promises such as reverting to the old pension scheme for government employees will not be met.

The DMK government has also not implemented its populist poll promises like Rs 1,000 per month dole to the female head of the family.

Rajan after declaring “once in a generation reforms a must” and “business as usual” approach cannot continue while presenting the white paper on the state government’s finances, came out with a relatively populist budget.

poll

“Though a white paper on the Tamil Nadu government finances spoke about the necessity to hike tax rates and other things for those who can bear it, the state budget that was presented was a usual one. Perhaps the state government may get into reform mode after the local body elections,” K.C. Palanisamy, former AIADMK MP and MLA, had told IANS.

The local body polls are expected to be held in 2022.

Further containing the spread of Omicron, a variant of Coronavirus is also going to be a major challenge.

On its part the major opposition party AIADMK and its leaders have their own share of challenges to face in 2022.

One of the poll planks of the ruling DMK was to bring to book the AIADMK Ministers who had indulged in corruption.

Already the anti-corruption wing of the Tamil Nadu government had carried out searches and raids on five AIADMK’s former Ministers – P.Thangamani, M.R. Vijayabaskar, C. Vijayabhaskar, S.P. Velumani, and K.C. Veeramani.

Cases have been registered against the former Ministers in the AIADMK government.

After suffering massive defeats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, 2021 Assembly and local body polls, the AIADMK has to face the challenge of facing the polls for urban local bodies next year.

A defeat in the polls will put to question the efficacy of AIADMK’s dual leadership.

The AIADMK also faces the challenge of holding back its middle level leaders and electoral allies.

The two other parties to watch next year will be the Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) and the BJP.

The NTK which became the third largest party in the state in terms of vote share in 2021 assembly polls drew a blank in the rural local body polls.

Further, the Tamil Nadu BJP under its new President K. Annamalai has turned aggressive against the ruling DMK.

The BJP has four members in the Tamil Nadu Assembly.

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Much at stake for DMK and AIADMK in local body polls

While the DMK is preparing to fight it out and win the local body polls, the AIADMK does not appear to be on a strong wicket to take on the ruling front…reports Asian Lite News

After the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections this year that brought the DMK to power, the next political battle will be the local body polls.

Ministers in the DMK government have made claims about their handling of the Covid crisis — the increase in testing for Covid-19 cases and vaccinations. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has asked district-level leaders of his party to undertake a massive grassroots campaign highlighting his government’s handling of the Covid crisis in the state.

A shrewd politician, Stalin has gone on record to state that it was the relentless campaign of the DMK and the present Tamil Nadu government that led the Central government to announce OBC reservation for admission to MBBS and PG medical seats under the All-India quota. This has been a longstanding demand of the OBC communities in the state and the DMK had been campaigning for it.

The Chief Minister told the DMK’s district-level office-bearers on Friday to conduct a campaign on the issue.

Senior DMK leader and state water resources minister, S. Duraimurugan, told IANS: “The DMK government under Thiru. M.K. Stalin is moving ahead, keeping the promises given to the people of the state. You can see the change after our government came to power. As a political party, we are preparing ourselves for the local body elections and I can assure that we will win the local body elections handsomely.”

While the DMK is preparing to fight it out and win the local body polls, the AIADMK does not appear to be on a strong wicket to take on the ruling front. After it was defeated in the Assembly elections, the power struggle in the AIADMK between two former Chief Ministers, K. Palaniswami and O. Panneerselvam has caused fissures in the party. Former interim general secretary of the party, V.K. Sasikala, was expelled from the party but is regularly communicating with party cadres and junior functionaries in a bid to stay afloat in the AIADMK’s power politics. A victory in the local body polls would help it, except that it does not appear to be up to it, yet.

Interestingly, both Palaniswami and Panneerselvam have an excellent rapport with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP national leadership. Party cadres believe that the intervention of the BJP brass would lead to a truce between the two leaders, in time for the local body elections. Commendable victories there would help the party politically.

Senior leader of the AIADMK and party Deputy Coordinator, R. Vaithalingam, while speaking to IANS, said: “There is no rift in the AIADMK. We are a democratic political party and we have a huge support base across the state. You must understand that after 10 years in power, we lost the 2021 Assembly elections after giving a tough fight to the DMK and in the local body polls we will register emphatic victories.”

Political observers are of the opinion that the DMK’s decision to issue a Government Order on 10.5 per cent reservation for the Vanniyar community in professional admissions and government jobs is a political move to enter the strongholds of the Vanniyar community. The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), which is the political arm of the Vanniyar community, is a part of the AIADMK front and the DMK government has issued the GO with an eye on the local body polls — and to get the maximum support of the PMK. PMK founder president, Dr. S. Ramadoss thanked the Chief Minister soon after the GO was issued.

