Modis projects that tilted the northeast states towards BJP

NEW DELHI: The stellar performance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the recent state elections in Tripura Nagaland and Meghalaya is a landmark for a party which had little traction in the region except in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The party never had any significant connect with the masses and was seen as an outsider. What changed the situation? BJP president Amit Shah in his first press conference after the results credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi s Act East policy for the upsurge in fortunes. Modi s Act East policy included a big push for road and railway infrastructure and various steps to boost the regional economy. While most of the infrastructural projects are at various stages of completion Modi s northeast agenda created a rhetoric of inclusiveness that helped bring the masses closer to the BJP. Below are a few important initiatives by the Modi government that may have made the BJP acceptable to the northeast voters: The railways push Before a metre-gauge line started in 2008 Tripura didn t have any railway link with the rest of the country. The Modi government converted it into broad gauge. All over the region the government has converted 900 km of tracks http://lit-oboz.ru/user/arfplayer/ to broad gauge. It also launched a Rajdhani Express and the Tripura Sundari Express between Agartala and Delhi. In 2016 then railways minister Suresh Prabhu laid the foundation stone for the Rs 2 315 crore 88-km Dhansiri-Kohima railway track connecting Kohima to the national railway network. The government also began railway projects to connect Imphal Aizawl and Shillong. It has introduced more than two dozen new trains in the region. It also signed a deal with Bangladesh to develop a rail link between Tripura and Chittagong which would speed up flow of products especially grains to the region. Roads and highways Modi has branded his policy to build infrastructure in northeast as Transformation by Transportation . Lack of connectivity has been a major roadblock in the economic progress on the region. Modi s promise of connectivity resonates with the masses. More than 3 800 km of national highways with an investment of Rs. 32 000 crore have been sanctioned in the region in the past three years while nearly 1 200 km of roads have been constructed according to the government. In a public announcement in December last year Modi said the centre would invest another Rs. 60 000 crore under the Special Accelerated Road Development Programme in the northeast and Rs. 30 000 crore under the Bharatmala project over three years. Modi also dedicated to the nation a 271-km two-lane national highway connecting Tura in western Meghalaya to the state capital Shillong last year. Air connectivity The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has allocated Rs 3 400 crore for the upgradation of airports in the North East region. According to the government projects worth Rs 934 crore have already been completed while the rest would be over in the next two or three years. The aviation projects in the northeast include re-carpeting of the runway at Silchar and Lilabari airport and an aviation manpower training institute; development of Rupsi airport; a new integrated airport and an engineering workshop at Agartala; expansion and revamp of existing terminal building and runway at Dimapur; installation of an instrument landing system (ILS) at the Shillong airport; and operationalisation and development of the Tura airport. Other projects and policies Last year Modi dedicated the 60-MW Tuirial hydropower power project which made Mizoram the third power-surplus state in the northeast to Sikkim and Tripura. The project is expected to produce 251 million units of electricity annually. Announced in 1998 by the then Atal Bihari Vajpayee government it was the first major central government project to be successfully commissioned in Mizoram. Recently the government decided to fully fund various Central projects being implemented in the northeast instead of the previous practice of sharing 90 per cent of the cost. The Modi government has also made the 1360-km long India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway which is to be completed in 2020 a centerpiece of its Act East policy. Opening the northeast to the ASEAN countries the highway will boost the regional economy. In Budget 2018-19 the government re-classified bamboo from tree to grass which would enable easier cultivation for commercial purposes. Bamboo is central to the rural economy of the northeast. Its classification as tree meant various restrictions on its produce transport and sale.
Conrad Sangma would be sworn in as the 12th Chief Minister of Meghalaya today. (File)New Delhi: Conrad Sangma Chief of the National People s Party is all set to be the next Chief Minister of Meghalaya. He will be sworn in today and will not have a deputy BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma announced after Mr Sangma staked claim to form government and received an invite. The Congress which has been in power in the state for the last 10 years was not able to stitch a coalition in time despite emerging as the single largest party.Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and BJP President Amit Shah are likely arrive in Meghalaya today to participate in the swearing-in ceremony of the National People s Party (NPP)-led government in the state Assam BJP leaders said on Monday. Meghalaya threw up a fractured mandate on Saturday with the ruling Congress emerging as the largest party marginally ahead of its rival the NPP an ally of the BJP at the centre and in Manipur. The Congress won 21 seats in the 60-member Assembly making it the single-largest party but it was 10 seats short of an absolute majority. A Lok Sabha member from Tura parliamentary constituency Mr Sangma was the state s youngest Finance Minister in 2008 and was later leader of the opposition in the assembly.Here are the LIVE Updates of Conrad Sangma s swearing-in:Mar 06 201807:53 (IST) Conrad Sangma is the youngest son of former Lok Sabha speaker P.A. Sangma and took over the reins of the party after his father s death in 2016. Mar 06 201807:44 (IST)Meghalaya Election Results: Conrad Sangma Backed By BJP Faces First Challenge Before OathMinutes after he picked up his invite from Meghalaya s Raj Bhavan on Sunday to take oath as Chief Minister on Tuesday morning Conrad Sangma had admitted that it wasn t going to be easy running a coalition government. itemprop= descriptionNo more content CommentsClose X
.story-content span .story-content p .story-content div color:#000!important;font-family: open sans Arial!important;font-size:15px!important ALSO READ East turns Right? 10 takeaways of Tripura Meghalaya Nagaland poll results Poll Results LIVE: Hung Assembly in Meghalaya Cong single largest party Meghalaya saves Congress the blushes party may now try political courtship Northeast Assembly election results 2018: BJP read the tea leaves right span.p-content div id = div-gpt line-height:0;font-size:0 The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday expanded its footprint further in India s ethnically and religiously diverse Northeast by ousting the Left Front government in Tripura and was on its way to forming a coalition government in Nagaland. But Meghalaya threw up a hung Assembly with the incumbent Congress emerging as the single-largest party. With the BJP s improved performance in the Northeast it now runs governments in Manipur and Assam as well the Narendra Modi government will now need to face the challenge of delivering on the contentious Naga Accord. In Nagaland the BJP had contested the polls with the Neiphiu Rio-led Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP). On its own the BJP won a creditable 11 seats and 14.6 per cent if the votes. With its ally NDPP winning 15 seats the alliance fell short of the halfway mark. However Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said his party would form a coalition government with the Naga Peoples Front which won 27 seats four short of a majority in the 60-member Assembly. In Meghalaya the incumbent Congress won 21 seats. The National People s Party a BJP ally won 19 and the BJP won 2. The BJP improved its vote share to 9.6 per cent. However Congress leaders Kamal Nath and Ahmed Patel landed in Shillong to reach out to smaller parties to explore the possibility of forming the government and prevent a repeat of Goa and Manipur where the party had emerged the single-largest party but was beaten by a fleet-footed BJP in government formation. Until 2016 the BJP never had a government in any of the northeastern states. Efficient election management and electoral tie-ups made the BJP win the Assam Assembly polls in 2016. By the end of that year behind-the-scenes work helped it form the government in Arunachal Pradesh. While the Congress emerged the single-largest party in Manipur in the 2017 Assembly polls the BJP had reached out to smaller parties to form the government in that state. As the results trickled in on Saturday the Tripura verdict brought much cheer to the BJP leadership. It had defeated its ideological enemy the CPI (M) which has won elections successively in the state since 1993. The Congress vote share collapsed from 36.53 per cent in 2013 to 1.8 per cent. The alliance of the BJP and Indigenous People s Front of Tripura (IPFT) was on course to win 43 of the 60 seats. The BJP along with its allies will now have governments in 21 states. But a jubilant party chief Amit Shah said the BJP s golden era would be when its wrested West Bengal Odisha and Karnataka from rival parties. The Karnataka Assembly polls are scheduled for April-May. Aware that the BJP and its ally the National People s Party might struggle to cobble a coalition Shah ruled out the possibility of his party engaging in horse-trading in Meghalaya. Where is the question of tod-phod (horse-trading). The Congress does not have a majority there he said. Shah said the wins were an endorsement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi s leadership. Assam minister and BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma said Tripura s outgoing chief minister Manik Sarkar could take shelter in West Bengal Kerala or neighbouring Bangladesh. In a statement the CPI (M) said the BJP utilised massive deployment of money and other resources to influence the elections . It said the BJP was able to consolidate all the anti-Left votes and virtually appropriated the erstwhile main opposition party the Congress. The CPI (M) politburo thanked the 45 per cent of Tripura voters who voted for the Left parties. The defeat for the CPI (M) comes at a time of an internal battle between former party chief Prakash Karat and current chief Sitaram Yechury. The party conclave in Hyderabad in the later part of April is set to discuss the party s attitude towards electoral understandings with other secular democratic parties for the Lok Sabha polls. The BJP s wins in the Northeast tie well with its plans to compensate any losses it might suffer in northern India by winning seats in some of its electorally weaker areas.
