10 students of the batch tested positive of Covid-19.
(Representational)Tamil Nadu Telangana Assembly Elections COVID-19 March 1, 2 Highlights: Tamil Nadu recorded 470 positive cases of COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the state tally to 8,52,016. Among these, Chennai reported 171 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 2,35,721. The state recorded five deaths on Monday, putting the state toll at 12,501. All five of them had succumbed due to comorbidities. A total of 482 patients were discharged following treatment, taking the total number of recoveries to 8,35,506.
Desiya Murpoku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), once a sought-after party in Tamil Nadu, now seems to be trying all tricks in the book to get a decent deal for itself ahead of the Assembly elections in the state. According to sources, the DMDK high command is refusing to settle for less than 20 seats, but the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) is ready to offer them a maximum of 11 in the upcoming elections.
MK Stalin
Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) leader TTV Dhinakaran on Tuesday dubbed as "speculations" that his party was holding alliance-related talks with the ruling AIADMK and said any party opposed to the DMK and willing to accept his party's leadership could join its led combine.
The AMMK's "only aim" was to keep the DMK away from power and for this purpose like-minded parties could join its bloc, he said when asked if he was ready to align with the BJP and AIADMK. However, he hastened to add that "I know they won't come" for alliance parleys, referring to the AIADMK and the BJP.
"Elections are nearing. Our only aim is to prevent the DMK from coming to power. I am taking efforts for that. It is not that this party should come or not .. we are ready to include (in AMMK-led alliance) all parties opposed to the DMK and willing to accept our leadership and face the polls," he told reporters in Chennai.
Asked if this meant he was ready to join hands with the BJP and AIADMK to defeat DMK, the independent legislator said "its not like that." He reiterated that anyone opposed to DMK was weclome to join the alliance and said only the journalists were specifiying parties in the context. "Only you desire to see that I should talk alliance with the BJP and AIADMK... I know they won't come...everything will be known in a two-three days," he said.
AIADMK has already ruled out any patch up with AMMK, floated by Dhinakaran following his ouster from the ruling party, besides that of his aunt VK Sasikala after she was convicted in an assets case and sentenced to a four year jail term in 2017. (PTI)
Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) founder and actor Kamal Haasan was on Tuesday administered the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine at a city hospital.
The actor-politician was inoculated a day after the nationwide vaccination of 60 plus age group and those aged between 45-59 with co-morbidities was launched, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi receiving the first shot on Monday.
"I took the coronavirus vaccine at Sri Ramachandra Hospital. Those who care not only for themselves but also for others should get vaccinated," Haasan said in a tweet that was accompanied with a picture of him getting vaccinated.
"Immunisation of the body immediately (and) vaccination against corruption next month. Get ready," he said in an apparent reference to the April 6 Assembly elections. (PTI)
Andhra Pradesh Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan and First Lady Suprava Harichandan on Tuesday got the COVID-19 vaccine administered as the process for inoculating those above 60 years of age began in the state.
The First Citizen and the First Lady drove to the Government General Hospital in Vijayawada and got inoculated.
"All eligible (persons) should get vaccinated. Covid-19 has to be rooted out not only of the state but also the country," the Governor said on the occasion. He recalled that coronavirus shook the entire world for over a year now. "The vaccination was simple. I didn't feel like I was injected. I am feeling well," Harichandan said. (PTI)
Actor-producer Nagarjuna on Monday confirmed that his upcoming film Wild Dog will not release directly on an OTT platform, as announced earlier. Instead, now the film is set for a grand theatrical release on April 2. “The film was completed last November. And we had so many questions like when will theatres open? If the theatres open, will people step out to watch the film? During that period of uncertainty, we got a good offer from Netflix and we accepted it,” Nagarjuna explained while addressing the press in Hyderabad on Monday.
He added that the response of the audience at the box office for recent movies inspired them to stick to the traditional theatrical release. “When Krack released for Sankranti in theatres, it recorded a good collection and became a hit. And then in February, we saw Uppena, starring new faces, becoming a big hit. These films gave us the confidence that if we deliver good films, people will support them. So we pulled back from the OTT deal,” said Nagarjuna.
