NEW DELHI | SATURDAY | JANUARY 6, 2018 nation 07 KERALA SEX-TALK SCANDAL Political gains TN has dozen CM motive behind Setback for NCP’s Saseendran triple talaq ing for the court’s decision on The woman had said in her candidates-in-waiting Complainant the woman’s plea for approach- petition that she had com- Bill: CPM ing the CPI(M)-led ruling LDF, plained against the former KUMAR CHELLAPPAN n Madurai-based son of Haassan, another film star, PTI n THIRUVANANTHAPURAM withdraws in which NCP is a partner, with Minister due to some misun- CHENNAI Karunanidhi, would react to who too had announced his a request for reinstating him in derstanding and she wanted the Stalin’s candidature. The DMK political plans is making nois- he CPI(M) on Friday the Cabinet. A judicial com- case to be withdrawn as a set- ith superstar Rajinikanth has not won any election with- es from the sidelines before he Taccused the BJP-led settlement plea mission which had looked into tlement had been reached out- Wdeclaring his political out the cooperation of Alagiri plunges into the arena. Haassan Government at the Centre of VR JAYARAJ n KOCHI the matter had already exon- side the court. She had dreams on the New Year Eve, who wields considerable influ- too has not announced the using the triple talaq bill for erated him effectively. approached the High Court Tamil Nadu politics which had ence in southern Tamil Nadu. details of the political outfit to “political gains”. Prime Minister he dreams of Kerala NCP’s In fact, Friday’s develop- after the Chief Judicial moved around former Chief Anbumani Ramadoss, son be launched by him. While Narendra Modi was using the Tsenior leader AK ment became the second set- Magistrate Court in Ministers late J Jayalalithaa of of S Ramadoss, the founder of professional political com- Muslim Women (Protection Saseendran, who had resigned back to hit the NCP within just Thiruvananthapuram turned the AIADMK and M PMK, was projected as the mentators have scoffed at the of Rights on Marriage) Bill, last March as Minister follow- two days. A Vigilance court had down her request for with- Karunanidhi of the DMK, is party’s chief ministerial candi- political plans of Rajinikanth, 2017 for political gains, Kerala ing a sex talk scandal, about on Thursday ordered a probe drawing the complaint. flooded with nearly a dozen date during the 2016 Assembly they are yet to make any CPI(M) secretary Kodiyeri getting back to the Cabinet suf- against its MLA Thomas When the arguments chief ministerial hopefuls. election. But the PMK could remarks on the political dreams Balakrishnan alleged in an fered a severe setback on Friday Chandy, who had replaced began in the High Court on The ruling AIADMK itself not win even a single seat in the of Kamal Haassan. article published in party organ with the woman who had Saseendran in the Cabinet and Friday morning, the State has many chief ministerial hustings which also saw There are strong doubts “Deshabhimani”. lodged a complaint against had resigned recently over Kerala NCP’s leader AK Saseendran Government took a position aspirants that include Deputy Anbumani losing to an about the stability of the Besides, the Bill also had a him for allegedly outraging land-grab charges, blocking that the case could be settled as Chief Minister O AIADMK candidate. Edappady Palaniswamy hidden agenda to “harass” her modesty through lewd his re-entry into the Cabinet. the complainant herself was Panneerselvam, Lok Sabha DMDK leader and former Government because of the Muslims, he alleged, adding phone talk withdrawing the Saseendran and Chandy are the He had resigned as withdrawing from that but Deputy Speaker Thambi Durai, matinee idol Vijayakanth was internal fights in the AIADMK. that the “wolf in a deer skin trick petition she had filed in the only two NCP MLAs in Kerala. Transport Minister those who had applied for senior party leader Semmalai the chief ministerial candidate The 2018 session of the legis- is being used for the propagan- High Court seeking permission The TV channel, which within hours of the impleading in the case point- and of course TTV of the People’s Welfare Front, a lature begins on Monday with da”. Divorce was a civil matter to settle the case. had aired the audio-clip that ed out by quoting previous Dhinakaran, nephew of the third alternative up by the the customary address by the and the move to make it a crim- The woman, an employee caused Saseendran’s exit from TV channel airing judgements that a case of out- jailed VK Sasikala, former aide VCK, the Lefts, the MDMK Governor. The ruling dispen- inal offence was not with an of a TV channel which had the Cabinet, had later admitted the audio-clip raging the women’s modesty to Jayalalithaa. and the TMC. Vijayakanth for- sation