The landslide victory that the Bharatiya Janata Party got in the northeastern state of Tripura has rattled Kerala the most. The saffron party s first ever victory over the Communists has not only shaken the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) but also the Congress-led opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) in the southern state. The two fronts which have been ruling the state alternately for the last three decades were contenting themselves that the secular-minded people of Kerala will not allow BJP to sell its Hindutva agenda in the state. Thiruvananthapuram-based political analyst Jacob George said the BJP had exploded this myth in the Assembly elections by ending the quarter-century communist rule in Tripura and taking the party close to power in the two minority-dominated states of Nagaland and Meghalaya. BJP supporters hold up a placard of Prime Minister Narendra Modi after party s victory in Tripura Assembly elections results in Agartala on Saturday. PTI He pointed out that the saffron party had achieved this without playing the communal cards that it used effectively to conquer the Hindi belt. Jacob attributed BJP s success to its master campaign tactics and willingness to join hands with anybody including divisive forces. BJP wiped out Congress in Tripura by buying its top leaders and then made inroads into the Communist bastions by highlighting the raw deal the people received from the 25 years of Communist rule. If the party adopts the same tactics in the state it will be able to capture power in Kerala Jacob told Firstpost. Dhanraj another political analyst pointed out that the saffron party was able to make inroads into all regions of Tripura including the Bengali belt by projecting an alternate development agenda that would bring jobs to youths and better living conditions to the common man. BJP in Kerala has been focusing its attention on political issues so far. The party will be able to sway the youths and the middle class if it presents a credible development agenda before the people who have been voting for either front in the absence of a third alternative he added. BJP national president Amit Shah who is considered as the architect of the party s victories in at least a dozen states has signalled that his next target is Kerala. Dhanraj feels Shah may adopt the same strategy he has experimented successfully in Tripura in Kerala too. This will be catastrophic for both the fronts since they have not been able to break the development jinx in the state. Both have been resting on the laurels of the past achievements on the social front. With these achievements showing signs of crumbling in the absence of corresponding growth in the productive sectors disenchantment against the two is mounting among the people he added. The BJP has not been able to cash in on this as it did not have a leader with a wider appeal. The party s national leadership is trying to solve this problem by cultivating leaders like Alphonse Kannanthanam who belongs to the minority community which accounts for 46 percent of the population in the state. Political observers believe that he was promoted as a union minister with this objective in mind. The two dominant fronts have been going easy thinking that the BJP will affect the other. The optimism of the Congress was based on the calculation that BJP s alliance with Bharatiya Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) a new outfit of the lower caste Ezhavas will affect the CPM the most. The party believed that the alliance would take away the CPM votes since Ezhavas constituted the major chunk of the Communist cadre. But the local body elections in November 2015 and the Assembly polls in May 2016 proved its calculations wrong. The Congress was relegated to the third position in most places where the BJP made advances. This is one reason why the state unit of the CPM is opposing any understanding with the Congress tooth and nail. Jacob said that if the party does not recognise the danger posed by the BJP Pinarayi Vijayan will be last Communist chief minister in Kerala as predicted by Shah. The state leadership of CPM has been following a strategy of weakening the UDF by wooing its constituents. While the party has already brought the Janata Dal (U) out from the UDF it is trying to bring the Kerala Congress (M) which quit the Opposition coalition in the wake of the Assembly election into the LDF fold before the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. The state leadership of the CPM believe that they will be able to continue in power as their counterparts in West Bengal and Tripura did earlier if the Congress is crushed. However a large section of the cadres believes it will pave the way for the BJP to capture power in the state. Party general secretary Sitaram Yechury who advocated electoral adjustments with the Congress and other secular parties to defeat the BJP and its communal agenda had viewed this as the result of parochial thinking on the part of the state unit. Terming it as suicidal at the state conference of the party last month Yechury had warned the state leaders not to consider the party as Communist Party of Kerala Marxist. Defending his line Yechury told the comrades that CPM was not what they perceive in Kerala and added that the party could not take a political line for the entire country based on one state or one group. Jacob believes that the huge setback the CPM has suffered in Tripura may force the state unit to have a rethinking on the stand they had taken on the political line at the central committee meeting at Kolkata in February. If they fail it will be described as another historic blunder at the coming party congress at Hyderabad in April he added. Jacob said that there was strong resentment among a large section of the cadres about the adamant stand the state unit had taken on the political line. Many of them believe that it is part of the widening power equations in the party than based on the ground realities. Jacob feels that the resentment will grow following the ignominious defeat the party has suffered in Tripura forcing the state leadership to change their stand. Indications in this regard came when CPM Ernakulam district secretary P Rajeev conceded that the party may have to think of strategies to check the BJP without affecting its support base in the state. Jacob thinks that the CPM as well as Congress will face extinction in the state if they were not ready to take a united stand to counter the BJP surge.