The DMK is also trying to consolidate its hold over the Muslim community and the Dalits through its alliance with the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) as part of its efforts to score a huge win in the local body elections.

Member of Parliament and leader of VCK, Thol Thirumavalavan, told IANS: “The local body elections are grassroots elections and the DMK-led front, of which we are a part, will win the elections by a very good margin. The DMK government has done extremely well after assuming office and this will be reflected in the local body polls. We are prepared for the local body elections and party cadres and functionaries are all geared up for the elections.”

While the Election Commission has yet to issue a notification for the elections, political parties in Tamil Nadu, especially the Dravidian parties, are busy strengthening their bases and attempting to stitch together new coalitions.

C. Rajeev, Director, Centre For Policy and Development Studies, a think-tank based out of Chennai and a political analyst said: “The local body polls are an avenue for the DMK to test its popularity among the public and for the AIADMK a major opportunity to bounce back into the political space of Tamil Nadu. Both the Dravidian parties are taking up the challenge and are formulating plans and strategies to take on the opponent headlong and to ensure electoral victories.”

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Thiagarajan pledges innovative measures to boost TN finance

P Thiagarajan.

Thiagarajan said the standard methods will not be able to bring back the state finances to comfortable levels and it needs some innovative measures….reports Asian Lite News

 Innovative measures are needed to correct Tamil Nadu’s financial position, said state’s Finance Minister Palanivel Thiagarajan.

Speaking to a television channel soon after being sworn in as the Finance Minister, Thiagarajan said the state government’s finance went bad during the past seven years.

Thiagarajan said the standard methods will not be able to bring back the state finances to comfortable levels and it needs some innovative measures.

The state’s debt is about Rs 5 trillion.

Hailing from a political family Thiagarajan did his schooling at the Lawrence School, Lovedale and graduated from National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli (formerly Regional Engineeringn College).

Thiagarajan later got a master’s degree in Operations Research and a doctorate. He had also finished MBA in Financial Management at MIT Sloan School of Management.

He had worked with Lehman Brothers and then with Standard Chartered Bank, Singapore.

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Thiagarajan had earlier said the tax to gross state domestic product ratio had come down to less than 10 per cent.

Meanwhile, new Covid-19 containment restrictions enforced in Tamil Nadu by the state government have come into force from 4 a.m. on Thursday adding the new measures will continue till May 20.

With new enforcements in force, heavy rush that was earlier witnessed in the roads of Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore, Trichy and other towns has come down.

Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary Rajeev Ranjan in an order said that all state government offices will function with 50 per cent staff strength for a fortnight, beginning Thursday.

The order said that the secretaries to governments, head of departments, district collectors, will have an attendance schedule of the workforce.

The employees must be in shifts of either on alternate days or once in three days as per the requirement of the workload.

Private offices will also have to function with a 50 per cent workforce.

Public transport, railways, metro rail, public and private buses will operate with only 50 per cent of their occupancy.

Grocery shops (standalone) will be permitted to operate till 12 p.m.

Grocery and vegetable shops in shopping complexes are not allowed to operate.

All other shops other than grocery and vegetable shops will be closed. Shopping malls and other big shops have not been allowed to operate in the state since April 26.

State government and public sector outlets will be allowed to function till 12 p.m.

Restaurants will not be allowed to take sit-in customers while takeaways will be permitted from 6-10 a.m., 12-3 p.m., and from 6-9 p.m.

Cinema halls will remain shut and all social, political and cultural gatherings are prohibited in open or closed spaces.

Also read:Stalin era begins in Tamil Nadu

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Stalin era begins in Tamil Nadu

After a gap of 10 years, the DMK with Stalin at the helm comes back to power for a sixth time in its history by winning the 2021 Assembly elections securing a comfortable majority on its own, reports Asian Lite News

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) President Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu by Governor Banwarilal Purohit at Raj Bhawan on Friday.

After a gap of 10 years, the DMK with Stalin at the helm comes back to power for a sixth time in its history by winning the 2021 Assembly elections securing a comfortable majority on its own.

The 68-year-old Stalin wearing white shirt and dhoti came to Raj Bhavan at about 9 a.m. Purohit administered Stalin the Oath of Office and Secrecy.

The Governor also administered the oath to 33 other lawmakers as the Ministers.

MK Stalin takes oath as Tamil Nadu CM (photo: Pallav Paliwal)

On Thursday, Purohit released the list of lawmakers who will be appointed as ministers and their portfolios.