has just 111 MLAs in the objective to protect the Muslim aired an audio-clip on March that he was actually a victim of court in Thiruvananthapuram could not be withdrawn in Though the DMK’s chief feited his security in the House which has an effective women, but with a view to tar- 26 in which Saseendran was a honey-trap sting operation in the form of a confidential this way. ministerial candidate is the Virudachalam constituency strength of 234. If the Madras get the community, the CPI(M) heard making lewd and mounted by a team of its inves- statement recorded as per Legal experts said there party’s working president MK while the PWF failed to win in High Court which is hearing politburo member alleged. obscene remarks to her, with- tigative journalists including Section 164 of the CrPC. were indications at the start of Stalin, he has a series of hurdles any of the 234 seats. The Front the batch of petitions filed by He clarified that his party drew her plea after her lawyer the woman. The incident had However, the woman later the arguments itself that a to cross. Following the acquit- got disintegrated immediately the 18 AIADMK MLA’s dis- welcomed the Supreme Court reportedly felt that the court’s led to the arrest of several decided to withdraw her com- decision in favour of the tal of Kanimozhi and A Raja of after the Assembly election. qualified by the Speaker (for verdict on instant triple talaq, decision might not be employees of the channel plaint allegedly under high- woman was unlikely to come all charges in the 2G spectrum The MDMK and the VCK their representation to the then but added that the bill intro- favourable to her or including its CEO. level political pressure and from the court and that might case, there has been a strong have cast their lots with the Governor Vidhyasagar Rao duced by the Modi Saseendran. He had resigned as The woman, however, promises, especially after the be the reason why her lawyer demand from Rajathi Ammal DMK. withdrawing support to Government was to “cheat” Transport Minister within chose to stick to her stand that judicial commission effective- decided to withdraw the peti- that her daughter should be ele- Rajinikanth is the latest Palaniswamy), the Government the Muslim women. The hours of the TV channel airing Saseendran had indeed out- ly exonerated him. Allegations tion. Also, he might have want- vated to a prime position in the addition to this bouquet of may lose majority in the House. CPI(M) had always opposed the audio-clip. raged her modesty with his had come up to the effect that ed to avoid a situation where DMK on account of the hard- chief ministerial candidates The voters have a number of the “primitive” triple talaq The development is a big lewd remarks on her in the she was even promised a the court would reject the peti- ships faced by her. making the political horizon of choices as Chief Ministers in practice, Balakrishnan assert- setback for Saseendran as well telephonic talk. She lodged a Government job for with- tion with harsh observations, Moreover, it is yet to be Tamil Nadu a buyers’ market front of them in the ensuing ed, adding that it denigrated the as his party as they were wait- complaint in this regard with a drawing the complaint. they said. seen how MK Alagiri, the for the electorate. Kamal election unlike in the past. dignity and honour of women. Bhide denies Suspectedn land mines recovered in Kerala he was behind PTI MALAPPURAM (KERALA) The Army and National Hajn office wall gets saffron hue, Opp fumes Security Guard have been PTI LUCKNOW in blatant saffronisation,” SP cache of explosives, sus- informed about the recovery Bhima-Koregaon spokesman Sunil Singh Sajan Apected to be land mines, and were expected to visit the he boundary wall of the said. All India Shia Personal have been recovered from Representational Image spot and examine the objects, violence TUttar Pradesh Haj office, Law Board spokesperson beneath an overbridge at they said. opposite the State legislature Yasoob Abbas took strong Kuttippuram in this Kerala Bharathapuzha river last night, Some local people tipped TN RAGHUNATHA n MUMBAI building in the heart of the city, exception to the change in district, police said on Friday. they said. The containers had police about the presence of the has got a saffron look colour. As many as five metal con- the wordings “Front Toward objects under the bridge last enying allegations by overnight, days after the “What is this? The BJP will tainers with the suspected Enemy”. night, following which bomb Dsenior Dalit leader Prakash Secretariat building facade was paint it saffron, the SP will explosive substance, two metal Police said the objects disposal squads rushed to the Ambedkar about his involve- given the same coat.