SWAMY SLAMS BISHOPS’ COUNCIL FOR SEEKING VOTES FOR DMK-CONG
Monday, 09 May 2016 | PNS | CHENNAI
The directives by the Tamil Nadu Bishops’ Council and Church of South India (CSI) asking the believers to extend support to the DMK-Congress alliance for the May 16 election to the State Assembly came under fire from senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy. Addressing an election rally at Madurai on Sunday, Swamy said, “Those who talk of secularism, is this a proper thing to do? This kind of politics will ruin the country.”
Condemning the statements issued by the Churches, Swamy said the BJP had not asked Sadhus or Monks or the Acharyas to appeal to the Hindus to vote for his party. “This is against all norms specified in the Representation of People’s Act and we will not hesitate to approach the Election Commission of India against the TNBC and the CSI,” said Swamy.
He said the BJP candidate at Royapuram in Chennai, R Jemeela, was denied entry into a church when she went for Sunday Mass. Swamy blamed the Church authorities for openly urging believers to cast votes for DMK-Congress alliance.
Launching a severe attack on both the AIADMK and the DMK which ruled the State for the last 50 years for not doing anything for the development of Tamil Nadu, Swamy said the legal war for raising the water level in Mullaperiyar Dam was waged by him in the Supreme Court. “The Supreme Court verdict for raising the water level in the Dam to 142 ft was delivered against the petition filed by me. But Jayalalithaa is claiming the credit for the same. Similarly I only got the Union Government to install a statue of freedom fighter Muthuramalinga Thevar at the Madurai airport. But Jayalalithaa claims that it was her work,” said the BJP leader accusing the AIADMK supremo for claiming credit for the works done by him.
Addressing a rally at Sriperumbudur late Saturday seeking votes for the BJP candidate M Manoharan, Swamy lambasted the Indian National Congress for fielding a candidate known for his LTTE affiliation. “Sriperumbudur is a place which bears painful memories of the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, a youthful former Prime Minister. The Congress has fielded Selva Perunthagai, a candidate who has dubious deals and ties with the LTTE. He is the same person who has criticised Indian Government for not being lenient to the LTTE terrorists. How is it possible for the Congress party to field such a candidate who has links with the assassins of Rajiv Gandhi?” asked Swamy.http://www.dailypioneer.com/nation/swamy-slams-bishops-council-for-seeking-votes-for-dmk-cong.html
MADURAI, May 9, 2016
Both AIADMK and DMK are corrupt, says Swamy
- STAFF REPORTER
ON HOME GROUND:Bharathiya Janata Party leader and Rajya Sabha member Subramanian Swamy addressing an election meeting in Madurai on Sunday.— Photo: R. Ashok
There was no difference between the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam when it came to corruption as both were highly corrupt, said Rajya Sabha member and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy here on Sunday.
Addressing a campaign meeting in support of BJP’s Madurai West candidate A. Sasikumar, Mr. Swamy said, “AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa will certainly be convicted by the Supreme Court in the disproportionate assets cases. Even people from the DMK like Kanimozhi and A. Raja cannot escape the law in the 2G case.”
Mr. Swamy also highlighted the corruption scandals against the Congress, including the AgustaWestland chopper scam and the National Herald case.
He contrasted this with the performance of the BJP government at the Centre. “Not a single corruption allegation has been made against the government or Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said.
He said that though there might be criticisms against the BJP government on issues like inflation and “inaction in bringing back the black money stashed in foreign countries”, the government still had three years to deliver.
However, conceding that either the DMK or the AIADMK was likely to come to power after the election, he said that at least a few representatives from the BJP should be sent to the Assembly.
Stating that he was not in favour of coalitions in Tamil Nadu, Mr. Swamy said that the BJP would contest alone in the next Parliamentary election.
Apparently in a bid to attract Thevar community vote bank in Madurai, Mr. Swamy said that he wanted Madurai airport to be named after Muthuramalinga Thevar, but the Congress government at the Centre did not allow.