ALSO READ No NPA during PM Modi s rule: BJP Slogan Congress Mukt Bharat never aimed at one party: PM Modi PM hails state BJP for rising vote share in Bengal bypoll Rajasthan MLA attacks Modi hints at new party Rajasthan BJP to woo people for PM s rally with yellow rice span.p-content div id = div-gpt line-height:0;font-size:0 The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday said not a single loan given under Prime Minister Narendra Modi s rule has become a non-performing asset (NPA).Addressing a press conference here Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said These days the Congress has been asking too many questions about the NPAs. We have categorically said that not a single loan given under our rule has become NPA. Presenting figures the Union Minister further stated that the NPAs increased manifold under the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. In 2008 the total advance given by the banks was Rs. 18.6 lakh crore. During the subsequent six-year rule of the UPA till March 2014 it rose to Rs. 52.15 lakh crore. Out of these advances 36 percent loans were identified as stressed assets. Now the stressed asset has risen to 82 percent out of that advances made in the UPA government Prasad said. There was one economist prime minister (Dr. Manmohan Singh) and one super economist was his finance minister (P. Chidambaram). The truth is that on the one hand there was no NPA during Prime Minister Modi s rule; and on the other hand advances increased but did not reflect in records under the UPA rule. As a result the stressed asset of 36 percent actually became 82 percent Prasad added.He also said that entire banking system in India went haywire under former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh s rule due to all kinds of interference in it. The BJP would like to say with a full sense of responsibility that under the so-called economist Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh the entire banking system was completely sought to be derailed because of interventions patronage and pressure Prasad said.The Union Minister said since Modi government came to power in 2014 the politics of confusion fear and concoction is the basis of the Congress campaign against it.(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Narendra Modi government s procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets from France under a deal in 2016 is actually cheaper than the one negotiated by the previous UPA government top government sources told The Indian Express. The report quoted sources as saying that the Rs 526 crore or approximately Euro 79 million per aircraft which the Opposition has been talking about is actually based on Rafale s 2007 bid at the then exchange rate. File image of a Rafale fighter jet. Wikimedia Commons Alleging a scam the Congress has been asking the government whether the per aircraft price of Rafale according to international bids opened on 12 December 2012 comes to 80.95 million (Rs 526.1 crore) as against the Modi government s per aircraft negotiated price of 241.66 Million (Rs 1 570.8 crore) as per current exchange rates. The UPA government floated a tender in 2007 for purchase of 126 MMRCA for the Air Force and post negotiations two of them Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon remained in the reckoning. However the deal could not be finalised by the UPA regime. Asked why NDA government did not go for Eurofighter Typhoon as it had offered a 25 percent price cut the sources said several European countries were involved in manufacturing of Eurofighter and France was preferred for the inter-governmental deal. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had also retaliated to the Congress allegations and said that the party was looking for a scam every day to throw mud on the corruption-free NDA government. The Congress wants to equate their corrupt and scam-hit UPA government with ours. So it is looking for a scam every day. Here we go there is one pick it up and throw mud and it is for us to keep wiping it and saying we are clean. I am sorry it is somewhat not so responsible way in which you want to criticise the government she had said. Sitharaman had also said there was no controversy over the Rafale deal as there was no deal under the UPA government. Let s get this out of our system that they (UPA government) had the deal and it was much better. Where was the deal under the UPA? There was just no deal. With inputs from PTI
KANPUR: Kanpur Dehat Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Rahuldev Agnihotri and his son thrashed a toll plaza employee in Uttar Pradesh s Akbarpur city. The incident took place on February 28 after Agnihotri was trying to cross the toll without paying and the employee did not let their vehicle pass through. In the CCTV footage one can see Agnihotri and his son forcefully entering the plaza and slapping the employee. Further details on this issue are awaited. In a similar incident months ago Vijay Charel husband of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA was caught thrashing a toll plaza employee in Ratlam district of Madhya Pradesh. Vijay is the husband of Sangeeta Charel the BJP MLA from Sailana constituency. (ANI)
The Congress on Saturday termed the BJP s 20-page pictorial booklet expose charging the ruling party of ruining Bengaluru a lie. The party said the pictures were from Mizoram and Nepal. The Bharatiya Janata Party caught lying again! While Congress is working towards providing the best amenities for Bengaluru s citizens BJP is busy defaming and lying about the city tweeted Congress state unit s working president Dinesh Gundu Rao. While a picture claiming to display the garbage menace in the capital city Bengaluru was taken in Kathmandu by the American website npr.org another picture showing potholes was reportedly shot in http://www.magcloud.com/user/arfplayer Mizoram. Reacting to the Congress allegations that his party was lying BJP state spokesman Vamanacharya said the ruling party has lost its face after the booklet was released and was hence finding loopholes. Sometimes different pictures might look alike but the content of the booklet is entirely true. Congress has lost its face after the chargesheet was released by us and is now only looking for loopholes Vamanacharya told IANS here. BJP state unit in-charge and Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Prakash Javadekar on Thursday had released the booklet listing the omissions and commissions of the ruling Congress government that allegedly ruined the city. Since the Congress came to power in 2013 Bengaluru has turned into a garbage city a crime city and a rape city from what it was known for greenery salubrious climate and IT prowess Javadekar had said. The Congress has made the city a hell to live in he had remarked. The BJP was demanding an answer from the ruling Congress for its maladministration that led to the city s infrastructure being ruined he asserted.

Mamata Banerjee reaches out to Stalin, party says unity move on track

NEW DELHI: Amid a fresh unity bid by the Opposition to take on the BJP the Trinamool Congress today said its chief Mamata Banerjee had reached out to DMK working president M K Stalin for co-ordination in and outside Parliament. Banerjee has taken a lead in defeating the BJP by talking to federal parties. We are on track TMC Rajya Sabha member Derek O Brien said. After calling up TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao Banerjee held telephonic conversation with Stalin O Brien said adding there was good coordination between TRS TDP SP BSP TMC and DMK in Parliament on various issues today. His remarks came in the backdrop of Banerjee again pitching for regional parties to come together to take on the BJP after the results of assembly elections in Tripura Meghalaya and Nagaland. Responding to a question O Brien rejected the suggestion that the Congress has been excluded from the grouping Mamata Banerjee is working on. He said the West Bengal chief minister also spoke with Shiv Sena Uddhav Thackeray. The two leaders had been in touch with each other. Though it is part of the governments in Maharashtra and at the Centre Sena has been critical of the BJP and its leadership. The Lok Sabha saw https://www.viki.com/users/arfplayer/about frequent disruptions today following vociferous protests by opposition members over the Punjab National Bank fraud and other issues while MPs of NDA ally TDP continued to raise their demand for a special package to Andhra Pradesh. Soon after Speaker Sumitra Mahajan made obituary references members from the Congress TRS and other parties as well as from the TDP trooped into the Well raising various issues. O Brien said that during her nearly 12-minute conversation Banerjee told Stalin that a good show by the TMC and the DMK in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu respectively would mean a block of nearly 75 MPs in Parliament. A day after he announced his entry into national politics Telangana Rashtra Samiti supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao had received support from various political leaders including Banerjee. From morning I have been receiving many calls from various places in India. This afternoon West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee called me and said that I have taken the right decision and she will be supporting me and that we will go forward together Rao had said a couple of days ago.
New Delhi: Amid a fresh unity bid by the Opposition to take on the BJP the Trinamool Congress today said its chief Mamata Banerjee had reached out to DMK working president MK Stalin for co-ordination in and outside Parliament.Ms Banerjee has taken a lead in defeating the BJP by talking to federal parties. We are on track TMC Rajya Sabha member Derek O Brien said.After calling up Telangana Rashtra Samiti chief K Chandrasekhar Rao Ms Banerjee held telephonic conversation with the DMK leader Mr O Brien said adding there was good coordination between TRS TDP SP BSP TMC and DMK in Parliament on various issues today.His remarks came in the backdrop of Ms Banerjee again pitching for regional parties to come together to take on the BJP after the results of assembly elections in Tripura Meghalaya and Nagaland.Responding to a question Mr O Brien rejected the suggestion that the Congress has been excluded from the grouping Mamata Banerjee is working on.He said the West Bengal chief minister also spoke with Shiv Sena Uddhav Thackeray. The two leaders had been in touch with each other. Though it is part of the governments in Maharashtra and at the centre Sena has been critical of the BJP and its leadership.The Lok Sabha saw frequent disruptions today following vociferous protests by opposition members over the Punjab National Bank fraud and other issues while MPs of NDA ally TDP continued to raise their demand for a special package to Andhra Pradesh.Soon after Speaker Sumitra Mahajan made obituary references members from the Congress TRS and other parties as well as from the TDP trooped into the Well raising various issues.Mr O Brien said that during her nearly 12-minute conversation Ms Banerjee told Mr Stalin that a good show by the TMC and the DMK in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu respectively would mean a block of nearly 75 MPs in Parliament. CommentsClose X A day after he announced his entry into national politics TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao had received support from various political leaders including Ms Banerjee. From morning I have been receiving many calls from various places in India. This afternoon West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee called me and said that I have taken the right decision and she will be supporting me and that we will go forward together Mr Rao had said a couple of days ago.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is one of the major political parties in India. The BJP s origins lie in the Bharatiya Jana Sangh formed in 1951 by Syama Prasad Mookerjee. After the State of Emergency in 1977 the Jana Sangh merged with several other parties to form the Janata Party. After three years in power the Janata party dissolved in 1980 with the members of the erstwhile Jana Sangh reconvening to form the BJP. Live: Union Budget 2018 | Key highlights of the budgetAfter the 1998 general election the BJP-led coalition known as the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) formed a government under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for a year. Following fresh elections the NDA government again headed by Vajpayee lasted for a full term in office. For the next ten years the BJP was the principal opposition party. In the 2014 general election Narendra Modi led it to a landslide victory. Narendra Modi was sworn in as the 15th Prime Minister of India on 26 May 2014.BJP won the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections by an overwheming three-quarter majority of 325 seats despite not projecting a chief ministerial candidate before the election.It also won the state assembly elections in Uttarakhand. The BJP-SAD alliance in Punjab lost the 2017 assembly elections with each winning 3 and 15 seats respectively. In Manipur BJP won 21 seats and 13 seats in Goa.
