Edition 4 Page 1_Layout 1 3/10/2021 10:51 AM Page 1 Volume No 21 Issue No 4 March 05, 2021 LAB JOURNAL OF THE ASIAN COLLEGE OF JOURNALISM Decision in the Despite ban, Robot duo band right ‘Disha’ scavengers die ends with a bang Page 2 Page 3 Page 5 ‘Third Front will have no impact in TN’ Delhi struggles as R SAI VENKATESH Srinivasan, a senior journalist the Dravidian parties but it could from the Madras Union of Journa - not form the government. “Even I CHENNAI: No third front can lists (MUJ), said that an anti in - was under the assumption that split the votes of Dravidian parties cumbency factor would go against MNM would eat all DMK-Con - LPG cost increases in the April 6 State Assembly elec - the AIADMK government. “People gress votes in 2019 general elec - tions and shake the Dravidian do - frustrated with ten years of the H tions. Instead, they consumed about PALLAVI KESWANI and vegetables. “We either eat daal S minance in Tamil Nadu, say AIADMK government shall look E 1,50,000 of our votes in South (lentils), or one vegetable dish with T political observers. to vote for the DMK- Congress- A Chennai,” he said. DELHI: Burdened, for over a chapati. Can’t afford to spend on K Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Left party alliance this time”, he N While the major competition is month, by the consistent hike in both at the same time,” he explains. E V Maiam (MNM) is looking to lead said. I still between the AIADMK and the prices of domestic and commercial Sourish Das (37), a vegetable A S other parties like the Indhiya Jana - “The vote share of the DMK al - DMK, other parties like the Amma LPG (cooking gas) cylinders, citi - vendor, is facing a similar situation, R nayaga Katchi (IJK) and the All liance, arising from anti incum - : Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam zens of Delhi are adopting inge - after he stopped receiving subsidy. S T India Samathuva Makkal Katchi bency is what the third front shall I (AMMK) consider DMK to be the nious methods to conserve cooking “We are already living hand to D (AISMK) under a third front to vic - cut into,” said Durai Karuna, senior E common enemy. gas. mouth. I just tell my wife to use gas R tory, without any alliance with the journalist and political commenta - C After V.K. Sasikala’s decision to By making adjustments in the as minimally as possible,” says O Dravidian parties, the All India tor . T resign from politics, there is specu - monthly budget, changes in daily Das. “In winters we were in a bad O Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazha - However, Srinivasan insisted H lation that the AMMK may join the diet, and using domestic cylinders situation because everything takes gam (AIADMK) and the DMK. that third fronts had always lacked P AIADMK alliance to fight the for commercial purposes, people time to heat up so we were running The DMK and the AIADMK se - strong foundation to steal Dravi - DMK. Also, the AISMK founder R. are attempting to out of cooking PHOTO CREDITS: PALLAVI KESWANI cured 70 percent of the votes in the dian votes. “Third fronts fail be - Sarathkumar’s visit to Sasikala’s cope with the gas fast, I hope 2016 assembly elections (30 and 40 cause they are announced months Candidates filing nomination at the AMMK office residence raised eyebrows. LPG cylinder the situation gets percent respectively). The two par - before the poll. This election, the AMMK’s Union Secretary, prices that went better in the co - ties have alternately ruled Tamil third front might win close to 15 DMDK was able to grab about 9 infrastructure is so strong in rural Madhusudhan, stated, “Our leader up thrice in Fe - ming months,” Nadu for several decades from the percent votes, even if Vijaykanth’s percent of votes in 2006, its popu - areas where Kamal can never pe - (Dinakaran) has plans to make the bruary, in Delhi. adds Das. time the DMK-led coaliton ousted Desiaya Murpokku Dravida Kaz - larity declined after 2011 and the netrate,” she added. AMMK contest independently in From March 1, The effect of the Congress in 1967. In 1972, the hagam (DMDK) joins them. In the party never won a single seat after Thus, even as statements from all 234 constituencies.” However the price of a price rise has DMK split and the AIADMK was next elections, they can win, provi - forming the Makkal Nala Kootani, leaders like P Chidambaram, clai - an ex-MLA from the party, M Ko - 14.2 kg domes - also been felt se - formed. ded they continue doing good work another third front, in 2016 elec - ming that the third front would fa - mugi Maniyan, before Sasikala an - tic LPG cylinder verely by small- However, with