BJ leader K. Annamalai criticized the DMK-led state government, stating that “Social Justice” remains merely a slogan with no real implementation on the ground. His remarks came after a Scheduled Tribe (ST) student was expelled from a government school for not having a birth certificate or Aadhaar card.
The student, Santhosh, son of Sivakumar and Radhika, is a 7th-grade student a resident of Amma Nagar in the Poonamallee, who has been attending school without an Aadhaar card. Reportedly, the school required the Aadhaar for continued enrollment. For the past six months, his family has been making rounds to various government offices including the Poonamallee Tahsildar’s office and the Koyambedu Aadhar office to resolve the issue, but to no avail. Frustrated, the student and his parents took their plea to the District Collector’s grievance day meeting, explaining that the lack of a birth certificate has prevented them from obtaining an Aadhaar card effectively denying the child his right to education.
Reacting to the incident, Annamalai via his official X account said, “Is this part of the State education policy you released a few days back, Thiru @mkstalin? Our Hon PM Thiru @narendramodi avl empowered the Narikuravar community by including them in the ST list, and here is DMK Govt rusticating a boy from that community from the Government school for lack of Birth Certificate and an Aadhar card. His parents have knocked on the doors of every government office including the Tahsildar’s office in Thiruvallur district, only to be met with apathy. Under the DMK government, ‘Social Justice’ exists only in speeches, not in action.”
Is this part of the State education policy you released a few days back, Thiru @mkstalin?
Our Hon PM Thiru @narendramodi avl empowered the Narikuravar community by including them in the ST list, and here is DMK Govt rusticating a boy from that community from the Government… pic.twitter.com/DENzUPu3Sx
While Kollywood actor and Dravidianist sympathiser Karthi showered praise on Tamil Nadu’s School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh, claiming government schools were thriving under his stewardship, the reality on the ground tells a very different story.
The Tamil Nadu government has closed 207 primary and middle schools across the state this academic year after reporting zero student enrollment, according to the School Education Department.
Tamil Nadu has 31,332 government primary and middle schools, with 18,46,550 students studying from Classes 1 to 8. Officials said a significant number of these institutions record only single-digit student strength, and in some cases, just one student. Children from such schools are being transferred to nearby institutions.
An education department official said that enrollment in government schools had temporarily risen during the COVID-19 pandemic due to economic hardship. However, after restrictions eased, many parents moved their children back to private schools, citing concerns over infrastructure, teacher shortages, and a preference for English-medium education.
“This year, 207 schools have been closed as there was not a single student enrolled,” the official said to Dinamalar, adding that teachers from these institutions have been transferred elsewhere.
Parents and education activists allege that poor infrastructure, multi-grade teaching by just two teachers for Classes 1 to 5, and lack of proactive enrollment efforts by some teachers have contributed to the decline. They have urged the government to improve facilities to prevent further closures.
District-wise Closures
The largest number of closures were in Nilgiris (17), Sivaganga (16), and Dindigul (12). Chennai, Erode, and Madurai each saw 10 closures, while Coimbatore and Ramanathapuram reported 9 each. Other affected districts include Tuticorin (8), Dharmapuri (7), Tirupur (7), Virudhunagar (7), and several others with smaller numbers.
Closure in Annamalai’s Hometown
Among the affected schools is the Uthupatti Government Primary School in K. Paramathi Panchayat Union, Karur district, where Tamil Nadu BJP’s former state president K. Annamalai cast his vote in the last Lok Sabha elections. The school has now been shut due to lack of students.
Officials maintain that the closures are temporary and that students will continue their education in nearby schools. However, activists warn that without urgent infrastructure upgrades, more rural schools may face the same fate.
Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir‘s recent visit to the United States – his second to the country since June – is being seen less as a genuine effort to strengthen bilateral ties and more as a bid to secure financial aid, political shield, and fresh channels of influence, all of which will be harnessed for Pakistan’s “military-industrial-terrorism complex”, a report cited on Monday.