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With the countdown having begun for the Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu, both the ruling AIADMK and the opposition DMK alliances have hit roadblocks.
The AIADMK is in a fix as allies BJP and RSS want to facilitate re-entry into the party of ousted general secretary V K Sasikala, the closest aide of the late J Jalayalithaa. On the other side, the DMK is refusing to hand out more seats to the Congress.
A senior AIADMK minister said a late-night meeting of Union Home Minister Amit Shah with Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and Deputy CM O Panneerselvam of the AIADMK in Chennai on Sunday night wasn’t conclusive. But the BJP is expected to keep pressing the Sasikala issue in the coming days through multiple channels and emissaries.
The problems are tougher for the DMK, that sees itself as having a winning shot. Chief M K Stalin is leading a much bigger alliance, including the Congress, Left, and other smaller parties. He is insistent that the DMK contest 170 to 180 seats at least.
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The BJP in Tamil Nadu on Monday asserted seat-sharing talks with lead alliance partner AIADMK for the April 6 assembly elections were not “dragging” and their aim was to ensure the victory of the combine.
State BJP President L Murugan refused to divulge how many seats the party has sought from AIADMK and said a clarity on seat allocation might emerge in a day or two.
He, however, maintained the BJP return MLAs in “double digit” in the elections to the 234-member assembly, to be held in a single phase.
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The Madras High Court on Monday decided to monitor the progress of the probe against a Special Director General of Police (DGP) in Tamil Nadu, who was accused of sexual assault by an IPS officer. The court directed the investigating officer of the Tamil Nadu Crime Branch-CID to send it periodical reports on the probe.
In its order, the court restrained political parties from politicising, publicising or issuing media statements about the case, and prevented the media from naming the victim and the accused officer.
Observing that “there is a high possibility of politicising this issue,” the court said it wanted to impose restrictions on the media and politicians “considering the sensitivity of the issue and the ensuing elections that are going to take place in the state.”
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The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Monday signed poll pacts for the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections with the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK), allotting them three and two seats, respectively.
The representatives of IUML, led by its leader Kadar Mohideen, and MMK, led by M H Jawahirullah, met DMK president M K Stalin at the DMK headquarters, Anna Arivalayam, in Chennai.
Speaking to reporters, Mohideen said the IUML had initially sought five seats. “Since the period of Kalaignar (former CM M Karunanidhi), IUML is always the first party to sign a poll pact with the DMK, and party leader M K Stalin has followed this tradition. We asked for five seats, but they (DMK) explained to us that they need to field more of their party members and also accommodate other new allies, and hence we settled for three seats. We will contest on our ladder symbol,” he said.
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The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) conducted 250 fever clinics in Chennai on Monday. A total of 16,509 people attended the clinics, with swabs collected from 73 people who were identified with ILI symptoms, while others were provided with medication for minor ailments.
The most number of camps were held in Tondiarpet (Zone 9) where 41 camps had been set up, while Manali (Zone 2) had the least with three camps.
Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu was detained at Tirupati airport by Renigunta Police while on his way to a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) protest on Monday. Visuals from the airport showed the TDP chief staging a brief sit-in protest at the airport’s arrival lounge after being denied entry into the temple town. Senior police officials were seen trying to placate a visibly upset Naidu.
“What is this? What is this… don’t I have fundamental rights to meet the collector? What is happening to this country? I worked for 14 years as chief minister. I am a leader of Opposition. What is this tamasha. Why did you detain me? You didn’t give me permission… I will sit right here,” Chandrababu Naidu was heard saying in the confrontation with the police.
Naidu later tweeted a video of the incident, saying “we will not be silenced”.
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Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has announced that the frequency of peak hour services will be increased from today.
According to CMRL, train services will be operated with an increased peak hour frequency of 5 mins from 7 am till 11 am instead of 8 am to 10 am in the morning and from 4 pm to 8 pm in the evening instead of 4 pm to 7 pm.
