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DMK appoints Dindigul Leoni who made sexist remarks on women during election campaign as head of TN textbook corporation

By
The Commune
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The appointment of Dindigul I. Leoni as the head of the Tamil Nadu Textbook & Educational Services Corporation by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has triggered controversy.

Dindigul I. Leoni, also known as Dindigul Leoni, is the DMK’s propaganda wing secretary and a pattimandram (debate) anchor on Kalaignar TV. He is known for his sexist statements he made during elections where he compared the waist of Tamil women with barrels.

During the 2021 assembly elections, while campaigning for Karthikeya Sivasenapathy in the Thondamuthur constituency, he said “women have lost their shape” and “increasingly look like a barrel”. He went on to compare their physical shape to that of cows and said that they were starting to look like them since they have been drinking the milk obtained from foreign imported cows. Women activists, political leaders, and the general public all denounced his sexist remarks.

Leoni has emerged in the spotlight following his appointment as the head of the Tamil Nadu Text Book Corporation. His appointment was criticized by a number of women activists, political leaders, celebrities, and journalists.

Women activists have criticized Dindigul Leoni’s recent appointment as the chairman of the Tamil Nadu Textbook Society by Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin, claiming that he has made inappropriate remarks about women in the past.

Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss criticized his appointment in a series of tweets, stating that there is no bigger disrespect to the position than appointing someone who has survived to talk disparagingly of women.

Journalist Sandhya Ravishankar took a dig at DMK for the appointment of Dindigul Leoni to the Tamil Nadu textbook corporation.

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US Prez Joe Biden to host Quad Summit, vaccines, climate change, and Indo-Pacific in agenda

By
The Commune
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india quad indo-pacific

The US coordinator for the Indo-Pacific region Kurt Campbell said on Tuesday that US President Joe Biden will host a summit with the leaders of Australia, India and Japan this year and it should bring “decisive” commitments on vaccine diplomacy and infrastructure.

Campbell made the remarks at an event hosted by the Asia Society think tank.

Known as the “Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, representatives for the four member nations have met periodically since its establishment in 2007. The Quad member states have been resolving to uphold a rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific amid growing Chinese dominance in the region.

At the first summit of the grouping in March this year, PM Modi said the Quad has come of age and its agenda covering areas like vaccines, climate change and emerging technologies makes it a force for global good. In his opening remarks, he had also talked about shared values and promoting a secure, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific.

“We are united by our democratic values, and our commitment to a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific. Our agenda today covering areas like vaccines, climate change and emerging technologies makes the Quad a force for global good,” he had said. The virtual summit was attended by US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

President Joe Biden had earlier said that a “free and open Indo-Pacific is essential” to all and the US was committed to working with its partners and allies in the region to achieve stability. Biden had also described the Quad as a new mechanism to enhance cooperation and raise mutual ambition as the member states address accelerating climate change.

After the recently concluded G-7 summit where the leaders of the world richest countries unveiled the Build Back Better World or B3W to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Kurt Campbell who is the US coordinator for the Indo-Pacific region said on Tuesday (July 6) that US President Joe Biden will host a summit with the leaders of Australia, India, and Japan this year.

The virtual summit was attended by US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

The purpose of this important summit is to create “decisive” commitments on vaccine diplomacy, infrastructure, and rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific amid the growing Chinese belligerence in the region.

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TN Media is buttressing DMK by not exposing its wrongdoings: Former AIADMK Min C.Ve. Shanmugam

By
The Commune
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Former Tamil Nadu Minister C.Ve. Shanmugam said that the media in Tamil Nadu is buttressing the DMK by not exposing the DMK’s failures and wrongdoings

He was speaking at a meeting of AIADMK Union executives held at Singavaram village next to Ginger in Villupuram district: During the meeting he said that the DMK did not get the victory it had expected in the recent Assembly elections and that Stalin himself admits that fact. He said that if the elections were to be held now, the AIADMK would come back to power again.

He also came down heavy on DMK Finance Minister Palanivel Thiagarajan who while responding to a question about the DMK not fulfilling its promise of reducing fuel prices in a press meet had said that they did not give any date to fulfill that promise.