The Pakistani military, the report mentioned, has pocketed American money, arms, and diplomatic protection since the Cold War, only to channel them into its own narrow and destructive agenda.
“In the 1980s, the US poured billions into Pakistan to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan. Instead of building stability, Pakistan’s intelligence service, the ISI, nurtured the very jihadist networks that would later birth the Taliban and al-Qaeda. Osama bin Laden found shelter in Abbottabad, barely a stone’s throw from Pakistan’s premier military academy, even as Islamabad swore blind loyalty to Washington,” a Global Order report highlighted.
It detailed how the 2000s saw the same “double game” where, under the Bush administration, Pakistan was a major non-NATO ally in the war on terror, and yet, the Taliban leadership operated freely from Pakistani soil. “American troops in Afghanistan paid with their lives while Pakistan quietly provided safe havens, training, and arms to the insurgents killing them. The betrayal was not subtle; it was strategic,” the report mentioned.
Pakistan continues to be a terror hub while claiming to combat terrorism. Its territory shelters internationally designated terrorist groups, including Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, which target neighbouring countries, particularly India and Afghanistan, and propagate extremist ideology far beyond the region.
These groups function under the protective cover of the Pakistani government, which directs their violent actions to further its geopolitical objectives. Pakistan’s counter-terrorism narrative, the report stated, is a facade to ensure the continuation of US aid and weapon supplies.
Pakistan’s growing involvement in US Central Command (CENTCOM) operations also raises concern, given its long history of duplicity. The report stated that Islamabad’s access to CENTCOM intelligence and planning could pose a serious risk to stability in the Middle East.
With the Pakistani military maintaining strong connections with extremist networks and having a well-established track record of leaking sensitive intelligence reports to parties hostile to the US and allied interests, Islamabad’s engagement in CENTCOM endangers operations in the Gulf and could provide radical elements with insight into American strategies in an already volatile region.
The report emphasised that if the US President Donald Trump or any US administration believes that Pakistan has reformed, they should consider the recent ground realities as the South Asian nation still harbours UN-designated terrorists, exports jihadists into its neighbourhood, and turns a blind eye to the radical preaching that fuels global extremism.
“If America falls for the pitch again, it will not only embolden Pakistan but also destabilise the region at a time when the US needs reliability in its partnerships. Asim Munir’s second visit to Washington in a month should be read not as a sign of strengthening friendship, but as a warning flare: history is about to repeat itself. And when it does, the betrayal will be complete, again,” the report noted.
-IANS
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A shooting at a Target store in Austin, the capital city of the US state of Texas, left three people dead, authorities said. Austin police said in a social media post that the suspect had been detained. The shooting happened just on Monday around 2 p.m. local time (1900 GMT), said the police.
Officials received a call about shots fired at the target location on Research Boulevard at 2:15 p.m. When Austin police arrived, three people had sustained gunshot wounds, officials said during a press conference after the shooting.
The suspect, a 32-year-old male, stole a car from the parking lot of Target and fled the scene, according to police reports. Tragically, the individual from whom the car was stolen is among those who were killed. After leaving the Target area, the suspect crashed the stolen vehicle and then stole another car from a nearby dealership, police stated.
Austin Police located the suspect in the southern part of the city after he exited the car, and another person subsequently called the police. Further investigations are underway. Earlier, a shooting on Emory University’s Atlanta campus in the US state of Georgia left the shooter dead and one officer injured, according to media reports.
There was a single shooter who is now dead, with no further threat to the campus or surrounding area, said NBC News, quoting the Atlanta Police Department. A law enforcement officer was injured while confronting the shooter, according to reports. A shelter-in-place order was put into place and now has been lifted, said the latest post by the university.
-IANS
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US President Donald Trump said that he will try to get some territory back for Ukraine during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.
Speaking at a White House press conference on Monday Trump said, “Russia’s occupied a big portion of Ukraine. They occupied prime territory. We’re going to try to get some of that territory back for Ukraine.” The US President also mentioned that his upcoming meeting with Putin in Alaska will be a “feel-out meeting.”