Former Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy on Monday threatened to sue Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his “cut money” charge, rejecting it as baseless and asking him to prove it or apologise to people.
A day after Shah accused him of giving “cut money” to the Gandhi family from Central funds meant for the union territory, the senior Congress leader said he will file a criminal defamation case against the minister, adding he was ready to face any probe in the matter.
Narayanasamy, who resigned along with his cabinet on February 22 after losing majority in the wake of resignations of Ministers and MLAs, alleged BJP had been “toppling” Congress governments, such as in Arunachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
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Desiya Murpoku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), once a sought-after party in Tamil Nadu, now seems to be trying all tricks in the book to get a decent deal for itself ahead of the Assembly elections in the state.
According to sources, the DMDK high command is refusing to settle for less than 20 seats, but the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) is ready to offer them a maximum of 11 in the upcoming elections.
On Saturday, the ruling party began its seat-sharing deals, and allocated the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) 23 seats. The pact was signed between AIADMK leaders Edappadi K Palaniswami and O Pannerselvam and PMK leaders Anbumani Ramadoss and GK Mani.
Sources said during the meetings with AIADMK, DMDK representatives expressed displeasure at “not being treating on par with other alliance partners”. This issue had reached a flashpoint recently, when the AIADMK, accepting the PMK’s demand, introduced a special 10.5 per cent reservation for the Vanniyar community within the Most Backward Classes (MBCs) quota.
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Tangedco has announced a powercut in parts of Chennai today from 9 am to 2 pm to carry out maintenance work.
Here are the affected areas:
Tamil Nadu recorded 470 positive cases of COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the state tally to 8,52,016. Among these, Chennai reported 171 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 2,35,721. The state recorded five deaths on Monday, putting the state toll at 12,501. All five of them had succumbed due to comorbidities. A total of 482 patients were discharged following treatment, taking the total number of recoveries to 8,35,506.
As of Monday, the number of active COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu is 4009. Till date, 5,14,790 males, 3,37,191 females and 35 transgenders have tested positive for the virus in the state.
According to a bulletin released by the Health and Family Welfare Department of Tamil Nadu, 1,75,29,663 samples from the state have been tested till date, with 50,091 samples having been sent yesterday. There are 257 COVID-19 testing facilities in the state, out of which 69 are government and 188 are private facilities.
Good morning!
Welcome to the live blog from Chennai and Hyderabad where we bring to you the latest updates on Tamil Nadu elections 2021, COVID-19 vaccination, COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, UK COVID-19 virus in Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and more across Chennai and Hyderabad throughout the day. Follow the blog to stay up to date with the states in real time.
Madurai MP Su Venkatesan Sunday sent a letter addressed to him in Hindi back to the Ministry of Culture. The letter was sent by the Centre on February asking him to give recommendations for the ‘Gandhi Peace Prize’.
The CPI(M) MP said he could not understand the context of the letter and was fortunate to know the number of the letter since it was in numerals. He added that the format enclosed in the letter was in English and hence he was able to assume that the letter, which was addressed to MPs, was asking him to make a recommendation.
Speaking to indianexpress.com, Venkatesan alleged that the Centre’s reluctance to reply in English to representatives of non-Hindi-speaking states is a “well-planned move”.
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Leader of Opposition in Andhra Pradesh Assembly N Chandrababu Naidu staged a sit-in protest inside the arrival lounge of the Tirupati airport at Renigunta on Monday as police sought to detain him and prevent his entry into the temple town.
The Telugu Desam Party chief picked up an argument with the police officials and demanded to know why he was being prevented from going to Tirupati and Chittoor.
Naidu arrived at Tirupati airport from Hyderabad to take part in a protest in Tirupati against the high-handed actions of the local civic authorities. Police, however, denied permission for the protest citing the model code of conduct for (urban local body) elections and also the prevalence of coronavirus. Having denied permission for the protest, the Tirupati Urban police sought to detain the TDP president at the airport.
