Articles from the author

Letter from Chennai: Girls being killed in Jaya's constituency

The Pattali Makkal Katchi founder-leader, Dr S. Ramadoss's proposal for the bifurcation of Tamil Nadu and creation of a separate state comprising the Vanniyar-dominated northern areas has been rejected outright by almost every other party and is now not being talked about except by the doctor himself.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa yesterday wrote to Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee, asking him to drop MDMK's M. Kannappan from his council of ministers for supporting the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

Over 100 DMK members, including former Speaker of the State Assembly P.T. Palanivel Rajan, and former DMK ministers were arrested and several admitted to hospitals in Madurai yesterday when the DMK cadres clashed with the police at Chellore.

Tamil Nadu is in the grip of Baba. Superstar Rajnikant's multi-million rupee 151st film which had its premiere on India's Independence Day is making waves all over the state, both in terms of viewership as also politically.

The North-East monsoon has been rather disappointing so far. This at a time when Tamil Nadu is already facing a bad harvest because of the shortage in supply of the Cauvery waters by Karnataka.

The security interests of Tamil Nadu were the main topic of discussion in the state last week, particularly in the context of the countrywide alert against terrorism on December 6, the 10th anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid.

Dr Subramanian Swamy, the Janata Party President, and self-described "free cannon" is at it again.

It is a comparatively dull Diwali in Tamil Nadu this year, with the common man having little spare cash for the oil, lights, lamps, crackers, new clothes and the festivities.

Tamil Nadu's political heavyweights maybe devising new alliances this week, with the former chief minister and head of the opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhgam (DMK) M. Karunanidhi setting the pace by driving down to Vellore to meet Marumalrachi DMK leader Vaiko in jail.

While the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) was thwarted in its plans to hold its scheduled 'yatra' yesterday, Tamil Nadu seems to be witnessing another manifestation of 'Hindutva' revivalism.

Relations between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are steadily deteriorating. Apprehensions about the safety of the huge Tamil population in Karnataka are growing as the latter's government made moves to appease the bandit Veerappan, who is threatening to kill a former Karnataka minister.