Stalin’s Cabinet has two women Ministers. Stalin’s wife Durga, son Udhayanidhi and other family members, former Deputy Chief Minister and AIADMK Coordinator O.Panneerselvam, leaders of Congress and other parties attended the swearing in ceremony.

AIADMK top leader O Panneerselvam, leaders from alliance parties including Congress’s P Chidambaram, MDMK chief Vaiko and top state officials took part in the ceremony.

DMK had fought the elections with its allies and got an absolute majority on its own by bagging 133 seats in the 234-member assembly.

Stalin will hold several portfolios including Home, General Administration, Special Initiatives, Special Programme Implementation and Welfare of Differently -Abled Persons.

MK Stalin takes oath as Tamil Nadu CM (,Kamal Haasann was present at ceremony (photo: Pallav Paliwal)
Udhayanidhi doesn’t make it to Stalin cabinet

Stalin did not include his son Udhayanidhi Stalin in the cabinet. Udhayanidhi, a film star-turned-politician had won with a margin of 60,000 votes from Chepauk seat and was tipped to be in the cabinet — speculations of him being the Deputy Chief Minister have been doing rounds.

There are 15 new faces in the cabinet — the first timers. It is learnt that the Chief Minister will not be moving for a major bureaucratic reshuffle immediately.

MK Stalin takes oath as Tamil Nadu CM (photo: Pallav Paliwal)
Stalin gets emotional before Karunanidhi’s photo

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K.Stalin turned emotional on Friday while paying his respects before his late father and former Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi’s portrait at the latter’s residence in Gopalapuram on Friday.

Stalin drove to Karunanidhi’s residence at Gopalapuram from Raj Bhavan after taking oath of office and secrecy as Chief Minister.

Paying his floral tributes to Karunanidhi’s photograph, Stalin with a small hand gesture conveyed that his father was not there to see him become the Chief Minister of the state.

Stalin’s sister Selvi quickly consoled him.

MK Stalin (photo: Pallav Paliwal)

Earlier on entering Karunanidhi’s residence where his mother resides now, some party cadres burst crackers as a mark of celebration to which Stalin immediately showed his displeasure.

Stalin came to Karunanidhi’s residence to seek his mother’s blessings.

At Raj Bhavan, Stalin’s wife Durga turned emotional on hearing her husband saying `”I Muthuvel Karunanidhi”, while being administered Oath of Office and Oath of Secrecy.

War room to flight Covid

Earlier, MK Stalin said Tamil Nadu is facing a medical emergency. The announcement from the DMK president comes in the backdrop of several rounds of meetings with health experts and other officials over the past three days.

In a statement on Wednesday, Stalin said he has instructed the chief secretary to set up a ‘war room’ which will act as a central unit to monitor the medical oxygen stocks and vaccine, the requirement of beds, etc. He said the contribution of frontline workers during the pandemic is a great service to the people.

” The pandemic scenario has now changed into a ‘medical emergency’ and I appeal to private hospitals to fully commit themselves to save people who fear for their lives,” the DMK chief said in a statement. As part of Covid-19 containment measures, he asked the hospitals, which are now allotting 50 per cent of the total beds to Covid-19 patients, to provide additional beds. He urged them to also provide consession in billing to the maximum possible extent for services availed by coronavirus infected people. “This is a difficult period, but it is not something we cannot overcome,” he added.

Also read:TN Election Updates: DMK takes lead

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Finally, son rise in Tamil Nadu

Finally, son rise in Tamil Nadu

With the successive poll victories in Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, Stalin has established himself as an undisputed leader…reports Asian Lite News

For the 68-year-old M.K. Stalin, affectionately called “Thalapathi” (Commander) by members of his DMK, the wait to lead Tamil Nadu as its head will soon get over.

The DMK, led by Stalin, a former Deputy Chief Minister, is all set to come to power after a 10-year hiatus, and has even gained a majority on its own.

With the successive poll victories – the first one was the 2019 Lok Sabha polls – and now the Assembly polls, Stalin has established himself as an undisputed leader within and outside the party.

Stalin has to wait for some more days for his coronation as Chief Minister.

His earlier coronation as the DMK’s second President in 2018 was a smooth affair.

DMK’s then General Secretary K. Anbazhagan then said 1,307 party officials had proposed and seconded Stalin’s candidature.

Stalin was given the role of Working President in January 2017 after his father and party patriarch M. Karunanidhi was largely confined to his home due to age-related ailments.

Born on March 1, 1953 to Karunanidhi and Dayalu Ammal, Stalin was named after the Russian leader Joseph Stalin who died on March 5, 1953 – four days after Stalin’s birth.