Trump said a future meeting could also involve Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, or include both the Russian and Ukrainian leaders. A White House official told reporters on Saturday that Trump remained open to a summit with both leaders.
US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said Sunday it was still possible that Zelensky could attend Friday’s meeting in Alaska. “The decision is going to be made by President Trump,” Whitaker said. “There’s still time to make that decision.” He and the Russian president are due to hold talks in Alaska at the end of the week.
Trump claimed that he could know within two minutes of meeting Putin whether progress was possible. Trump announced the meeting with Putin last Friday – the day of his self-imposed deadline for Russia to agree to a ceasefire or face more US sanctions.
In response to news of the Alaska summit, Zelensky said any agreements without input from Kyiv would amount to “dead decisions”.
-IANS
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President and Union Minister JP Nadda will select the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) candidate for the upcoming Vice-Presidential election on Tuesday. The announcement was made following a high-level meeting of NDA leaders held in New Delhi on Thursday.
The resolution to authorise PM Modi and Nadda was passed during the meeting, which was presided over by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, who was present at the gathering, briefed the media afterwards, stating that the final candidate chosen by the Prime Minister and the BJP President would have the consensus and support of all NDA partners.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the Shiv Sena’s Shrikant Shinde, Lok Janshakti Party’s Chirag Paswan, the TDP’s Lavu Krishna Devarayalu, and the Republican Party of India’s Ramdas Athawale also attended the meeting. Shiv Sena leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had already announced unconditional support for the BJP’s choice of candidate on Wednesday.
The official announcement of the NDA’s Vice Presidential candidate is expected to be made on Tuesday, ahead of the August 21 deadline for filing nominations. The Vice Presidential election was necessitated by the mid-term resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar, who vacated the post citing medical reasons.
However, his departure has sparked widespread speculation of underlying tensions between him and the government. The vice-presidential election is set to take place on 9 September 2025. The Vice President of India is elected by an electoral college comprising members of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
With a clear numerical advantage in Parliament, the NDA holds sufficient strength to ensure the victory of its chosen candidate. The Vice President of India also serves as the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, making the post politically significant.
-IANS
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The Madras High Court will on Tuesday hear a petition opposing the Greater Chennai Corporation’s decision to hand over sanitation work in two city zones to a private contractor — a move that has triggered intense protests from workers.
On 16 June 2025, the Corporation awarded a Rs 276 crore cleaning services contract for Zones 5 and 6 to a private firm. The Workers’ Rights Movement, led by its president K. Bharathi, moved the High Court seeking to quash the resolution, arguing that the decision threatens the livelihood and job security of thousands of workers.
According to the petition, 2,242 permanent workers are to be transferred to other zones, while 1,953 temporary workers will be brought under the contractor’s control. The petitioner contends that these employees will be subject to the contractor’s terms, risking arbitrary dismissal, lower wages, and loss of benefits. It is further alleged that the outsourcing decision was made without mandatory approval from the labour court, despite a related case being sub judice.
The move has sparked more than 10 days of continuous demonstrations outside the Corporation’s Ripon Building headquarters, with sanitation workers and unions demanding that the contract be cancelled.
Protesters accuse the civic body of ignoring their pleas and prioritising commercial considerations over employee welfare. When the matter came up on Monday, Advocate General P.S. Raman, representing the Corporation, requested additional time to submit a revised counter-affidavit. He said corrections had been made to an earlier version, and the updated document required the Commissioner’s signature before filing.
The petitioner’s counsel opposed any further delay, telling the court that “nearly 2,000 workers have been thrown out like garbage” and were in urgent need of relief. The counsel stressed that prolonging the process would deepen the hardship of those affected.
After hearing both sides, the court directed that the matter be listed for hearing on Tuesday and ordered the Corporation to file its reply without fail. The case’s outcome could have far-reaching consequences for the city’s approach to sanitation management and the future of public sector jobs in the civic workforce.
