Author: M Bhaskar Sai

Udhayanidhi Stalin’s acting ventures were mostly certified ‘U’ by the Censor Board, meaning they were fit for viewing by audience of all age groups. As politician, too, the DMK youth wing chief is targeting to attract people from all walks of life and is busy devising strategies, say sources in the know.

Revealing its big plans for India, Chinese handset maker Transsion Holding has said it is looking at ramping up its exports from India to markets like Africa and Middle East.

It’s not for coalition dharma alone that the AIADMK and DMK stuck to their promise of giving one Rajya Sabha seat to the PMK and MDMK, respectively, say political observers.

While Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of DMK president M K Stalin, was made the youth wing secretary of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Nikhil, son of Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, was named leader of the JD(S) youth wing.

Slamming those who thought that the DMK had fled from its no-confidence notice, Stalin said, “The tiger is crouching only to pounce at the right time, not to run away.”

Prashant Kishor and his firm Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), popular in north Indian power circles, may soon become familiar with Tamilnadu politicians, too, with the ruling AIADMK reportedly deciding to use the services of the electoral strategist.

With the confusion that started last week in the AIADMK, after demands were made for a unitary leadership settling down following a warning by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, many in the party feel that this is part of the DMK’s strategy to weaken the AIADMK.

The AIADMK headquarters called a meeting of its seniors, including ministers, district secretaries, MPs and MLAs 12 June, and, at the same time, issued a gag order restraining party members from airing their views in public.

Amidst reports that there is a rift in the AIADMK-BJP alliance after it managed to win just one seat in the recently-concluded Lok Sabha elections, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has sought to play it down by claiming that “all is well” between the partners.

Power corridors are already abuzz with the talk that a centralised security architecture has been built around the Modi-Jaishankar-Doval trinity. And, the country is eager to see how the trio is going to deliver.