Also read:NDA to win Puducherry, DMK to gain power in TN

Legend has it that Karunanidhi wanted to name him ‘Ayyadurai’ – after DK founder ‘Periyar’ E.V. Ramasamy and DMK founder C.N. Annadurai.

Like his multi-faceted father who entered public life at the age of 14, Stalin too started his political journey by becoming an ordinary member of the DMK at the age of 14 and campaigning for the party in the 1967 polls.

A year earlier he had formed a youth forum: Gopalapuram Youth DMK.

Stalin came to public notice at large when he was jailed under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) for opposing the imposition of Emergency by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

He became the party’s Youth Wing Secretary in 1984 and continued to hold that post for a long time.

It was in 1984 that Stalin made his electoral debut from Thousand Lights constituency in Chennai but lost. He finally entered the Assembly in 1989.

The other electoral loss for him was in 1991 at the same seat.

Till date, Stalin has won six Assembly polls – four times from Thousand Lights and twice from Kolathur constituency. His seventh victory comes in 2021.

Stalin was the Local Administration Minister in the Karunanidhi government (2006-11) and became Deputy Chief Minister in 2009 and stayed in the post till 2011.

As the aged Karunanidhi was not able to move much, the mantle of being lead campaigner fell on him in 2016 Assembly polls.

The DMK won 89 seats and narrowly missed the victory to the AIADMK then led by J. Jayalalithaa.

Stalin became the Leader of the Opposition. But the party suffered a shock defeat losing the security deposit in the by-election from R.K. Nagar constituency in Chennai, a seat held by Jayalalithaa. The by-election was won by T.T.V. Dhinakaran, a rebel AIADMK leader who later floated the AMMK.

Also read:DMK-Congress front to sweep TN

Before becoming a state minister, Stalin was the Chennai Mayor in 1996-2001 and 2001-02. He was also the party Treasurer.

During his Mayorship, the Chennai Corporation built several flyovers to ease the traffic flow. The AIADMK government headed by Jayalalithaa had, however, arrested Stalin for alleged corruption in building the flyovers. But it did not affect his career. Even Karunanidhi had once openly declared that if he had a chance then he would announce Stalin as his successor.

But Stalin’s elder brother and former Union Minister M.K. Alagiri – then incharge of the party affairs in the southern districts – opposed it and said he cannot think of anybody else as his leader other than Karunanidhi.

Later, Alagiri was dismissed from the party for anti-party activities.

Meanwhile, Stalin started taking strong hold of the party reins following the indisposition of Karunanidhi.

The Alagiri-Stalin rivalry plagued the DMK for a long time but Karunanidhi kept a fragile peace till his passing away.

Stalin is married to Durga, a believer, and the couple have two children – Udayanidhi and Senthamarai.

Udhayanidhi, an actor turned politician, also made successful electoral debut this time from the Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni Assembly constituency.

Stalin also had acted in two movies and in two television serials.

Succeeding Karunanidhi, an illustrious leader, Stalin did not try to show himself as a leader different from his father, and in all his election campaign speeches, always said he is the son of Karunanidhi.

Roping in political strategist Prashant Kishor to chart the party’s victory route, Stalin continued with the campaign of painting the Narendra Modi-led Central government as “anti-Tamil” and “anti-states”.

The party also successfully built a public perception that it would win the polls and the AIADMK government was subservient to the Central government.

Also read:DMK marches ahead with slew of welfare schemes

Stalin also carried out hard bargaining for seats with allies and made many of them contest under the party’s Rising Sun electoral symbol.

On the other factors that worked for the DMK in the assembly elections, a political analyst told IANS, were the anti-incumbency against the AIADMK government, the anti-BJP sentiment, alliance arithmetic, the steady cultivation of the perception that it will win the polls over a long period of time, and caste neutrality.

He did not agree that the assembly poll victory was an extension of the DMK-led alliance’s victory in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

“That was a total rout for the AIADMK-led alliance. During the Lok Sabha elections, it was Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for the Prime Ministership that was on the centre stage,” the analyst said.

In 2019 there was an anti-Modi wave in Tamil Nadu. But in the 2021 Assembly elections, Stalin was at the centre stage but there was no wave in his favour to rout the AIADMK, the analyst said.

Be that as it may, with the 2021 Assembly election victory and heading the state government, Stalin has very many challenges facing him.

First and the foremost will be arresting the spread of coronavirus.

As an opposition leader, he had fired several salvos against Chief Minister K. Palaniswami. And now Stalin has to take control.

As he used to say, the state finances were in bad shape. And now it is his responsibility to set it right while fulfilling many of the populist poll promises that were made this time.

After years of maintaining an anti-BJP stance, Stalin has to navigate carefully the centre-state relations as a Chief Minister.

