logo
EPS hosts dinner for party MLAs after AIADMK-BJP alliance; justifies decision for alliance

EPS hosts dinner for party MLAs after AIADMK-BJP alliance; justifies decision for alliance

CHENNAI: Ahead of the AIADMK district secretaries meeting on April 25 and executive committee meeting on May 2, party general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami hosted a dinner for party MLAs at his residence on Wednesday.
All MLAs, except senior leader KA Sengottaiyan, were present on the occasion. One MLA could not attend due to personal reasons.
Palaniswami hosted the dinner after the AIADMK and the BJP revived their alliance on April 11.
After the revival of ties with the BJP a few senior leaders had expressed displeasure over this development during internal meetings of the party.
Palaniswami, on Wednesday, is believed to have explained the reasons behind his decision to revive the alliance with the BJP. It may be noted that Palaniswami had been reiterating that unseating the DMK government in the 2026 Assembly election is the sole objective of the AIADMK, and to achieve this, he would align with all like-minded parties to consolidate anti-DMK votes.
AIADMK presidium chairman Thamizhmagan Hussain, senior leaders M Thambidurai, CVe Shanmugam, B Valarmathi and others were present.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

BJP partner TIPRA Motha demands Bihar-like SIR in Tripura
BJP partner TIPRA Motha demands Bihar-like SIR in Tripura

The Hindu

time30 minutes ago

  • The Hindu

BJP partner TIPRA Motha demands Bihar-like SIR in Tripura

The ruling BJP's key ally in Tripura, TIPRA Motha, on Wednesday (July 23, 2025) met officials of the Election Commission of India in New Delhi to push for a Bihar-like Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in the northeastern State. A delegation of the party, headed by its founder Pradyot Kishore Manikya, demanded an extensive survey to identify the illegal voters on the electoral rolls. 'We have been affected and will be more if measures are not in place to identify and deport foreigners. We find the SIR exercise effective in Bihar, and it should be undertaken in Tripura as well,' Mr. Manikya said. 'Tripura and the entire northeast would suffer if we stayed silent on the infiltration of foreigners,' he stated. Mr. Manikya was joined by two Ministers in the State Cabinet – Animesh Debbarma and Brishaketu Debbarma, and the party's firebrand MLA, Ranjit Debbarma. The BJP, which differs with the regional party on some issues, did not respond to the alliance partner's latest move. The TIPRA founder clarified that they would not stay silent and would continue to press the demand. He commented that the indigenous native people would become further marginalised if appropriate steps are not taken. 30-33% of the population of Tripura is of indigenous people. Twenty of the sixty Assembly seats are reserved for the tribal, while the tribal autonomous district council has a 95% reservation for the ST people. TIPRA Motha rose to the political landscape for its contentious Greater Tipraland demand, a theoretical State for the tribal people with areas carved out of Assam, Mizoram and even the hills of Bangladesh. The party has been getting support from the indigenous community in every election held over the past few years, but it has come under sharp criticism from the opposition CPI(M) and the Congress for not working for the development of the tribes, despite being in power in the autonomous district council and an alliance partner of the ruling coalition.

Trump vs Columbia: Ivy league school to pay $200 million in landmark settlement; campus protests curbed
Trump vs Columbia: Ivy league school to pay $200 million in landmark settlement; campus protests curbed

Time of India

time35 minutes ago

  • Time of India

Trump vs Columbia: Ivy league school to pay $200 million in landmark settlement; campus protests curbed