Hyderabad: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday telephoned her Telangana counterpart K Chandrasekhar Rao to extend her support to his plan to cobble up a third front as an alternative to both the BJP and the Congress. The Trinamool Congress leader spoke to the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief to convey that she is with him in bringing like-minded parties together. According to the Chief Minister s Office Mamata told him that she fully agrees with him and is ready to work with him. Ham aap se ek mat hain. Aap ke saath rahengey (I am in agreement with you. I will work with you) the CMO quoted her as saying. File image of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. PTI KCR as the TRS chief is popularly known said on Saturday that there is a need for a qualitative change in the Indian politics and declared that he is ready to bring together like minded parties. Former Jharkhand chief minister Hemanth Soren also telephoned KCR and expressed his solidarity. He welcomed KCR s decision to play a key role in national politics. Two MPs from Maharashtra and prominent persons from different walks of life also spoke to KCR over the phone and expressed their support. The TRS chief has been receiving support from people belonging to different walks of life. People from all parts of Telangana are reaching Pragathi Bhavan the official residence of the Chief Minister to express their support. Pundits from different temples representatives of the Brahmin community maulvis from different mosques representatives of Muslim organisations Fathers from churches Christian religious representatives Sikh religious representatives employees from RTC Singareni electricity department Banjaras tribals backward classes representatives and others are reaching Pragathi Bhavan in large numbers to express solidarity with KCR.
By: Express News Service | Kolkata | Updated: March 3 2018 7:50 am At present BJP is the only party which is fighting against the CPM Mamata Banerjee has moved away from the fight Roy said on Thursday. Related News TMC warm to others frosty with CongressBharati Ghosh: Once Mamata govt top cop now most wanted Delhi chalo says Mamata Banerjee amid efforts to form anti-BJP frontWest Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee s birthday wishes to her predecessor Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee have attracted verbal jibes from her former aide and current BJP leader Mukul Roy who called the TMC and the CPM two sides of the same coin . Roy said that Mamata has forgotten she had once said that Buddhadeb s hands are filled with blood after deaths in police firing in the Nandigram episode when the CPM leader helmed the state. As Buddhadeb turned 73 on Thursday Banerjee wished him through a Twitter message and also sent flowers sweets and cakes to his two-bedroom government residence at Palm Avenue in south Kolkata through her security personnel. Birthday greetings to Buddhadeb Bhattacharya former Chief Minister of West Bengal she tweeted. At present BJP is the only party which is fighting against the CPM Mamata Banerjee has moved away from the fight Roy said on Thursday. After coming to power in 2011 she is trying to get close to CPM. She is saying that in Tripura it will be better if the CPI(M) wins. She is wishing Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on his birthday. Stating that wishing someone on his birthday is not wrong Roy said But she has forgotten that years ago she said that Buddhadeb s hands are filled with blood (after police firing) and went to gherao his house. He said There is no difference between the Trinamool Congress and the CPM now. Earlier too the chief minister has asked about Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee s health. In fact although she came to power in West Bengal fighting the CPM she is with the CPM now. Mamata had visited Bhattacharjee s home after he fell ill recently to ask about his health conditions. She had also also expressed anguish over the ill-maintained condition of the flat and instructed Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) authorities to undertake repair work immediately she had offered Bhattacharjee a government guesthouse to stay with wife Mira Bhattacharjee in the interim while the repair activities were on. A senior Bengal BJP leader who did not wish to be named due to Roy s proximity with the party s central leadership said he personally does not endorse Roy s he comments. This is a matter of political courtesy where a present chief minister has conveyed birthday wishes to her predecessor. I think it would have been better had Roy not made the comment and that too on occasion of Dol Purnima (Holi) he said. On February 28 Banerjee had said on the floor of the Assembly that she would have been happy if the CPM wins in the Tripura Assembly elections. The results of the elections in Tripura where the NDA is projected to emerge victorious by at least two exit polls as well as those in Meghalaya and Nagaland will be declared Saturday. For all the latest Kolkata News download Indian Express App Get assembly election result LIVE updates from each constituency in Tripura Nagaland and Meghalaya More Related News BJP-RSS trying to trigger riot by throwing meat at religious places in Bengal: Mamata Banerjee Will wipe out TMC from West Bengal just like CPM from Tripura: Dilip Ghosh Tags: Mamata Banerjee Mukul Roy UUnited Hindus.Mar 3 2018 at 11:24 amBEWARE of Blackpower 666 member.. He is m usli m congre supporter. the 2019 strategy of Opposition is to divide Hindu community. Recent Patel Maratha and Jaat andolan is Factual evidence. This Blackpower 666 fellow not only posts against RSS and BJP he maligns Hindu gods. BEWARE OF HIM. As 2019 election such anti nationals will get more active. So I request all Hindu community to stay united and dont fall prey to such antinationals whose only agenda is to bring congress back in power by dividing Hindu community.(1)(1) Reply Bapi SahooMar 3 2018 at 11:08 amStandard of Jumla party. Full of hatered politics.(7)(2) Reply SSuhasMar 3 2018 at 9:46 amSo what? Ur fekuchand topiwala also wished rahul and sonia on their birthday when e very day he accuses them of curruption which is not there. So wish by feku is good and by others to their arch rivals is not good? Mukuljee u are a small version of feku who is obsesed of hate congress. U r obsessed with hate mamata.(15)(2) Reply Thamizh VirumbiMar 3 2018 at 9:31 ammukul roy is a caged parrot. He has an opportunist selfish.(24)(2) Reply balaji baliarsinghMar 3 2018 at 8:48 amPolitics is all dirty. It is always a deceitful game to grab power in the public name. Nothing is surprised in this field. All the Neta are great Abhineta only(5)(1) Reply Load More Comments
KOLKATA: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has sent birthday wishes to her predecessor and CPM leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and DMK working president MK Stalin who share their birthdays on March 1. But she hasn t done so for Bihar CM Nitish Kumar who too was born the same day. The West Bengal CM s birthday wishes to Bhattacharjee four months after she visited the ailing CPM leader at his Palm Avenue home has raised eyebrows in political circles. A few days ago Banerjee had taken the initiative to get the toilet of her predecessor s two-room flat repaired. Political pundits see the CM s alacrity as something beyond courtesy. They see Banerjee redefining her battlelines for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in which BJP and not CPM is her main target. She had dropped a hint in the assembly on Wednesday urging CPM MLAs to look at the big picture emerging at the national level where BJP has appeared as the main danger. Banerjee s target this time is Left voters who believe this to be true even if CPM bosses in Delhi don t approve of a rainbow coalition against BJP. The Bengal CM has been at it for long after floating the proposal for a national front against BJP. Trinamool leaders have been reaching out to parties from DMK to even Shiv Sena and to Lalu Prasad s RJD and Samajwadi Party in an attempt to bring anti-BJP parties on a single platform. Banerjee s birthday message to Stalin is part of this drive. We have a strong party-to-party relation with DMK since 2014. Members of both parties have excellent floor adjustment in Parliament Trinamool s Rajya Sabha leader Derek O Brien said. Confident of winning most of the 42 Lok Sabha seats the Trinamool chief has emerged a key anti-BJP face at national level. Banerjee is thus into a bargain with Congress over space in this anti-BJP platform because her party will no longer play second fiddle. Expanding her political periphery the Trinamool chief is also sending Derek to the wedding of TDP parliamentary leader Y S Chowdary s daughter. TDP is an NDA partner. But when it comes to Nitish Banerjee is stubborn. The Bihar CM had given her the cold shoulder when she campaigned against demonetisation in Patna a year ago.
