Tamil Nadu

KNPP: Congress slams Jaya

Kumbakonam: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has been making "contradictory statements" on the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP) issue after initially supporting it, former Union minister and Congress leader EVKS Elangovan alleged on Sunday. "The Chief Minister has been making contradictory statements on the issue after assuming power. When she met the Prime Minister in Delhi, she had appealed to him to sanction funds for development projects of Tamil...

Jaya tries to woo more Japanese companies

Chennai: Seeking to tap more Japanese FDI in manufacturing and infrastructure sectors, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today said her government would soon sign agreements with some major Japanese companies, which are considering substantial investments in the state. "Japanese companies have been evincing interest, mainly in the manufacturing sector... The auto sector accounts for about 60 per cent of Japanese FDI in Tamil Nadu. I am confident Chennai will emerge...

Withdraw dam case for PM's role: PMO

Puducherry: Stating that the government of Kerala and Tamil Nadu had refused to sit together and speak to sort out the Mullaiperiyar dam issue, Minister of State for Prime Minister's Office, V Narayanasamy, on Saturday, said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh could intervene in the matter only if the States agree to withdraw cases filed in the Supreme Court. Speaking at an interactive session at the All India Editors' Meet here,...

Sack scientist, expand panel: Kudankulam activists

Chennai: Activists spearheading the anti-Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP) protests on Friday requested the Tamil Nadu government to expand a new four-member panel that will look into the plant's safety aspects and also remove an atomic scientist from it. The People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) welcomed the setting up of the panel on Thursday, but demanded the removal of M.R. Srinivasan from the expert committee. But PMANE's coordinator S.P....

SC declines Sasikala's plea in DA case row

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to entertain "at this stage" the plea of Sasikala Natarajan, estranged close aide of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to provide her translated copies in Tamil of the proceedings before the special Bangalore trial court in a disproportionate assets case. A bench of justices P Sathasivam and BS Chauhan felt since the trial court had adequate language interpreters there was no need...

Mullaperiyar row: Jaya writes to PM, slams Kerala

Chennai: Taking strong exception to Kerala's reported "unilateral" action in ordering real time monitoring of Mullaperiyar Dam along with the Centre without Tamil Nadu's consent, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Thursday slammed it as a "blatant violation" of the principle of federalism and constitutional framework. In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, she referred to reports of Kerala deciding "unilaterally" to install real time monitoring system for water build up,...

'No timeframe set by PM to resolve Mullaperiyar row'

New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has not set any timeframe for resolving Mullaperiyar Dam dispute involving Kerala and Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said in New Delhi on Thursday. Chandy also said that in a federal structure the Centre has limitations in getting into a dispute involving two states. Reacting to the queries about the protests by UDF ally Kerala Congress (Mani) over the issue, he said the...

K'taka: Advocate General quits under BJP pressure?

Bangalore: Weeks after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa was forced to appear in front of trial court in Bangalore in a 1996 disproportionate assets case against her, a controversial twist in the tale. Special public prosecutor BV Acharya claims the BJP government in the state is trying to weaken the case against her and had tried to make him quit as prosecutor. Acharya claims that the...

Want to pursue Jaya case: Advocate General Acharya

Advocate General BV Acharya said he was under pressure to quit as Special Public Prosecutor in the Disproportionate Assets case against Jayalalithaa. ...

TN Assembly Speaker hits out at Karuna

Chennai: Maintaining that due procedure was followed in suspension of opposition leader Vijayakanth of DMDK from the House, Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker D Jayakumar on Wednesday slammed DMK President M Karunanidhi for charging that the action showed ruling AIADMK's "anti-democratic rule." The action of Vijayakanth, making some gestures at the ruling benches in the course of a heated exchange with Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in the House last week, was...

Karuna takes a dig at TN Govt over power situation

Chennai: Taking a dig at the ruling AIADMK on the power front, DMK chief M Karunanidhi on Wednesday said the prevailing power scenario was a "good example" of the government's 'achievements.' "In the budget presented in August last, it was mentioned that power cuts would come down in phases in 2012, and there would be no power cut at all by August of this year," he said. Writing in his...

Farooq Abdullah stresses need for N-power

Coimbatore: Amid the raging row on the Kudankulan nuclear plant, Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah on Sunday stressed the need for nuclear energy and said the country ought to have all types of power. "India has to have all types of power, has to have fossil fuel or Nuclear power," he said. Though Germany has planned to phase out nuclear power by 2017, India cannot afford it...

Jaya could've set up panel on KNPP earlier: Karuna

Chennai: DMK chief M Karunanidhi on Sunday questioned the move by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa to set up an expert panel over the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP) and said the step could have been taken earlier. "Jayalalithaa wrote to Prime Minister in September last year urging him that work at the plant be stalled till an amicable solution was reached. But, now the State government has announced...

Tamil Review: 'Marina' is a feel-good movie

Chennai: Film: 'Marina'; Cast: Siva Karthikeyan , Oviya, 'Pakada' Pandian, Sundararajan, Jitan Mohan, Attakati Aarumugam, Jayashree; Director: Pandiraj; Cinematographer: Vijay; Composer: Girish G; Rating: *** National award winning director Pandiraj has tried to explore Marina beach. The world's second largest beach is a synonym for romance in many Tamil films but there is more to it than that. It is also home to many vendors and beggars. If romance flows...

TN: Karuna criticises Vijaykanth's suspension

Chennai: Slamming the suspension of Leader of the Opposition Vijaykanth from the Assembly, DMK President M Karunanidhi on Sunday said the action was an example of the AIADMK's 'anti-democratic' rule. "Things which are anti-democratic and tend to demolish democracy are happening in the AIADMK rule. The repressive action and atrocities (unleashed) against Vijaykanth are an example to it," he told reporters in Chennai. Vijaykanth, whose party DMDK fought the Assembly...