Columbia University will now be paying more than $220 million along with making major policy changes as part of a settlement with the Trump administration. The deal follows allegations of civil rights violations and claims the university failed to protect Jewish students from discrimination, as reported exclusively by the New York Post. The Ivy League university will also be subjected to federal oversight, with independent monitoring in place to ensure it adheres to merit-based admissions and hiring processes. The agreement follows four months of negotiations and comes amid mounting pressure on elite universities like Harvard, which has taken the administration to court over the loss of $2.6 billion in funding linked to similar issues. As part of the settlement, Columbia will pay $200 million to the federal government to resolve discrimination claims and a further $20 million to Jewish staff who were reportedly targeted during anti-semitic protests on campus in the wake of the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel. The Trump administration is touting the payout as the largest of its kind in nearly two decades under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. As per a source cited by the New York Post, when the government pulled $400 million from Columbia in March, it put billions more in research and other funding at risk. The deal mandates that Columbia dismantle any programmes that discriminate based on race, bringing it in line with the Supreme Court's 2023 ruling that banned race-based affirmative action. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Could Be the Best Time to Trade Gold in 5 Years IC Markets Learn More Undo by Taboola by Taboola It will also create new faculty positions aimed at boosting intellectual diversity and overhaul its approach to discipline, removing oversight from the faculty senate and placing it under the Provost's Office. The settlement includes strong security provisions too. Columbia must coordinate with the NYPD to prevent incidents like the 2024 occupation of Hamilton Hall and impose a blanket ban on masked protests. Disciplinary action has already been taken, with dozens of students suspended, penalised, or expelled over recent anti-Israel demonstrations. In a further move likely to fuel debate, the university's admissions office will now vet international applicants more closely, requiring them to disclose their reasons for studying in the US, data that will be shared with federal authorities. Columbia will also report disciplinary actions for visa-holding students under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVIS) and reduce reliance on international enrolment. Several academic departments and international centres, including the Center for Palestine Studies and the Middle East Institute, will now come under close scrutiny by a newly created senior vice provost role, aimed at ensuring ideological balance and compliance with federal rules. The school will also align with Title IX standards by ending policies that allow biological men to compete in women's sports or use women's facilities. Most of the $400 million in previously frozen federal funding will be restored once Columbia meets all conditions of the agreement. The resolution will remain in effect for three years, with a compliance monitor issuing twice-yearly updates on progress. 'This agreement marks an important step forward after a period of sustained federal scrutiny and institutional uncertainty,' said acting president Claire Shipman. 'The settlement was carefully crafted to protect the values that define us and allow our essential research partnership with the federal government to get back on track. Importantly, it safeguards our independence, a critical condition for academic excellence and scholarly exploration, work that is vital to the public interest.' Leaked details from the talks suggest that Columbia agreed to release internal admissions and hiring data and accept the $200 million fine to avoid further loss of research funding. In March, the White House issued nine key demands as a prerequisite for federal support, including enforcement of institutional neutrality and academic diversity. The final deal explicitly bans the use of diversity narratives or racial identity statements in applications, in a move likely to send ripples through higher education. The conflict has led to dramatic leadership changes at Columbia. President Minouche Shafik stepped down in August 2024 amid escalating protests. Her interim successor, Katrina Armstrong, was removed just seven months later after publicly supporting the administration's mask ban, while privately assuring faculty she wouldn't enforce it. She has now been replaced by Shipman, whose past private messages questioning fears of anti-semitism and pushing to remove the only Jewish board member and quick appointment of an 'Arab' member instead,have triggered a congressional investigation. Republican lawmakers are currently reviewing whether new laws are needed to hold university leadership more accountable, amid growing concerns over campus anti-semitism and ideological bias.

14% to 36%: Govt initiatives help increase participation of UP women in labour force
14% to 36%: Govt initiatives help increase participation of UP women in labour force

Time of India

timean hour ago

  • Time of India

14% to 36%: Govt initiatives help increase participation of UP women in labour force

1 2 3 Lucknow: The participation of women in Uttar Pradesh's labour force increased from 14% in 2017-18 to 36% in 2023-24, according to the recently released Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) Index report. A govt spokesperson said: "Over the past seven years, the state govt made continuous efforts to create a safe, respectful, and productive work environment for women. From improving women's safety and launching the Mission Shakti programme, to giving women priority in govt jobs, allowing them to work night shifts, and increasing job opportunities in industries, women have been placed at the centre of all policy decisions. " The WEE report states that India's female labour force participation rate in 2023-24 was 45%, while in UP it was 36%. In 2017-18, when BJP came to power in the state, UP's rate was 14%, against the national average of 25%. The official said that a major reason for the progress was Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's efforts in ensuring that the several pro-women schemes launched by the Centre were implemented properly in the state. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 15 most beautiful women in the world Undo "UP govt took several landmark decisions to enhance women's participation in the industrial workforce and empower them economically. Recently, the govt allowed women to work in all 29 categories of factories that were earlier classified as hazardous and prohibited for female workers across the country. Initially, conditional permission was given for only 12 categories," the spokesperson said. He added that the state govt also permitted women to work night shifts, provided employers arrange proper safety, transportation, food, and rest facilities for them. As per the labour and employment department, women now account for 53% of registrations on the e-Shram portal, and 34.65% of workers in the construction sector are women. The govt also helped form over 10 lakh self-help groups, connecting more than 1 crore women with income-generating activities, which boosted women's entrepreneurship and self-reliance across both urban and rural areas.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store