What is now certain is that Stalin may come out of his father’s shadows. And the long wait to become the Chief Minister will soon get over.

Also read:TN Election Updates: DMK takes lead

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NDA to win Puducherry, DMK to gain power in TN

The findings and projections are based on personal interviews conducted statewide on and after polling day among adults, all confirmed voters…reports Asian Lite News.

The BJP-led NDA is winning Puducherry, barely retaining Assam and losing Tamil Nadu, whereas the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress is likely to retain West Bengal while Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF will make a clean sweep in Kerala, as per the CVoter Exit Poll for Times Now/ABP News.

The findings and projections are based on personal interviews conducted statewide on and after polling day among adults, all confirmed voters.

The data is weighted to the known demographic profile of the states. “We believe this will give the closest possible trends,” said C-Voter founder and psephologist Yashwant Deshmukh.

The Delhi-based polling agency highlighted in its exit poll that Mamata Banerjee is set to retain West Bengal, even as the BJP is likely to win on 109 to 121 seats, while the M.K. Stalin-led DMK will win Tamil Nadu with a big majority.

The sample size of the exit poll was 28,393 in Assam, 43,630 in Tamil Nadu, 5,003 in Puducherry, 26,447 in Kerala and 85,000 in West Bengal.

Deshmukh also said that for the analytics, they used proprietary algorithm to calculate the provincial and regional vote share based on the split-voter phenomenon. The same algorithm has been used to extrapolate the vote share projections into probable seat share in range.

The C-Voter exit poll data collection starts right after the polling process and continues until the elections are over.

“Technically speaking, for a single state, we conduct interviews across randomly selected polling booths across all assembly segments,” Deshmukh said.

Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala went to the polls in a single phase on April 6. In West Bengal, polling was held in eight phases from March 27 to April 29. In Assam polling was held in three phases from March 27 to April 6.

Also Read-Exit polls predict win for Stalin, Pinarayi; cliffhanger in Bengal

Read More-Exit polls indicate hat-trick for Mamata

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India News Politics

DMK-Congress front to sweep TN

The CVoter Exit Poll for Times Now/ABP News shows that the DMK-led alliance is projected to secure 160 to 172 seats in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly….reports Asian Lite News

A post-poll survey shows that the DMK-Congress alliance will return to power in Tamil Nadu with a clear majority.

The CVoter Exit Poll for Times Now/ABP News shows that the DMK-led alliance is projected to secure 160 to 172 seats in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly.

The ruling AIADMK-led alliance, of which BJP is also part, is expected to win 58 to 70 seats in Tamil Nadu.

In the 2016 Assembly elections, the AIADMK-led alliance had emerged victorious on 134 seats while the DMK–led coalition managed to corner 98 seats. Smaller parties remain irrelevant in Tamil Nadu politics.

The exit poll shows that a combination of 10-year anti-incumbency factor and the absence of a charismatic successor to J Jayalalithaa are expected to lead to an electoral setback for the ruling AIADMK-led coalition.

In the first polls held after the death of Tamil Nadu political stalwarts Jayalalithaa and M. Karunanidhi, the southern state will witness the return of the DMK-Congress alliance.

The exit poll data show that the DMK and its alliance partners will witness a jump of 7.9 per cent vote share, from 38.8 per cent in 2016 to 46.7 per cent in 2021.

The vote share of the AIADMK-led alliance will drop by 8.7 per cent, from 43.7 per cent in 2016 to 35 per cent in 2021. Other outfits will continue to remain marginal players in the state.

Also read:Banks in TN to open only till 2 p.m

Region-wise, the exit poll data project that the DMK and its alliance partners are expected to win 32 to 34 seats in Chola Nadu, where the AIADMK-led alliance is likely to get 7-9 seats.

In the Greater Chennai region, while the DMK-led alliance is expected to secure 11 to 13 seats, the ruling AIADMK coalition is projected to win 3-5 seats.

In the Kongu Nadu region in the west, the DMK and its alliance partners are projected to win 33 to 35 seats, while the AIADMK and its coalition partners are likely to emerge victorious on 17 to 19 seats.

In the Pallava Nadu region in north, the DMK and its alliance partners are projected to get 36 to 38 seats, while the AIADMK and its allies are expected to secure 8-10 seats.

In the Pandiya Nadu region in south, the DMK-led coalition is expected to win 33 to 35 seats, while the AIADMK-led alliance is expected to win 21 to 23 seats.

In the Puducherry region, the DMK and its alliance partners are projected to win 15 to 17 seats, while the AIADMK-led coalition is expected to win 2-4 seats.

Also read:LDF to win big in Kerala