Shanmugam also said that the some of the AIADMK’s decisions had become advantageous to the DMK like their alliance with the BJP. This comment has now irked the BJP in Tamil Nadu with senior BJP leader K.T. Raghavan giving a response saying that such comments are against the coalition dharma.

The former Minister also said that people of Tamil Nadu did not vote for the DMK because they wanted Stalin as the Chief Minister. He further said that the media in Tamil Nadu is trying to play second fiddle to the DMK by buttressing them and not exposing their failures and wrongdoing to the public.

(With inputs from Dinamalar)

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Do you know the cost of TN CM Stalin’s cycle ride publicity stunt amid state’s financial crisis?

By
The Commune
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MK Stalin, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, rode with friends along East Coast Road on Sunday. He took selfies with the locals and shook their hands during the cycling trip. However, the price of his cycle and his cycling gear sparked a social media debate.

MK Stalin, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, rode a Daijo Pedeleze C2 Elite model bicycle, which costs around ₹ 85000. Pedaleze is an Indian E-Bike brand that offers state of art features and technology making it all the more desirable and worth the investment. Each Pedaleze is built with an eye to quality and perfection. They ensure the best of quality at the highest of international standards.

Headquartered in Ambattur, Chennai, the company sells three types of bicycles. Chief Stalin used a pedal C2 bicycle priced at ₹ 81,500. Only persons weighing up to 120 kg can use this bicycle.

The Pedaleze C2 Elite is a Hybrid Electric Bicycle that features an Aerospace Alloy 6061 frame, a 7Ah lithium-ion battery, and a 250W Pedaleze Advanced Cadence Mid-Drive motor. The Pedaleze C2 Elite has a Shimano 7-Speed rear derailleur with Zoom Mechanical Disc Brakes and a Pre Load Adjuster and Mechanical Lockout. The front of the bicycle is fitted with a ‘Shock Observe Hydraulic’ system.

It was not just the cost of bicycle that has become a point of concern but also the gross misuse of taxpayer’s money on trivial expenditures.

All along the ECR route, police personnel (both men and women) were deployed for every few metres along the ECR road. This has come to be seen as a gross misuse of taxpayer’s money. Many on social media pointed out that if Stalin wanted to create awareness on physical health and exercise, he might rather do by cycling or walking in his home without causing inconvenience to the public.

A resident from Neelankarai said “While the Finance Minister has been crying that the state’s finances is in a mess allegedly due to the mismanagement by AIADMK, his own Chief Minister is wasting taxpayer’s money on these publicity stunt”.

Commenting on Stalin’s cycling trip, Rajeshwari Priya, President of Anaithu Makkal Katchi (All People Party), said: ” CM Stalin, who was urging Tamil Nadu people to wear a mask to control COVID, was not wearing a mask during his cycle trip in ECR. More than 200 local Armed Special Forces police, including an additional commissioner of police, two deputy commissioners, six assistant commissioners, 18 inspectors, and 51 sub-inspectors, were deployed along the route. Is this necessary when there is already a shortage of manpower in the police department?”

It is to be noted that before the 2021 assembly election, CM Stalin was riding a Merida Reacto bicycle that cost ₹178,000.

(with inputs from Dinamalar)

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Photo exhibition organized in Geneva on atrocities committed by Pakistan in Balochistan

By
The Commune
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The Broken Chair which has now become an iconic site in front of the United Nations office in Geneva is playing host to a photo exhibition that depicts the atrocities and the human rights abuses committed by Pakistan at the behest of China in the Balochistan province to support the multi-billion dollar China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.
 
The pictures are a grim reminder of how the Chinese are grabbing the lands belonging to the indigenous Baloch people and how the Pakistan security forces are acting like mercenaries to support the Chinese Communists state designs.
 
Since its annexation in 1948 by Pakistan, the Baloch people never had any control over their natural resources, nor have they economically benefited from the systematic stripping away of the same. However, the Islamic State of Pakistan has used its military might to forcibly evacuate their native lands for the CPEC projects.
 
