QChennai: Rajini Takes on Rival Kamal; AIADMK Unity in Doubt

The Quint brings you top news of the day from Chennai.

1. Name and Fame Won't Suffice for Political Success: Rajini

Tamil film superstar Rajinikanth, who some months ago hinted about his impending entry into politics, on Sunday used a public function to subtly take on his potential political rival from the film industry, Kamal Haasan.

“Sivaji Ganesan sir had taught his juniors in the field a lesson. He had contested in elections from his home constituency, and lost. But this was not a humiliation for him, but [it was] for the electors there. This made all of us realise that for one to be successful in politics, mere name and fame from being in the film industry was not enough,” the actor said. In a lighter vein, Rajinikanth said that he did not know what it was that was needed to be successful in politics. “Maybe Kamal knows. However, even if he knows, he won’t tell me. He might have told me if I had asked him two months ago (when Kamal Haasan had not made his political intentions clear),” he said.

(Source: The Hindu)

Also Read: Rajinikanth vs Kamal Haasan: The Ultimate Showdown!

2. Affidavit Raises Doubts About AIADMK Unity

An affidavit submitted by former AIADMK MP K C Palanisamy before the Election Commission of India stating that an election must be held for the post of the party General Secretary has raised doubts if all is well within the merged factions of the ruling party.

Following the unification of the factions led by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam, a decision was taken at the party’s ‘general council’ to form a new organisational hierarchy sans the post of general secretary.

However, Palanisamy, who was in the faction led by Panneerselvam and had as early as January 6 moved the Election Commission challenging VK Sasikala’s appointment as interim general secretary, has questioned this decision.

(Source: The Hindu)

Also Read: AIADMK Drama: How the Wait for HC Verdict Could Alter TN Politics

3. HC Gets Whiff of Mega Job Racket

Suspecting that a mega job racket was taking place in the State, the Madras High Court held a special sitting at about 6:30 pm on Sunday to hear a suo motu writ petition. The sitting was held after Justice S Vaidyanathan received call letters for interviews for various posts from five private manpower agencies.

Passing interim orders in the suo motu writ petition taken up with the permission of Chief Justice Indira Banerjee, a Division Bench of Justice N Kirubakaran and Justice Vaidyanathan said, “The respondents 11 to 15 (the manpower agencies) are so powerful and capable of issuing interview call letters even to a sitting High Court judge” and restrained them from collecting money towards registration charges or under other heads from any candidate until further orders.

(Source: The Hindu)

4. Woman Fears Being Framed a Terrorist

“I don’t want to become another Ishrat Jahan (a 19-year-old woman killed in a police encounter in Gujarat in 2004). There is an attempt to brand me as a terrorist and kill me in a fake encounter. I am being stalked. Every movement of mine is being monitored. My phones are being tapped. CCTV cameras have been fixed near my house. I fear for my life. Please save me,” wailed a frail looking woman before the Madras High Court recently.

Chief Justice Indira Banerjee, Justice M Sundar, the court staff and a group of lawyers were taken aback when Chitra Nehru (name changed) from Choolaimedu here began addressing the judges just seconds before they were about to retire to their chambers after winding up the court proceedings. Fluent in English and claiming to be hailing from a wealthy and respectable family, the spinster accused a business conglomerate of harassing her due to a private dispute between them.

(Source: The Hindu)

5. A Frightening Tale of Two Families

For almost a year, two families on Perumal Koil Street, Aminjikarai, have been living in a partly demolished house, hoping and praying that the roof won’t fall on their head. A large portion of the only path that leads to their house gave way and fell into the Cooum river Saturday night. Not only this, a few months ago an empty house built below the pathway also collapsed and fell into the river blocking all the waste that flows through it, emanating stench.

“Every time it rains, something or the other collapses. We are terrified,” cried a resident M Alamelu pointing to the roof of her crumbling house. “We do not allow our children to step out without our supervision, it’s too dangerous. My grandson almost fell off today,” she said, pointing to the broken pathway. The two refused to let their houses get demolished after learning that they were not allotted any in the resettlement colonies, but now they desperately want to move to a safer place. Corporation officials from said they will soon be allocating houses to all families left behind during evictions.

(Source: The Hindu)

6. Railways to Stop Pasting Charts on Trains

The Railways, as part of a Go Green policy, has decided to stop pasting reservation charts on train coaches. It will be implemented on a trial basis for three months. A senior official of the Chennai division of Southern Railway, said the initiative was a pilot project to keep the coaches neat and clean and to do away with defacing them with materials such as paste.

The trial would be implemented in five cities — Chennai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Bengaluru. However, a section of train passengers’ associations and consumer activists voiced their displeasure with the concept, fearing that it could cause a lot of confusion.

(Source: The Hindu)

Also Read: The Challenges Piyush Goyal Faces at the Indian Railways

7. Digital Drive Gets Lukewarm Response

The move to mitigate the difficulties in mustering pensioners in government treasury offices in Tamil Nadu seems to have received a lukewarm response from retirees and their spouses/legal heirs. The Union Government recently launched an e-governance initiative — Jeevan Pramaan — to generate digital life certificates (DLC) using the Aadhaar number so as to get their names listed on the pension rolls in the treasury every year.

This facility was introduced in the State in 2015 when a communication from the Director of Treasuries and Accounts was sent to all pension disbursement offices directing them to issue suitable instructions to the pensioners having Aadhaar number but not enlisted with the pension disbursing office (PDO) for that year to use the Jeevan Pramaan portal for generation of DLCs.

(Source: The Hindu)