"I have been Chief Minister for 14 years and am now the Leader of Opposition. Don't I have the right to protest? Why can't I go and meet the district Collector and the SP, Naidu angrily questioned the police officials and sat on the airport lounge floor. (PTI)
DMK leader M K Stalin on Monday sought to make light of Union Home Minister Amit Shah”s allegation of corruption against his party, saying it was the BJP that “stands by corruption” by aligning with the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu.
Ridiculing Stalin for speaking on corruption issues, Shah had at a rally in Villupuram on Sunday asked him to “look within,” asking “who did the 2G (spectrum allocation) scam” in which party MPs Kanimozhi and A Raja are accused. The DMK was part of the Congress-led government when the lead party did “Rs 12 lakh crore” worth scams, he had said.
On Monday, Stalin told reporters that earlier Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier spoken on similar lines, “now Amit Shah has spoken and tomorrow all BJP leaders coming from the Centre will only say the same thing.” “They held the hands of OPS (Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam) and EPS (CM K Palaniswami), who are steeped in corruption, commission and collection. That shows who stands by corruption,” he said in an apparent reference to Modi holding the hands of the two leaders at a government function here last month.
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Tamil Nadu should show the way to India in keeping away the forces that are inimical to language and culture and those projecting “one culture, one nation and one history” concept, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Monday.
History has shown that nobody can rule Tamil Nadu other than the Tamil people, he said during a public address here as part of his three-day tour of poll-bound Tamil Nadu.
“This election will show the same thing that only a person who truly represents the Tamil people can be a chief minister of Tamil Nadu,” he said addressing the huge crowd in Nagercoil, in the southern Kanyakumari district.
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DMK president MK Stalin on Sunday submitted his application to the party, seeking to contest from the Kolathur constituency for the upcoming assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. This will be the third time the DMK leader will be contesting from the constituency after winning the previous two elections.
In 2011, he won by a slender margin against AIADMK’s Saidai Duraisamy. However, in 2016, he defeated AIADMK’s JCD Prabhakar by a landslide. Prior to 2011, Stalin contested from the Thousand Lights constituency. Out of the six times he contested on a DMK ticket, Stalin managed to best his opponents on four occasions. This will be the first election in which Stalin would be contesting as president of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
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Days after he was removed from the post of Special DGP (law and order), the Tamil Nadu Crime Branch CID police registered a case against Rajesh Das who faces a sexual harassment complaint from a woman IPS officer.
A source said the case registered on Sunday, under Section 354 (outraging the modesty of a woman) of the IPC and Sections 3 (prohibition of harassment of woman) and 4 (penalty for harassment of woman) of the TN Prevention of Women Harassment Act. The team will also probe the role of Chengalpattu SP D Kannan IPS, who tried to intercept the victim’s vehicle on February 22 when she was on her way to Chennai to file a formal complaint against Das.
Talking to The Indian Express on Saturday, Das, who is now placed on compulsory wait, said the complainant had political motives.
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The Narendra Modi-led BJP government’s “whole game is to steal”, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi claimed on Sunday. “The idea is — do whatever you have to do to take the money of the people of India,” he said on the second day of his tour across southern Tamil Nadu, ahead of the state’s upcoming Assembly elections.
He further alleged that disparity in wealth distribution has become much stronger during the BJP rule at the Centre. While interacting with salt pan workers, the top Congress leader said he empathised with them and the struggles that they faced, including health issues.
“When we were in government in the UPA we noticed that the wealth distribution in India was becoming very skewed,” he said replying to the worker. While a few people were getting “very very rich,” many were poor, he said. “And now since the BJP has come (to power at the Centre) that has become much much stronger,” he alleged.
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Telangana recorded 116 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, pushing the tally to 2,98,923, while no fresh fatality has been reported and the death toll stood at 1,634.
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) accounted for the most number of cases with 26, followed by Rangareddy and Medchal Malkajgiri districts with 11 each, a state government bulletin said on Monday.