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/both-aiadmk-and-dmk-are-corrupt-says-swamy/article8574911.ece
Chennai:
The Church of South India (CSI) has decided to support the DMK in the upcoming Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, after the latter agreed to fulfil the demands of the CSI community.
The demands include an assembly resolution to bring dalit Christians under the Scheduled Caste category, a government order to include converted Christians from MBC communities in their caste, government pay for teachers working in minority institutions appointed after 1990 (a demand earlier agreed by the DMK), at least 10% seats for Christian minorities to contest in elections, revocation of the property tax levied on minority institutions, protection from harassment by communal forces, and an immediate ban on liquor.
Informed sources said the council's decision came after a series of meetings in April. First, there were diocese-level meetings where local bishops collected opinions from the laity. The council then met in Madurai to review the opinion of various dioceses. The bishops council also had an ecumenical meeting with the CSI church to discuss their political stand.
"The DMK approached the council seeking its support and agreed to fulfil the demands of the church," said a priest from the Madurai archdiocese. On Tuesday, the Madurai archbishop and DMK leader M Karunanidhi, who was campaigning in Madurai, met and reached an agreement, he said.
The church has often taken a political stand during the elections. During the last parliamentary elections, the Catholic diocese of Kottar advised the community to vote for secular parties. When the spectrum scam and Eelam war became an issue in the 2011 assembly elections, the Tamil Nadu Bishop Council took a neutral stand and decided not to support any party and left the decision to the community to vote for secular parties.
Bishop Ezra Sargunam of the Evangelical Church of India has been openly supporting the DMK for long. On Tuesday's public meeting, he shared the dais with Karunanidhi.
The Latin Rite is biggest Christian denomination in the state, with 15 dioceses and two archdioceses in Chennai and Madurai. The CSI is next biggest, with eight dioceses. A majority of the Christians in the state come under the Catholic and CSI churches.
Source: Times of India Posted on May 4, 2016, 7:16 PM
http://www.ucanindia.in/news/dmk-agrees-to-fulfil-demands-of-csi-church/32100/daily
DMK agrees to fulfil demands of CSI church
 |
The Church of South India (CSI) has decided to support the DMK in the upcoming Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, after the latter agreed to fulfil the demands of the CSI community.
The demands include an assembly resolution to bring dalit Christians under the Scheduled Caste category, a government order to include converted Christians from MBC communities in their caste, government pay for teachers working in minority institutions appointed after 1990 (a demand earlier agreed by the DMK), at least 10% seats for Christian minorities to contest in elections, revocation of the property tax levied on minority institutions, protection from harassment by communal forces, and an immediate ban on liquor.
Informed sources said the council's decision came after a series of meetings in April. First, there were diocese-level meetings where local bishops collected opinions from the laity. The council then met in Madurai to review the opinion of various dioceses. The bishops council also had an ecumenical meeting with the CSI church to discuss their political stand.
"The DMK approached the council seeking its support and agreed to fulfil the demands of the church," said a priest from the Madurai archdiocese. On Tuesday, the Madurai archbishop and DMK leader M Karunanidhi, who was campaigning in Madurai, met and reached an agreement, he said.
The church has often taken a political stand during the elections. During the last parliamentary elections, the Catholic diocese of Kottar advised the community to vote for secular parties. When the spectrum scam and Eelam war became an issue in the 2011 assembly elections, the Tamil Nadu Bishop Council took a neutral stand and decided not to support any party and left the decision to the community to vote for secular parties.
Bishop Ezra Sargunam of the Evangelical Church of India has been openly supporting the DMK for long. On Tuesday's public meeting, he shared the dais with Karunanidhi.
The Latin Rite is biggest Christian denomination in the state, with 15 dioceses and two archdioceses in Chennai and Madurai. The CSI is next biggest, with eight dioceses. A majority of the Christians in the state come under the Catholic and CSI churches.
Source: Times of India Posted on May 4, 2016, 7:16 PM
http://www.ucanindia.in/news/dmk-agrees-to-fulfil-demands-of-csi-church/32100/daily