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- 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 A judicial com- case to be withdrawn as a set- ith superstar Rajinikanth has not won any election with- es from the sidelines before he Taccused the BJP-led settlement plea mission which had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 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 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, 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 ,” 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 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 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. choose green and the BSP parts and six gunny bags were looked like land mines and the spot and collected the objects. ment in the violence and arson The Haj office compound BJP Government paints the outer wall of the UP Haj Committee office in saffron, at blue...This is politics of colour found scattered on the sand gunny bags were in military A probe is on in this that took place at Bhima- wall got a bright saffron shade Lucknow on Friday PTI and should be avoided,” he said. banks beneath the bridge over green colour. regard, police added. Koregaon and also in an alleged within days of the BJP When contacted, Minister atrocities case, Shivpratisthan Government reducing the not immediately available for “The BJP is a party known of State for Minority Affairs founder Sambhaji Bhide on number of holidays allotted to a reaction, Friday being a for changing colours. It is Mohsin Raza told PTI, “I fail to Friday said that was prepared State-recognised madrasas in holiday. indulging in these antics only understand the problem of to face any inquiry. the 2018 calendar. The move prompted the to hide its faults and failures. If those having issues with the On a day when the police The paint was carried out Opposition Samajwadi Party to the BJP really considers the saf- new colour. Is saffron an anti- permission to a lecture that he late last night by the Uttar accuse the BJP Government of fron colour as sacrosanct, it national colour? Saffron is a was to deliver in Mumbai on Pradesh estates department indulging in “blatant saffroni- should not indulge in politici- colour which symbolises ujala coming Sunday, Bhide Guruji and the Haj office staff was sation”. sation of the colour and indulge (brightness) and urja (energy).” – as he is popularly known – said:”I have been framed in the Bhima-Koregaon incident. I have absolutely no link with the incident. I am prepared to face any kind of inquiry. I do not mind even if the inquiry is headed by Lord Yama Raj”. Similarly, denying the alle- gation made by a Dalit woman that he had indulged in an atrocity against her, 86-year-old Bhide Guruji said: “I do not know if there is something like atrocity or not. But, all I know is that the law has been wrong- ly invoked against me”. Alluding to the atrocity cases registered against him by the Pimpri and Aurangabad police, leader said: “For the last two and a half to three years. I have not visited these areas. In spite of the fact that Sambhaji Maharaj’s memo- rial is sacred place of faith for me. I have not gone to the areas surrounding Pimpri. Still the complaint lodged with the Pimpri police alleges that was seen hurling stones at the memorial set up at Bhima- Koregaon to pay homage to the Dalits killed in the run-up to the January 1,1818, victory of British troops over Peshwa Bajirao II’s Army”. “The allegation against me is rather unfortunate. If there are CCTV cameras at the site of vio- lence, I request the police to look at the footage of the disturbances at Bhima Koregaon on Monday last,” Bhide Guruji said. “I would like the police to investigate all the allegations made against me and Hindu Ekta Aghadi leader Milind Ekbote for our alleged role in instigating or indulging vio- lence at Bhima-Koregaon. The allegation that riots took place at Bhima-Koregaon after my public speech is totally false. I have a strong to believe that a conspiracy has been hatched to malign me,” the Hindu leader. Meanwhile, NCP MP and Maratha warrior Chhatrapati ’s descendent Udayanraje Bhosale threw his weight behind Bhide Guruji, saying: “Bhide Guruji is father-like figure to me. I have huge respect for him. It does not behove well of any to speak against Bhide Guriji. In a related development, the Mumbai Police cancelled permission to a lecture pro- gram organised by Shivprathisthan at Lalbaug in south-central Mumbai on January 7.