By: Express News Service | Kolkata | Updated: March 4 2018 3:25 am West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. (File) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday blamed Congress s failure and CPM s surrender for BJP s win in Tripura. She stated that had Congress got into a proposed electoral understanding with Trinamool Congress and other hill parties BJP would not have won in the state. She also expressed surprise that CPM did not protest or register complaints against malpractices by the BJP. Speaking at state secretariat Nabanna Banerjee said Instead of terming it BJP s victory I would term it failure on behalf of Congress and CPM surrendering itself. They (BJP) did not win in Meghalaya because there was resistance. Congress must take the blame for this (result). They are the ones who provided oxygen to the BJP. I had personally offered to create a common platform to combat BJP but they rejected my offer said Banerjee. I personally requested Rahul to come onboard and let the Congress Trinamool and tribal parties fight together. I had even suggested possible seat adjustments. We were ready to contest on 14 seats Congress could have fought 30 leaving 16 seats for the hill parties. This would have been a good platform to fight the BJP. It is their total negligence. I don t know on whose advice they rejected my offer. Now look where they stand she added. Banerjee however added The game is not so easy. They (BJP) will not win in Karnataka. They recently lost the bypolls in Rajasthan. Bengal and Odisha are distant dreams. I am still of the opinion that BJP will face devastation in 2019. For all the latest India News download Indian Express App Get assembly election result LIVE updates from each constituency in Tripura Nagaland and Meghalaya Tags: Mamata Banerjee Kalyana Chakravarthy VennelakantiMar 5 2018 at 5:44 amShe lacks maturity and control over her tongue. Targeting a party is not good always fight should be issue based Any good work to be appreciated and bad one to be protested.(0)(0) Reply RRajeshMar 4 2018 at 4:15 amAh if jihadi didi thinks BJP will will face devastation in 2019 then they will definitely win. Momoto has nothing but corruption to show for her years in power. Is there a single thing that has been accomplished in West Bengal since you came to office?(1)(3) Reply
HYDERABAD: A day after Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao positioned himself nationally coining a new concept of people s third front against BJP and Congress he claimed support was pouring in from across the political spectrum. Speaking at a public meeting at his camp office in Hyderabad KCR said he received calls from West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren six MPs from Maharashtra and Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan seeking an alternative front against Congress and BJP. Telugu Desam Party which had threatened to pull out of NDA over poor budgetary grants to Andhra Pradesh couched its support to its Telugu counterpart in Telangana by saying states are at a disadvantage in the current dispensation. TDP spokesperson Rajendra Prasad said the party is keeping an eye on the development. We agree with KCR on this issue. Andhra Pradesh is bearing the brunt of the crisis. Decision with clear mind not emotion On Saturday TRS president KCR reiterated his decision to enter national politics with a clear mind and notwithemotion . When I launched the Telangana movement people had doubts about its result. But finally our commitment paidoff hesaid. https://www.pentaxuser.com/user/arfplayer-395459 The CM declared he would play a key role in national politics to usher change. He also said he would meet various party leaders and was ready to lead thethird front. Addressing party workers on Sunday KCR said West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee called me this afternoon and conveyed support. She agreed with me that there was a necessity for qualitative change in country s politics. Mamata said shewillwork with me. Soren also expressed solidarity with KCR and welcomed his decision to play a key role in national politics. Also six MPs from Maharashtra several intellectualsexpressedsupport to thechief minister. TRS leaders and people from across state gathered at his residence on Sunday. Priests representatives from Brahmin community clerics representatives of Muslim organizations Christian and Sikh representatives thronged theCMOtoexpresssolidarity.

Rajinikanth: Tamil Nadu needs a 'Thalaivar', for that I am coming

By: Express Web Desk | New Delhi | Updated: March 5 2018 9:40 pm Chennai: Superstar Rajinikanth who has announced his intent to contest the assembly polls waves at his fans after unveiling a statue of former chief minister and his super-senior in the film industry MG Ramachandran at the Dr MGR Educational and Research Institute in Chennai on Monday. (PTI Photo) Related News Have come to fill vacuum in Tamil Nadu politics: RajinikanthI am entering politics to fill the vacuum left by Jayalalithaa says RajinikanthMaking of 2.0 VFX video: Compared to 2.0 Endhiran will look like a teaser says Srinivas MohanTamil superstar Rajinikanth on Monday made his political intentions clear saying the demise of Jayalalithaa and deteriorating medical condition of DMK chief M Karunanidhi has left a big vacuum in south Indian politics and that he aims to fill that void. Making his first public speech at MGR university a month after announcing his decision to join politics the actor hit out at the politicians for failing to do their job properly. The politicians ask why actors are entering politics. We don t enter the film industry they say. I am not talking about other people I am speaking for myself. I am doing my job well. But are the politicians doing it properly said Rajinikanth who earlier in the day unveiled a statue of late Chief Minister M G Ramachandran at a private medical college in Chennai. People ask me why I didn t enter politics when Jayalalithaa was alive. They question me if I exploited the vaccum in politics. There is a vaccum. There is a space for a good leader. Nobody can argue that Jayalalithaa was a great leader. Nobody could question her leadership. On the other hand there was Karunanidhi on the other hand. There were great leaders. He is also now not well. There is a space for a good leader and I coming to fill that space said the veteran actor who was greeted by a huge crowd. ALSO READ | http://www.great-quotes.com/user/arfplayer Highlights: I am entering politics to fill the vacuum left by Jayalalithaa says Rajinikanth Prior to the event there had been a widespread speculation on whether the Tamil actor would reveal some of his political plans especially after his contemporary and Makkal Neethi Mayyam (MNM) founder Kamal Haasan announced his agenda last month. Talking about MGR Rajinikanth said he was enamoured by the late actor s onscreen and offscreen life. He added that he cannot become another MGR but definitely serve the people as he did. Nobody can become another MGR. It would be foolish to think that one can become so. But I believe that the good governance and the people s rule he provided can be done by me as well said Rajinikanth. The actor argued that politics is not easy but asserted that it can be done honestly. I don t expect a red carpet welcome but why do you mock me? Let us stop such derogatory politics. I know it is a path ridden with thorns. People ask me what anmeega arasiyal is. I have said politics which doesn t look at caste colour or show any discrimination. Politics which is honest and with integrity that is Anmeega Arasiya. He also responded to people asking about his political ideology. The young reporter had asked me about my ideology even before I announced my plunge into politics. It is equal to expecting an wedding invitation when the groom is just going to see the bride. This was Rajinikanth s first major public engagement since he revealed his political intentions on December 