-IANS
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The conspicuous silence of Neelam Social and other Dravidian media outlets in Tamil Nadu speaks volumes following the recent incident involving HR&CE Minister PK Sekar Babu. When questioned by a Neelam Social reporter about the ongoing sanitary workers’ protest in Chennai, the minister dismissively retorted, “I’m here to speak to journalists, not you.”
Instead of condemning this arrogant and disrespectful behavior which clearly undermines journalistic dignity Neelam Social casually reported the incident without any criticism. Even other Dravidianist media houses chose to look the other way, refusing to call out the minister’s condescending tone.
நீங்க என்ன PRESS? நீலம்
பேச்சுவார்த்தையா? என்ன பேச்சுவார்த்தை? – அமைச்சர் சேகர் பாபு
Now imagine if the same exchange had occurred with a Union Minister say, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman the reaction would have been dramatically different. The Neelam Culture Centre would have likely been up in arms, staging performative outrage, and Tamil Nadu’s Dravidianist media would have sensationalized the incident with endless primetime debates and scathing editorials. But when it comes to DMK ministers, these so-called defenders of press freedom suddenly lose their voice.
Take, for instance, the 2023 floods in Tamil Nadu. During the crisis, the Dravidian-aligned media appeared more interested in provoking Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman than in seeking genuine accountability. Reporters framed their questions to deflect blame from the state government and pin it on the Centre. Yet, despite the clear bias, Sitharaman remained composed and responded with facts drawn from her personal experience.
One reporter pointed to alleged communication gaps between central and state authorities, citing a 2015 South Asian Conference that had also failed to predict rainfall accurately. He asked, “Similarly in October 2015 a South Asian Conference was held, where they expected it to rain 150 times, but that also missed the mark. The reason is that while there are scientists and technical experts discussing these things at both the central and state levels, there is no proper communication mechanism between the central and state administrations. This issue keeps happening every time. So, what’s a solution?”
Rather than take offense, Sitharaman answered calmly, “You’re asking a good question. In 2015, I personally went to Ambattur. I walked through the floods, went inside, and saw how the people in the estate were doing, what losses the MSME units had incurred, and where the waterways were blocked. When there’s a lot of water flowing, it’s supposed to follow its path to the sea, but I saw that it was all blocked by various constructions. The industrial estate people themselves told me this. Besides that, I’ll mention something now that I forgot to say earlier. On the 19th itself, the insurance companies were asked to go to Chennai and sit at the Ambattur estate. I asked the delegation, ‘Is there a place for the insurance companies to sit, or should they go somewhere else?’ They said, ‘No, we’ll give them space in our estate; please send them.’ We sent all the insurance companies and instructed them to immediately provide relief to the affected people. So, the central government keeps doing its work, but the state government will insert four questions like this towards you and tell you to keep asking us. We’ll keep answering. The action they should have taken is this: After the 2015 Ambattur floods, Ambattur is an industrial hub, and if the industries there are affected, it impacts Tamil Nadu’s revenue. What lesson did you learn after the 2015 floods? What did you do based on that lesson? If you had acted on that lesson, the recent floods wouldn’t have stagnated in Ambattur, and every industry there wouldn’t have been affected. The delegation that came to see me asks, ‘Why are we suffering from this since 2015?’ You’re asking about the central and state governments; we are continuously working. I am not giving you all the details because I want to keep my opening statement concise and crisp. The question is, what action was taken in Tamil Nadu? Today, Ambattur in Tamil Nadu is submerged. We are only giving money, and we are still giving it. What happened there? A bridge built under a railway line is causing the water to turn back into the estate. Is that the central government’s responsibility? Go and ask the people in the industries there.”
And yet, despite her detailed response, these same media spun the narrative with misleading headlines like “‘The state government will make you ask four questions are we supposed to keep answering?’ deliberately portraying Nirmala Sitharaman as angry or evasive picture.