The cumulative number of recoveries was 2,95,387. The total number of active cases was 1,902, it said. The bulletin said 20,375 samples were tested on February 28. The cumulative number of samples tested was 87,21,026. The samples tested per million population was 2,34,310, the bulletin said.
The case fatality rate in the state was 0.54 per cent while the recovery rate in Telangana was 98.81 per cent. (PTI)
The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) conducted 235 fever clinics in Chennai on Sunday. A total of 4391 people attended the clinics, with swabs collected from nine people who were identified with ILI symptoms, while others were provided with medication for minor ailments.
The most number of camps were held in Valasaravakkam (Zone 11) where 29 camps had been set up, while Manali (Zone 2) had the least with three camps.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said he regrets not being able to learn the world’s oldest language Tamil during his long political innings as a chief minister and prime minister.
He stated this during his monthly ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio address. The prime minister praised the Tamil language and its rich literature.
“A few days ago Aparna Reddy ji of Hyderabad asked me one such question. She said ‘You have been PM for so many years and were CM for so many years. Do you ever feel that something is missing?’? Modi said.
Noting that the question seemed simple but was difficult, he said, “I pondered this over and told myself that one of my shortcomings was that I could not make much effort to learn Tamil, the oldest language in the world; I could not make myself learn Tamil!”
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The sexual assault complaint lodged by an IPS officer that led to the Tamil Nadu government removing a Special DGP from his post capped a series of dramatic events across 24 hours early this week, including the complainant “rushing out of the car” in which the alleged incident took place — and later being allegedly “blocked by a team of 150 police personnel” led by an SP while on her way to record her grievance, The Sunday Express has learnt.
On February 22 afternoon, the day after the alleged incident, the complainant was able to reach Chennai and file a complaint with DGP J K Tripathy and the Home Department. Two days later, the state government removed Rajesh Das from the powerful post of Special DGP (Law and Order) and put him on “compulsory wait”. On the same day, the Home Department set up a six-member committee to probe the allegations.
Asked by reporters about the complaint, Chief Minister E K Palaniswami said Friday: “Nothing has been proved so far. A probe is on.”
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Rahul Gandhi extended his greetings to DMK leader MK Stalin on his birthday today. The DMK president and leader of the opposition turns 68 today.
Chennai based architect Arun Prabhu NG was recently in the limelight after he converted an auto-rickshaw into a mobile home. Social media was flooded with praises for the man and now business tycoon Anand Mahindra too joined in, saying that he would like to work with him.
“Apparently Arun did this to demonstrate the power of small spaces. But he was also on to a larger trend: a potential post-pandemic wanderlust & desire to be ‘always mobile’,” Mahindra tweeted, sharing a post about Prabhu’s mobile home.
“I’d like to ask if he’ll design an even more ambitious space atop a Bolero pickup. Can someone connect us?” he further wrote.
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Tamil Nadu recorded 479 positive cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the state tally to 8,51,542. Among these, Chennai reported 182 positive cases, bringing the city’s total to 2,35,532. The state recorded three deaths on Sunday, putting the state toll at 12,496. All three of them had succumbed due to comorbidities. A total of 490 patients were discharged following treatment, taking the total number of recoveries to 8,35,024.
As of Sunday, the number of active COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu is 4022. Till date, 5,14,514 males, 3,36,993 females and 35 transgenders have tested positive for the virus in the state.
According to a bulletin released by the Health and Family Welfare Department of Tamil Nadu, 1,74,79,572 samples from the state have been tested till date, with 50,652 samples having been sent yesterday. There are 257 COVID-19 testing facilities in the state, out of which 69 are government and 188 are private facilities.
Good morning!
Welcome to the live blog from Chennai and Hyderabad where we bring to you the latest updates on Tamil Nadu elections 2021, COVID-19 vaccination, COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, UK COVID-19 virus in Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and more across Chennai and Hyderabad throughout the day. Follow the blog to stay up to date with the states in real time.