31 2017. The superstar had then announced that he will join politics and field candidates in all 234 Assembly segments in the next general elections. For all the latest India News download Indian Express App Get assembly election result LIVE updates from each constituency in Tripura Nagaland and Meghalaya IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd More Related News After Kaala Rajinikanth-Shankar s 2.0 teaser gets leaked Are new-gen directors the answer to our Kollywood stars stereotype woes? Tags: Rajinikanth Senthil CMar 6 2018 at 5:39 amDear Sir You talk about filling in the leadership vacuum - isnt leadership is about standing upto what you believe is right and not about filling any vacuum?. You talk about corruption free state through spiritual politics and You talk about how great Jayalalitha and Karunanidhi are- Isnt it contridictory that you admire DMK and ADMK and yet you say that you will stand upto corruption. Isnt your starting point itself is wrong? You talk about politicians not doing their - Totally agreed. But you admired the same politicians who rotted this state. How diffe you will be if your admiration is such low integrity people. Sir you have to determine what you stand up for. Changing color depending on situation is not leadership its called opportunist. People follow leaders and not opportunist. The state is already a laughing stock dont make it even worst. we love your stunt in cinema cant take it in real world.(3)(3) Reply SSpashtavaktaMar 6 2018 at 5:35 amI wish so much vacuum should generate in Politics that all the present leaders should get sucked in and vanish forever! Then only the Indian people can have Achhe Din !(0)(0) Reply MmgorigantiMar 6 2018 at 4:25 amBe as big as you talk not a regional territorial small time short sighted regional goons (teritorial street dogs) like dmk AIADMK likes(0)(0) Reply JJSRMMar 6 2018 at 4:09 amWhat modi does. What ever government receive goes to the poeple in the form of projects and schemes with out percentage cut. This was not there in manmohan/Sonia governence. The world terms Modi as good governance Going by the past experience in Tamilnadu good governance was in Vogue during Rajaji Bhakta Kamaraj Anna and MGR. Whereas the Dravidian governance was siphoning cut in the government revenue . If Rajini will follow the good governance route he will be the ruler for ever and TN will be green and golden(2)(2) Reply Muthu PerumalMar 6 2018 at 2:15 amRajini sir I liKe you but don t come political.we need youngsters politician.you not eligible.i suggest Dr. Anbumani he is good candidate of CM post and he is a Tamilan. Vazhka Tamil.(1)(4) Reply Load More Comments
CHENNAI: Paytm on Monday launched Paytm for Business app for all merchants and business partners accepting Paytm at their offline stores in Tamil Nadu. Available in more than 10 regional languages the app (available Play Store) allows Paytm s three lakh strong merchant-base in Tamil Nadu to track payments instantly navigate through past collections and track settlements made to their bank accounts. This will ensure business owners are instantly on-boarded and start accepting payments at zero additional fee. Merchants will now have instant access to their QR print it and put it up in their shops. Customers can scan this QR to pay using their Paytm Wallets or their UPI linked bank accounts. Paytm for Business is an app for all merchants to start accepting payments digitally and instantly view their transactions without the need to wait for a confirmation SMS or e-mail. Merchants can check the details of every transaction download daily weekly and monthly statements and gain access to information like estimated time of bank settlement UTR numbers of daily bank settlement among other things. It also allows merchants to share their QRs with customers when they are not at the shop. Merchants can also browse common concerns raise new tickets view their existing support ticket and get priority access to Paytm s dedicated Merchant Helpdesk. Kiran Vasireddy COO Paytm said Paytm has enabled every Indian merchant to accept digital payments for the first time. Our Paytm for Business app is yet another step towards simplifying payments for the country s vast and diverse business community. It will make managing business simpler for our partnered merchants and offer them the peace of mind that comes with having a one-stop destination for everything from day-wise settlement summary to priority assistance. We are confident this will add to the convenience of accepting Paytm at an offline store by increasing transparency and trust among our merchants in Tamil Nadu.
COIMBATORE : Only 23% of urban households in Tamil Nadu have access to sewerage connection data during 2015-2016 submitted by the state government to the ministry of housing and urban affairs shows. Puducherry and Karnataka fare better with 55% and 48% coverage respectively. Minister of state for housing & urban affairs Hardeep Singh Puri had submitted the data in Rajya Sabha in reply to a question on the implementation of Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (Amrut). Meanwhile state government officials blamed the lack of funds and limited coverage of the underground sewerage schemes (UGSS) as one of the major reasons for the situation. Most of the schemes implemented in urban local bodies are area specific. None of the schemes have covered the cities completely. That could be one of the reasons for the limited coverage a senior official said adding that UGSS cover only 33 towns and cities in Tamil Nadu that come under the Amrut scheme. Also various factors including availability of water sources and infrastructural requirements affect the implementing the UGSS scheme the officials said. Nearly Rs 12 000cr-worth projects will be implemented under Amrut and cities such as Chennai Coimbatore Kumbakonam Tirunelveli Vellore and Trichy will get sewage treatment plants and house service connections said an official. Commissioner of municipal administration G Prakash said that by June several projects will be completed and the coverage will increase. Apart from Chennai 47 lakh households come under various UGSS areas. Nearly 5.5 lakh of them have already received underground connection and three lakh more households will get them within a year. The percentage has gone up since 2015 and will improve further he said. When asked about the delay in implementing the Amrut scheme Prakash said that the department receives only Rs 6 000cr from the central and state governments. We had to raise funds from the Asian Development Bank and local bodies for the work he said. However social activists pointed out sluggish implementation and lack of political will as the major reasons for the poor coverage. A case in point is the sewage treatment plant at Ukkadam in Coimbatore that can treat 70 million litres per day. Instead of the one lakh connections that the plant is supposed to have only 32 000 households have been connected to it. To get a connection one needs to pay bribe at every level. That is one of the primary reasons why people do not apply for the connections. Also the charges are very high as the deposit amount as per the property tax is much more. There is also a delay in setting up sewage treatment plants which have been in the pipeline since 2008. Proper utilisation of funds from the central government is also not happening said secretary of the Coimbatore Consumer Cause K Kathirmathiyon.

Rajinikanths debut speech highlights: Actor sells MGR's brand of politics, laments leadership lacunae in state

21:55 (IST) Nobody can be like MGR but I will replicate his policies: Rajinikanth Rajinikanth acknowledged he was not MGR and If someone says he will be (like) MGR he will only be a crazy man. But I am confident that I can give a rule like him that will benefit the poor and the common man he said amidst loud cheers from the gathering at the ACS Medical College and Hospital where he unveiled a statue of MGR.