The photo exhibition was organised by the Voice of Minority rights to make aware of the innumerable human rights abuses committed by the Pakistan security apparatus and non-state actors in Balochistan.
 
The photo exhibition highlighted the genocide of the indigenous Baloch people being carried out by Pakistan in the form of enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, and summary execution by the Pakistani army.
 
It also highlights how Pakistan had illegally occupied Balochistan against all International laws and treaties and to this region lags in almost every parameter of development.
 
Balochistan’s Human Development Index (HDI) ranks below 0.40 as compared to the other provinces of Pakistan that lie above 0.50. Within Pakistan, Balochistan has the largest number of least-developed districts.
 
The exhibit wants the world to know that Pakistan has absolutely no interest in the people of Balochistan and all it cares how to go unabatedly exploiting the mineral-rich region.

Kongu Naadu is BJP’s response to DMK’s ‘Ondriya Arasu’

By
The Commune
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On Wednesday (July 7), the cabinet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi underwent a reshuffle with some Ministers getting promoted and new Ministers inducted.

From Tamil Nadu, Dr. L. Murugan, who was the President of BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit has been made a Minister of State in Modi’s cabinet. He had earlier served as the Vice Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Caste.

However, something peculiar has created a ripple which could potentially engulf Tamil Nadu’s political discourse.

In a document that is being circulated on social media, Dr. L. Murugan has mentioned that he hails from Kongu Naadu.

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The My Gov portal of the Modi Government too put out a tweet that showed Dr. L. Murugan identifying himself as from Kongu Naadu.

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This is being seen as an indirect response to the DMK which has been calling the Government of India as ‘Ondriya Arasu’ which carries with it a separatist undercurrent.

Many on social media has welcomed the BJP President asserting his identity as a person hailing from the Kongu region.

It remains to be seen if the BJP will capitalize on a demand for Kongu Naadu to establish its dominance in the state.

Meanwhile, here are some reactions on Twitter:

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TN police arrests Bishop Heber College Professor Paul Chandramohan for sexually harassing female students

By
The Commune
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Bishop Heber College Professor CJ Paul Chandramohan, accused of sexual harassment by five post-graduate students, was arrested by Trichy police on Wednesday.

According to reports, the Trichy police arrested the Tamil Professor from Bishop Heber College after several women had accused Paul Chadramohan of sexually assaulting them in the past.

A few days earlier, five female students of Bishop Heber College in Tiruchirappalli had filed a complaint of sexual misconduct against Paul Chandramohan, the head of the Tamil department.

In their five-page complaint lodged with the college’s principal, the five post-graduate students had said Paul Chandramohan sexually harassed them regularly by sitting in close proximity and cracking sexual joke
“During class hours, he sits extremely close to the girls and uses vulgar language and double meaning sexual innuendos, making the students despise him. He loosens the shirt and pants towards the end, making the students uncomfortable,” the complaint letter read.

“During class hours, he sits extremely close to the girls and uses vulgar language and double meaning sexual innuendos, making the students despise him. He loosens the shirt and pants towards the end, making the students uncomfortable,” the complaint letter read.

The victim students also alleged that Paul Chandramohan engaged in various forms of sexual harassment, such as rubbing his legs against them. He even went on to say that he would ‘teach’ them about the kind of experience that lovers would have in an intimate setting in parks and such, the letter said.

The students also alleged that Paul Chandramohan would force them to visit his private chamber inside the college premises.

According to the aggrieved students, Nalini, an assistant professor in the Tamil department, often forced them to wash their faces and apply makeup before visiting the head of the department in his chamber. In the letter, the students said that the sexual misconduct has forced them to discontinue from the institution.

Following the sexual harassment complaint, the college constituted a committee headed by lawyer Jayanthirani. As a result, the college authorities have suspended Paul Chandramohan. The police had also started an investigation into the allegations.

The Bishop Heber College, Trichy, is established and managed by the Tiruchirappalli – Thanjavur Diocese of the Church of South India.

Paul Chandramohan, who holds a PhD in Tamil Christian Literature, has served in the college for over 20 years.

The sexual harassment case in Bishop Heber college comes on the heels of a similar case of sexual harassment that had resurfaced from Loyola College, Chennai.

