Powertrip: What transpired in INDIA bloc meeting over ‘Hindi imposition’

Welcome to Powertrip, a newsletter exclusively curated for TNM Subscribers. In this issue, we talk about the showdown over Hindi imposition in the INDIA alliance meeting and anger against the DMK legal wing following Minister K Ponmudi’s conviction. To read Powertrip every week, subscribe to TNM now..Hindi imposition in INDIA alliance: What transpired The INDIA alliance witnessed an argument over Hindi ‘imposition’ at its recent meeting in Delhi. While mainstream newspapers reported about how there was a confrontation between Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who spoke in Hindi, and DMK’s TR Baalu, who objected, there’s a little more to the story. Sources tell TNM that when Nitish Kumar was speaking in Hindi, it was Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge who intervened. Kharge pointed out that there are leaders from other states who don’t understand Hindi and asked for a summary of his speech in English, which was the practice followed at earlier INDIA alliance meetings. It was then that Nitish Kumar got agitated, claiming Hindi is the national language – which is factually incorrect, it is one of the 22 official languages in India. It was only after Nitish Kumar made the ‘Hindi is our national language’ statement that DMK’s TR Baalu, CPI’s D Raja and MDMK’s Vaiko objected and a commotion erupted. Eventually, it was Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav who pacified Nitish Kumar and the others. The rest of the meeting continued in English, which was the practice in previous INDIA alliance meetings in Mumbai and Bengaluru. Anger against DMK’s legal wingAnger and dissatisfaction has been brewing against the DMK’s legal wing for several months now. The matter has now come to a head after the Higher Education Minister and deputy General Secretary of DMK K Ponmudi’s conviction in the disproportionate assets case, which has come as a huge blow to the party. The DMK legal wing is headed by R Viduthalai, who is President and NR Elango, who is secretary but Advocate General R Shanmugasundaram also has a lot of say in the party’s legal matters. Sources say many in the party are angry and disappointed because they believe the legal wing underestimated Justice G Jayachandran, the Madras High Court judge who pronounced the verdict. In political circles, Justice Jayachandran is rumoured to be someone with opposing political views. So given that Justice Jayachandran handles cases involving MPs and MLAs, the party’s legal wing should have considered the possibility of a conviction, say sources. But the legal team did not foresee any danger in the ruling. TNM has learnt that even a day before Ponmudi’s conviction, the legal team had confidently told the Minister that he was in the clear. With Ponmudi’s conviction and subsequent disqualification, a number of people in the DMK are now urging party leader and Chief Minister MK Stalin to take action. And it isn’t just the Ponmudi’s case, the legal wing has been under the scanner for several other cases too. We also hear that many have already taken it up with Stalin. Zero HourA political story of public importance‘Mr Apaman’: Jagdeep Dhankar is importing his Bengal politics to counter Opposition MP suspensions.The BJP wants the row over an alleged insult to the vice president to overshadow the fact that nearly the entire Opposition has been ejected from Parliament.PowermovesTop 5 political storiesNews laws give Modi govt sweeping powers over journalism, entertainment, and internetDecoding the implications of India's Telecom BillIn Kerala, Sangh Parivar nominees are entering varsity senates with Governor’s helpWhy DMK Minister K Ponmudy stands disqualified as an MLAEC guidelines for political parties not to use insulting references on PwDs

Powertrip: What transpired in INDIA bloc meeting over ‘Hindi imposition’

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