CHENNAI: Actor-turned politician Rajinikanth on Monday said that AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran (MGR) was his friend and that he too can give an MGR-style government to Tamil Nadu with the blessings of people. Rajinikanth who unveiled the statue of the late chief minister at Dr MGR Educational and Research Institute in Chennai said not many people knew about the relationship between him and MGR. They say not everyone can be MGR. I agree. MGR is a revolutionary. Not in a 1 000 years can there be another MGR. If anyone says he will be the next MGR he is insane. But I have the confidence that I can give the people s https://forums.createspace.com/en/community/people/kkmytata?view=profile government that MGR gave to the people of Tamil Nadu he said. Rajinikanth said he had a duty to protect and serve the people. That s why I am entering politics. I don t expect you (opponents) to put out a red carpet for me. But why do you try to block me? Rajinikanth said he knew politics was not an easy route. In a thinly-veiled comment aimed at the AIADMK government he said I know it is full of pitfalls and poison and thorns. I know it as much as you do. But why create a hassle for me. Rajinikanth went on to explain what he meant by spiritual politics. They ask what is spiritual politics? A true clean and honest politics is spiritual politics. The belief that all life is equal is spiritual politics. Having belief in God is spiritual politics. Why now? Rajinikanth said people were asking him why he had come to politics now and why he had not entered politics when Jayalalithaa was alive. I don t have to remind people that I gave my voice when she was alive in 1996. I am not afraid of anyone. Why did I come now? Because there is vacancy. There is vacancy for leadership and good governance in Tamil Nadu. Earlier there were Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi. Two cult of personality leaders. Leaders whose decisions couldn t be questioned. Tamil Nadu needs such leaders. The space is vacant now. I am coming there. I have God by my side he said. He advised students to focus on their studies. Understand politics. But don t involve in politics during student days. Even if I start a party don t join it as a student. Rajnikanth requested his fans not to keep flex banners and apologised to people for causing inconvenience due to banners. There is a high court order against flex banners he said.
Holi is a festival of colors. However Thalaivar Rajinikanth gave a whole new definition to Holi with the teaser of his forthcoming film Kaala . While the teaser is creating waves on the internet a picture of superstar Rajinikanth celebrating Holi with wife Latha and daughters Aishwaryaa and Soundarya has gone viral on social media. The adorable picture was shared by Soundarya Rajinikanth on Twitter. She wrote Holi with the one and only kaala superstar my dearest and dearest Appa. Interestingly Latha Rajinikanth is celebrating her birthday today.It must be noted that one of the superb scenes of Kaala teaser is the one where Rajinikanth is clad in black with people celebrating Holi in the background. Like most of Ranjith s films Kaala too will talk about color politics and the story of the oppressed. Produced by Dhanush s Wunderbar Films Kaala is scheduled for a release on April 27 2018. #FamilyTime ️ ️ ️ #HappyHoli https://t.co/nxfWta4ZBb soundarya rajnikanth (@soundaryaarajni) 1519985998000 Meanwhile Rajinikanth is also teaming up with filmmaker Karthik Subbaraj for a yet-untitled film which will be bankrolled by Sun Pictures
.story-content span .story-content p .story-content div color:#000!important;font-family: open sans Arial!important;font-size:15px!important ALSO READ Rajinikanth to announce political standpoint on December 31 Rajinikanth s political entry is as dramatic as his on-screen ones Newsmaker: Rajinikanth holds political script close to his chest Rajinikanth to enter politics with mantra of change Star power in politics span.p-content div id = div-gpt line-height:0;font-size:0 I am confident I can give good administration. You will be witnessing a spiritual governance. Jayalalithaa is no more and Karunanidhi is ill. There is a vacuum for a good leader in Tamil Nadu I am coming to fill-in that space said actor Rajinikanth on his political plunge. Amid his next keenly awaited move in politics veteran star Rajinikanth today unveiled a statue late Chief Minister M G Ramachandran at a private medical college in the presence of a huge crowd in Chennai. Arriving to a grand reception by fans and supporters and accompanied by some prominent faces from the Kollywood the actor unveiled the statue located at the premises of ACS Medical College and Hospital here. Actors Prabhu son of late thespian Sivaji Ganesan and Vijayakumar were amongst those from the film industry present on the occasion. This is Rajinikanth s first major public engagement since he revealed his political intentions on December 31 2017. The superstar had then announced that he will join politics and field candidates in all 234 Assembly segments in the next general elections. The road leading to the function venue was dotted with banners and posters hailing and welcoming the actor. His event today comes days after contemporary Kamal Haasan launched his political party Makkal Needhi Maiam. Observers feel that by unveiling the statue of Ramachandran popularly known as MGR - also a matinee idol who held sway over the masses of Tamil Nadu Rajinikanth is apparently seeking to invoke his legacy.
.story-content span .story-content p .story-content div color:#000!important;font-family: open sans Arial!important;font-size:15px!important ALSO READ The real Rajinikanth: A journey from bus conductor to Tamil superstar Rajinikanth s blockbuster plan Ad revenues digitisation to drive Sun TV s earnings in next 2 years Sun TV s Kalanithi Maran and wife highest paid in media at Rs 78 cr each Sun TV looks at a bright future span.p-content div id = div-gpt line-height:0;font-size:0 With imminent debut of actor Rajinikanth in politics speculation has been rife about the actor s future movie plans. Setting aside doubts regarding Rajinikanth s future in movie industry Sun TV has announced its next movie with the superstar. Calling it a mamoth production the firm has announced that the movie project will begin soon. The announcement of the mega project by Sun TV is a significant move as the company had been lying low since 2015. The project announcement comes close on the heel of Rajinikanth s another actor industry colleague Kamal Haasan drawing curtains on his movie career after launching his own political party. Launching his political party-Makkal Neethi Maiyam (People s Justice Party) on Wednesday in Madurai the actor said that he will no longer be taking up movie projects as his focus is now on politics. With Haasan quitting films speculation was rife whether Rajinikanth too would follow suit by saying no to films even as he readies for his foray into politics. However with sun Pictures announcing a movie with the actor superstar Rajinikanth currently has three movies in hand. The actor had announced his entry into politics last year in December. At the time the actor announced that he would be contesting the next Assembly election in the state. An organization named Rajini Makkal Mantram is working towards creating district level coordinators to build a base for Rajinikanth s to be launched party. The actor is yet to announce his party s name. The movie backed by Sun TV featuring Rajinikanth will be directed by Karthik Subbaraj. The other two movies featuring the actor that are slated for release this year include Kaala and Endhiran 2.0 which is a sequel for Endhiran (Robo) a big budget movie directed by Sankar. With the launch of Rajnikanth starrer to be launched movie Sun TV has sprung to action after a long period. The company announced second part of its sequel Kanchana in November 2015. Sun TV said that it was coming back with another sequel of movie Kanchana. In addition Sun TV has also stated that it will rollout another movie starring actor Vijay. The movie will be directed by A R Murugadoss who has helmed movies including Ghajini in the past.