PM Modi’s new team: Here is the list

By
The Commune
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The Cabinet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been reshuffled with some Ministers getting promoted and some new Ministers getting inducted.

There are 11 women, 12 from Scheduled Caste communities, 8 from Scheduled Tribe communities and 27 from the Other Backward Caste communities in the new cabinet.

Here is a the list of new Ministers who will be taking oath today:

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BJP Tamil Nadu President Dr. L. Murugan has found place in the list.

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“What is wrong in not saying Jai Hind? Is it a Tamil word?”: DMK Min, says CM Stalin has decided to avoid Jai Hind

By
The Commune
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Ponmudi, a DMK senior politician and Tamil Nadu’s higher education minister, stirred controversy after he said that omitting the slogan “Jai Hind” is a timely change.

In an interview with Thanthi TV’s Kelvikenna Bathil programme, Tamil Nadu Minister Ponmudi remarked that omitting the word “Jai Hind” in the Governor’s address to the Tamil Assembly is a timely move, and questioned what is wrong with not saying “Jai Hind.” He added that it was Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin’s decision to avoid using ‘Jai Hind.’

He said that, aside from the fact that the slogan ‘Jai Hind’ is in Hindi, the DMK have other reservations about adopting the slogan, which the minister never disclosed in the interview.

He also added that India was created only by the integration of 562 independent countries during independence and that it did not exist prior to then. It is worth noting that Congress MLA and Leader of Congress legislative party in Tamil Nadu Selvaperunthagai stirred a row a few days back saying that the Indian union is formed by many countries, not states. Now the DMK minister Ponmudi has reiterated his statement, sowing seeds of separatism.

The Minister went on to add that the claim that India created states for administrative convenience is incorrect, and that India was formed only by the integration of many countries.

When questioned how the DMK’s future resolution differs from the ADMK’s resolution in the Tamil Nadu assembly, the minister said, “You will know when it comes (Varumbothu theriyum),” similar to how the Tamil Nadu finance minister PTR said, “Did we give a date for implementation (Thethi Pottangala)” for poll promise implementation.

Minister Ponmudi has never confirmed if Tamil Nadu would be exempted from the NEET exam this year, but has claimed that the DMK will make every attempt to get the exam cancelled in Tamil Nadu, further confusing students.

While answering a question on when the DMK government will lower petrol prices as promised in its election manifesto, the minister said that first and foremost, they must address the issue of drinking water, and only then will they consider the issue of petrol prices. He went on to say that the government will make efforts to lower the price of petrol in the future, but he never mentioned when that would happen.

(with inputs from ThanthiTv)

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Uyghurs hold protest outside Chinese embassy in London on 12th anniversary of Urumqi massacre

By
The Commune
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In London, members of the Uyghurs and the Tibetan communities staged a protest outside the Chinese embassy to commemorate the 12th anniversary of the Urumqi massacre.
 
On July 5, 2009, the Chinese government launched a massive crackdown against Uyghurs who were protesting against the killing of two Uyghurs and in the aftermath, thousands of protestors were killed. Many had disappeared or were presumably sent to concentration camps.
 
As per reports, 197 people died, and 1,721 suffered injuries in the riot and Uyghur-run mosques were temporarily closed.

The Communist government of China also booked over 400 individuals with criminal charges for their actions during the riots and nine were executed in November 2009, and by February 2010, at least 26 had received death sentences.
 
Reports from non-governmental organizations and interviews given by eyewitnesses confirmed that security forces deliberately used live ammunition during the protest.
 
London was not the only city where protests were held to commemorate the 12th anniversary of the riots. Members of the Uyghur community also held protests all over the world organised by the Uyghur Solidarity UK.
 
Pro Uyghur organization, World Uyghur Congress (WUC), is commemorating the “Urumchi Massacre.”
 
On July 4, the East Turkistan Association of Canada has launched a 15-day walking protest against China’s massive human rights abuses of Uyghur Muslims.

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TheCommune
The Commune is a news and views portal focusing on social and political issues of the southern part of India with a focus on Tamil Nadu.
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