the demise of without splitting,” he added. tions. vour the AIADMK- BJP alliance nounced her resignation, hinted at was hiked by scale AIADMK leader J. Jayalalithaa, it Senior journalist Lakshmi Su - According to her, to form the float around, senior BJP leader and a possibility of forming an alliance Rs. 25, and that commercial con - is doubtful if her party which has bramanian also seconds Sriniva - majority in TN, a party has to bag East Division secretary Sree Sai with anyone fighting the DMK. of commercial sumers of LPG been ruling the state for two conse - san’s argument and recalls the rural votes. “While Kamal is popu - Sathyan, has dismissed such “We do not have a problem with a LPG cylinder by cylinders. Pa - cutive terms since 2011, will win failure of third fronts in TN . She lar among urban masses, in South claims. He said the third front coalition as long as DMK remains Rs. 95, bringing winder Kaur again, say observers. stated that while Vijaykanth’s Chennai predominantly, the DMK would leave an equal dent on both the enemy,” he said. the prices to Rs. (26), a street 819 and Rs. food vendor, 1,614 respecti - says that a 14.2 vely. LPG cylinders are becoming kg cylinder Sameer unaffordable for people lasts for only Kerala health workers Kumar (39), a bank clerk, has had about 3 to 4 days. However, at to cut back on daily travel expendi - steep prices, Kaur cannot afford to wary of vaccine shots Covid clusters in Bengaluru ture to accommodate the price rise. get it refilled so frequently. “I use S.N.THYAGARAJAN ficer, BBMP, said “We don’t plan xes tend to assume that all the re - “We can’t just stop eating food. Gas one of the domestic cylinders that R KAMALA MENON 0.6 per cent. According to the ex - to introduce fresh regulations in sidents are from their bio-bubble, will be consumed, so I have stop - get delivered to my grandmother’s perts, this is due to the Covid 19 BENGALURU: The residents apartment complexes, the guide - however this is usually not the ped taking my car to the office and house each month, that way I don’t MALAPPURAM: Several peo - vaccination drive that started on Ja - of apartment complexes here feel lines of the Ministry of Home Af - case. Many residents go to offi - instead travel by bus,” he says. “I have to pay the commercial rate,” ple have not registered to get vac - nuary 16. that cluster outbreaks of COVID- fairs (MHA) in this respect are ces, many of them even have cannot afford to spend on expen - says Kaur. To avoid suspicion over cinated because of reluctance, "It is a bit early to make official 19 can be avoided only if the Bru - exhaustive.” Some RWAs have guests from outside of the State. sive petrol as well as expensive the fact that a domestic LPG cylin - health issues, rumours about the statements but it is definite that the hat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike become complacent in enforcing In both the cluster outbreaks it has cooking gas,” Kumar explains. der is getting consumed so fast, vaccine’s efficacy and technical percentage of Covid cases in Ke - (BBMP) and Resident Welfare these rules in the last few months. been established that the virus Raj Bala (48), a housewife, has Kaur gets it refilled illegally. “I difficulties with the app used for re - rala among the health workers has Associations (RWAs) work in BBMP officials have said that spread from a person who trave - resorted to using electrical stoves to have to pay Rs. 150 more than the gistration, according to medical ex - gone down to 40 per cent after they tandem. the cluster outbreak should only led to Karnataka from outside,” conserve gas. “For heating up food market price to the boy who deli - perts, were vaccinated," said Dr. Arun N While some RWAs have ban - be attributed to persons who or - said Dr.Rajkumar, while referring items or making tea, I use the in - vers the cylinder to me,” explains “With the efficacy of the vaccine M, an infectious disease expert. As ned gatherings in their apartment ganised the gatherings and not the to the second cluster outbreak in duction stove,” she says. Kaur. Ravi Dubey (38), another not being ensured and side-effects much as 93.84 per cent of the complex, many of them organise RWAs. Dr. Bhaskar Rajkumar, February where 26 people were The situation is worse for those street vendor, explains that there is being reported, I am not ready to health workers received the first such events and actively encou - Officer on Special Duty at BBMP infected. domestic users, who were only able no scope for saving gas, “The uten - get vaccinated,” said a frontline dose, according to official reports.