Similarly in another display of agenda-driven reporting, Sun News falsely claimed that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had stated, “We cannot announce the severe flood damages in Tamil Nadu as a national disaster,” in the same press conference but on the contrary she stated, “There is no practice of announcing any disaster, in any state, at any time, by any government (of India) as a National Disaster. Since there is a lot of interest in Tamil Nadu, even the Tsunami of December 2004 (UPA with partner DMK) was not declared as National Disaster.”
There is no practice of announcing any disaster, in any state, at any time, by any government (of India) as National Disaster. Since there is a lot of interest in TN, even Tsunami of December 2004 (UPA with partner DMK) was not declared as Natl. Disaster. 1/3
This selective outrage is becoming the new norm in Tamil Nadu media where the standard of journalistic dignity depends on which party is in power. If it’s the DMK, media houses twist themselves into silence or excuses. If it’s anyone else, they cry foul with maximum volume.
The late-night interaction between the Neelam reporter and Sekar Babu was telling. When the journalist raised a legitimate point reminding the minister of a promise made by the Chief Minister in 2021 when he was still in opposition Sekar Babu dismissively replied, “He didn’t make you any promise.” He then questioned, “Which press are you from?” Upon hearing the response, “Neelam Press,” the minister doubled down, stating, “I’m meeting the journalists, not you. Only journalists should ask. Let them ask.”
This wasn’t just a matter of political arrogance it was a clear attempt to delegitimize a media outlet based on its ideological affiliation, and yet, not a word of protest from the very same ecosystem that usually claims to defend free speech and press rights.
If press dignity matters, it should matter regardless of which party the minister belongs to. The silence from Neelam and their ideological allies only exposes the deep-rooted double standards within Tamil Nadu’s media landscape.
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Karnataka Cooperation Minister K N Rajanna resigned from the state cabinet on Monday, shortly after acknowledging that irregularities in the voter list, described by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as “vote theft”, had taken place when the party was in power.
Rajanna reportedly said that discrepancies in the rolls of Bengaluru’s Mahadevapura constituency occurred under the Congress government, and that leaders at the time had failed to object when draft rolls were published. He stated that such inaction had allowed the irregularities to persist.
According to Rajanna, the lapses “happened right in front of our eyes” and should cause “shame” to those in power then. He warned that leaders must raise timely objections to protect the integrity of elections, rather than remain silent until after polls.
The minister’s remarks contradicted the party’s current position and prompted criticism from Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar. Hours later, Rajanna tendered his resignation.
The development comes amid a dispute between the Congress and the Election Commission, which has issued a notice to Rahul Gandhi seeking proof for his “vote theft” claims.
If a minister can be shown the door within hours of contradicting the party line, what does that say about democracy within Congress? Did Rahul Gandhi force K. N. Rajanna out for daring to speak an inconvenient truth—one that undercut his ‘vote chori’ narrative?
The Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) staged a demonstration in Nagercoil on [date], demanding the immediate release of a 55-year-old Pentecostal pastor arrested last week under the POCSO Act for allegedly sexually assaulting a 17-year-old boy during a Vacation Bible School (VBS) program in Kanyakumari district.
The protestors, led by VCK district functionaries, gathered outside the Nagercoil Collectorate, claiming the arrest of Pastor Varghese was “politically motivated” and an “attack on religious freedom.”
This comes after the Thuckalay Police registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act based on a complaint by the minor’s family, who alleged their son was abused during a church-run VBS program. The victim reportedly returned home traumatized, with visible injuries, and revealed the assault after days of distress.
Pastor’s Troubled History
Investigations reveal this is not the first accusation against Varghese. In 2008, a married woman had accused him of sexual exploitation under the guise of “spiritual counseling,” but no FIR was filed. Sources claim the matter was suppressed due to political influence during the DMK regime under M. Karunanidhi.
Police sources also indicate that Varghese’s phone contains disturbing images and videos of multiple alleged victims, including minors and women, yet no further cases have been registered.
The VCK’s protest has sparked controversy, with critics questioning why a party that champions Dalit and minority rights is rallying behind an accused child predator. Social activists allege a broader pattern of impunity for church-linked figures in Tamil Nadu, where such cases are often buried due to political and institutional protection.
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