Stalin arrested, DMK holds protests across Tamil Nadu
CHENNAI: With an increasing number of its leaders coming under the police net on land grabbing charge, DMK workers led by party treasurer and former deputy chief minister M K Stalin on Monday held state-wide demonstrations accusing the AIADMK government of “foisting” cases on partymen.Police arrested M K Stalin in Chennai. The former deputy chief minister was later released, police said.Protests were held in many parts of the state with partymen taking to streets to register their anger.DMK has been facing the heat of land grab charges with most of its well-known faces such as Salem strongman and former minister Veerapandi S Arumugam, Chepauk constituency MLA J Anbazhagan and close aides of Union minister M K Alagiri, already lodged behind bars in this connection.Party president M Karunanidhi had been insisting that the Jayalalithaa-led government had unleashed “vendetta politics,” against DMK with the intention of wreaking vengeance.
DMK men were also held in many other parts of the state including Coimbatore, Tirvuallur and Cuddalore.(Agencies)
BJP slams Cong for inaction on Shunglu Committee report
NEW DELHI:Accusing the Congress of adopting double standard on corruption, BJP national president Nitin Gadkari on Monday asked Congress president Sonia Gandhi why any action has not been taken against Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in the Commonwealth Games scam.Mr Gadkari claimed that more than Rs 76,000 crore was spent on the last year’s Games in which a mere Rs 1,250 crore was spent by jailed former CWG Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi.”Every file related to the expenditure was approved by the Cabinet, Group of Ministers (GoMs) and Prime Minister-appointed bureaucrats. Then why only Kalmadi was arrested in the case while no action has been taken against the Delhi government and other officials,” Mr Gadkari said, addressing BJP activists here.Senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu alleged that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has kept a silence on the V K Shunglu Committee report in the irregularities in the sporting extravaganza.(UNI)
Ramzan begins in Hyderabad
HYDERABAD:The Muslim holy month of fasting Ramzan began in Hyderabad and the rest of Andhra Pradesh with the sighting of the moon Monday.Ruwait-e-Hilal or moon sighting committee announced that the moon has been sighted and Tuesday will be the first day of fasting.With the committee confirming sighting of moon, announcements were made and sirens were blared from the mosques across the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. People were seen congratulating each other on the occasion.With the sighting of moon, Namaz-e-Taraveeh or special prayers began Monday night at the historic Mecca Masjid and hundreds of other mosques in the Muslim-majority old city of Hyderabad and other parts of the city.People began flocking to the markets to make last-minute shopping for ‘Sehr’ or pre-dawn meals. The fasting, which begins at the dawn, ends with ‘Iftar’ at the sunset. Hyderabad witnesses unprecedented economic activity during the fasting month with massive sale of dates and fruits for ‘Iftar’ while almost every eatery serves the delicious ‘Haleem’, the famous Iranian dish.According to Muslim religious scholars, ‘Roza’ or fasting is the second most important pillar of Islam and is obligatory for every Muslim.(IANS)