A few weeks ago I was watching a 2017 interview of Mani Ratnam done by Gautam Menon two directors I deeply admire for their body of work and quality of craft. After Mani Ratnam had shared his thoughts about how the iconic Nayakan with Kamal Haasan happened Menon said with the adulatory look of a fan. I hope for further collaboration between you and Kamal Sir because lakhs of people want that. File image of actors Rajinikanth (left) with Kamal Haasan. PTI Ratnam s reply was practical. He has done so much that unless you have really solid meat to give him there is no point. I should have something to offer and then it is his choice. We should feel that we can take him to something else that he has not done before which is very difficult to find. Now with Kamal Haasan s foray into politics and his decision to bid goodbye to films after his two releases in 2018 it means Mani Ratnam Gautam Menon who directed the edgy Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu (Hunt and Play) with Haasan in 2006 or any other writer or director even if they have another brilliant script would not be able to tempt the abhineta in Haasan transformed into a neta. I feel an obstacle for Kamal Haasan in his political innings will be Kamal Haasan the actor. On Wednesday when Haasan unveiled the name and logo of his political party Makkal Needhi Maiam in Madurai one of his fans Sundaresan pointed out that some of his ardent fans may not vote for him. Some fans while they wish him well want him to continue acting and entertain us with his craft. For a selfish reason people with that kind of a mindset may say let others rule in politics let Kamal rule in films said Sundaresan. Rajinikanth in contrast is not letting his fans down. While his Kaala and 2.0 will release this year he has signed up Sun Pictures next production with young director Karthik Subbaraj all of four films old in Kollywood to wield the megaphone. Not just that Sun Pictures that is owned by DMK leader M Karunanidhi s grand nephew Kalanidhi Maran says it will be a mammoth and colossal production . The announcement took everyone by surprise because it means Rajini won t be the 24x7 politician he is expected to be. The news enthused the Rajinikanth fans no end. But the film runs the risk of suffering from want of adequate attention from Rajinikanth especially if the government in Tamil Nadu falls this year and Assembly elections are announced by 2019. Would Kalanidhi Maran who is bankrolling the project have gone into the project without an assurance from the superstar that the movie will have his 100 percent commitment? If that is the case it means that Rajini plans to have a call sheet attitude to his political avatar. It also means his decision to enter politics will be interpreted as a reluctant one arising out of extraneous considerations. This approach of straddling two boats is highly unlikely to work in a state whose politics is in flux and the people of Tamil Nadu for a change have a problem of plenty. Will the voters invest their trust in a man whose heart seems to be more in the reel than in the real? The calculation of Team Rajini possibly is that the superstar s best case scenario is to woo the people through the big screen. Imagine a larger-than-life Rajinikanth mouthing politically loaded punchlines with a cinema theatre becoming an alternative to a public meeting venue. More so if the movie releases just ahead of the polls. After Tamil Nadu has seen MGR winning elections even when he was in the hospital and a Jayalalithaa who was largely deemed inaccessible. While Haasan s Vishwaroopam 2 is more or less complete Sabash Naidu which is more of a comedy is only 60 percent complete. The only reason why Haasan may still want to have an Indian 2 directed by Shankar releasing ahead of elections would be that it will showcase him in the role of an anti-corruption vigilante that will be in sync with his political rhetoric. But does he have the time to don the greasepaint after having raised expectations in Madurai? Haasan however has a Plan B. He is likely to host the second season of Bigg Boss in Tamil that was a huge hit in 2017. The show on the small screen will give him the opportunity to reach the living rooms in Tamil Nadu every weekend and he is more than likely to use it as a quasi-campaign platform. He has already seen the reach and impact of his Thursday column in popular Tamil magazine Vikatan where he pulls no punches. Both Rajini and Haasan are in a sense borrowing the MGR template as the actor too acted in over 20 movies after he formed the AIADMK in 1972 till he became chief minister in 1977. If the brush with celluloid did not make people doubt MGR s sincerity in politics the argument goes the same should apply to the two stars.
ALSO READ Stalin likens Haasan Rajini to glamorous paper flowers Rajini Kamal may have found politics more attractive: DMK Rajinikanth wishes Kamal Haasan luck on his foray into politics Stalin takes veiled dig at Kamal Rajini on political entry Rajini Haasan share dais amid political buzz span.p-content div id = div-gpt line-height:0;font-size:0 Tamil superstar Rajinikanth today praised his contemporary and Makkal Neethi Mayyam (MNM) founder Kamal Haasan saying the efficient star would earn people s confidence. Responding to Haasan launching his political party MNM at Madurai on Wednesday Rajinikanth who is also set to take the political plunge said though he and Haasan would be taking different paths their destination would be only public welfare. Though all (of us) tread different paths what matters is public welfare he told reporters here. Asked about his opinion on the MNM Rajinikanth said Haasan was an efficient person. Kamal is efficient. He will earn people s confidence he said. The February 21 launch of Haasan s party was very nice and was well organised he said adding that he had already wished the Vishwaroopam star on his political journey but has once again extended his greetings after the launch of the MNM. While Haasan launched his party Makkal Neethi Mayyam on Wednesday Rajinikanth had announced in December last year that he will enter politics. Haasan had yesterday written in a Tamil weekly that he had earlier held a secret meeting with Rajinikanth to inform about his decision to enter politics. The duo had then decided that even if they were in opposing camps the respect for each other should be maintained. On Sunday days ahead of the launch of his political party Haasan had met Rajinikanth and held discussions and later met DMK President M Karunanidhi. Meanwhile responding to a question today Rajinikanth welcomed the all-party meeting convened by the Tamil Nadu government yesterday to discuss the Cauvery issue. The meeting chaired by Chief Minister K Palaniswami was attended by DMK Working President and state Leader of Opposition M K Stalin among others. The meeting had decided that an all-party delegation will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to set up the Cauvery Management Board and Cauvery Water Regulatory Authority as per the apex court s order to set up the bodies within six weeks. The all-party meeting was held days after the Supreme Court reduced the quantum of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu by 14.75 tmcft.(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
CHENNAI: Days ahead of taking the political plunge veteran filmstar Kamal Haasan met superstar Rajinikanth today and said he is calling on those whom I like before the formal launch of his party on February 21. Both the actors who command a huge fan following have announced they will enter politics. Rajinikanth said he prayed for divine blessings to be bestowed on his friend Haasan and wished him success in his political endevours. Rajinikanth said he and Hassan had different styles in cinema a possible indication that they may go separate ways in politics too. Haasan had said a few days ago that an alliance between the two was unlikely if Rajinikanth s colour was saffron an apparent reference to the BJP. Rajinikanth has good equations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Speaking to reporters after meeting Rajinikanth at his Poes Garden residence here Haasan said he had called on the screen idol as he was meeting those whom I like ahead of the launch of his political party. He has so far met chief ministers of Kerala and Delhi-- Pinarayi Vijayan and Arvind Kejriwal-- besides former chief election commissioner T N Seshan and veteran state CPI leader P Nallakannu. When I decided to take the (political) journey I had informed him (Rajinikanth). Now before leaving for the journey I came to inform those whom I like Haasan said about the meeting. This is not a political meeting but a friendly one. Friendship was dominant (at the meeting) he added. Haasan declined to reveal what exactly transpired at the meeting. Later Rajinikanth told reporters that Haasan invited him for the latter s political journey apparently meaning the launch of the actor s political party. My friend Kamal has come to politics not for money or fame but has come to do good for the people of Tamil Nadu and take care of them. I pray to God for his blessings (on Haasan). I wish him success he said. Rajinikanth http://www.cruzroja.es/creforumvolint_en/user/editDone/16809.page who has also said he would join politics indicated the style of working of the two contemporaries could be different although public service was their common goal. Even in cinema our styles are different.. so will it be in politics... but to do good for people is the main thing (for both of them) Rajinikanth said. The decision of the two top Tamil film stars to enter politics comes against the backdrop of a perceived vacuum in Tamil Nadu politics after the death of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa in December 2016. The perception gained further currency due to indifferent health of DMK chief M Karunanidhi. The 93-year-old leader is not actively involved in politics for over a year now. Ever since the two declared they would enter politics there has been a buzz about whether they would come together. While Haasan recently wrote in a weekly that he and Rajinikanth needed to contemplate if it was necessary for them to join hands and face elections the latter said only time will tell whether such a thing would happen. Haasan will address a string of meetings and unveil his party flag at Madurai on February 21 marking the commencement of his political journey. He will address public meetings at Ramanathapuram Madurai Manamadurai and Paramakudi that day.