These numbers very clearly give the lie to claims that local talent is being given short shrift in the job market. The politics of parochialism unleashed by Raj Thackeray and the MNS has become so competitive that every party in the state, from the Shiv Sena to the Congress, has felt compelled to play the sons-of-the-soil card.

On Monday, the Vilasrao Deshmukh government reiterated an old government resolution (GR) seeking to reserve 50% of supervisory positions and 80% of junior-level jobs for locals in units ranging from small to large.

Representatives of the Trinamool, Naxalites, the Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) and the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights summarily rejected Dunlop chairman Pawan Kumar Ruia’s decision taken in consultation with the CPI-backed Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and the Congress-backed Indian Trade Union Congress (INTUC). Tapan Dasgupta, leader of the Trinamool Trade Union Congress, said: “Didi (party chief Mamata Banerjee) has asked us to oppose the injustice meted out to workers.”

Ruia, however, claimed the employees supported the agreement. CITU union general secretary Dipankar Roy said, “About 300 workers have communicated to the personnel manager that they are in support of the agreement, preferring it to suspension of work.”

Announcing the expulsion, BSP national general secretary Satish Chandra Misra said it had been found that Singh had joined the BSP after leaving Congress
in August with some “ulterior motives.”

Singh, who was expelled from the Congress, had started indulging in acts of indiscipline after finding that his plans did not fructify, Mishra said.

“Natwar Singh who had been active in politics and in Congress for a long time was told at the time of joining that BSP was not like any other party”, Misra said adding that he was told that the party attached great importance to discipline as well as faith and dedication towards the BSP movement.

He said such unilateral strikes harmed efforts to win hearts and minds of the people. The US should equip Pakistan with advanced weapons to help its forces fight terrorists more effectively. President Zardari said Pakistan received “no prior notice” of the air strikes and he disapproved of them. “If the casualties are women and children, the sensitivity of its effect increases,” he said.

He said the US “point of view” was that the attacks were good for everybody, while “our point of view is that it is not good for our position of winning the hearts and minds of people”.

“This morning the entire A-32 road and Pooneryn was captured by our security forces,” the president said. “On this occasion, I ask (Tiger chief Velupillai) Prabhakaran to lay down and immediately come for talks. The best thing he can do for the (Tamil) people in the north is to lay down arms and surrender,” he added. The defence ministry described Saturday’s capture of Pooneryn as the “greatest feat against terrorists” along the island’s northwestern seaboard. The ministry said troops were closing in on the town of Kilinochchi, the political capital of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) further south.

The ministry, however, has made repeated claims in recent months that Kilinochchi was about to fall. There was no immediate comment from the Tigers, who had said security forces had moved deep into territory held by them in the northern parts of the country since mid-2007.

The sessions court, however, released the MNS chief on personal bond of Rs 50,000, saying Raj had been booked under bailable offences only. The court refused to grant transit remand of Raj to prosecution saying that the required documents have not been submitted by Jamshedpur authorities. Following today’s court decision, Raj would not be required to appear before the Jamshedpur court by the November 17 deadline.

Incidentally, unlike in October when MNS activists went on a rampage all over Maharashtra following Thackeray’s arrest, the legal formality against him on Saturday passed off peacefully with a token police presence around the court premises. An MNS office-bearer said the party would seek a transfer of all these cases to a single court in Jharkhand or in Mumbai.

“There is a great deal of ideological differences between the SP and the Bharatiya Janshakti Party,” he told a press conference here.

The SP leader said if Bharti, a former BJP leader, was the South Pole of Indian politics, he was its North Pole.

He said there were ideological similarities between BJP and Bharti’s party. Just as the SP would never join hands with the BJP, it will never ally with Uma’s party also.

The SP leader said the BJP had “used” Uma Bharti for winning the December 2003 Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh and after coming to power, it dumped her.

Asked if Bharti would emerge as a third force in Madhya Pradesh, Singh said he did not know whether that will happen, but she will surely emerge as a force to reckon with in the state, where the politics has been dominated till now by two parties – BJP and Congress.

The SP said he had lot of affection for Bharti who also held him in high regard. Singh said he was confident that Uma would harm the BJP’s poll prospects in a big way.

The video clip, shot by an unknown person from a mobile phone has both mystified and embarrassed the party as it was repeatedly flashed across television channels on Friday afternoon. Top office-bearers of his Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) fumbled for a convincing explanation at the sudden development, which has caught the party by surprise.

“We have a lot of north Indian activists in the MNS and it must have been brought by one such activist, but we cannot recollect who,” party vice-president Vageesh Saraswat said on Friday afternoon. He claimed that the word ‘Bhaiya’ on the cake probably meant that Raj Thackeray was like the elder brother of the person who presented it, and “it should not be construed that we are against north Indians.” “Moreover, something is always inscribed on any cake as per the occasion. This time, it was ‘Bhaiya’ since a north Indian party worker brought the cake. It was not intended to spread hatred against anybody,” Saraswat emphasised. He reiterated that the party’s agitation was concerning opportunities for Marathi-speaking people and not against north Indians settled in the state.

Hillary is known to be reluctant on setting a date for US troop withdrawal from Iraq but in India she is seen as a friend and her appointment would be widely welcomed. This largely because it was husband the former president Bill Clinton who opened a dialogue after the series of nuclear tests and took India’s side during the Kargil war. Hillary draws strong political and financial support from the 2 million strong Indian American community in the US.

They will be a solid foundation if she makes another bid for the presidency in the future She has called for India and the US to work together against terrorism and building democracy in Pakistan and also has called for an Indian role in issues ranging from globalization to non proliferation.

Pirates caught redhanded by one of Her Majesty’s warships after trying to hijack a cargo ship off Somalia made the grave mistake of opening fire on two Royal Navy assault craft packed with commandos armed with machineguns and SA80 rifles.

more at http://www.techlondon.co.uk/2008/11/royal-navy-somali-pirates-fight.html

Justice Nadira Pathariya passed the order eight months after Dalmiya, a former BCCI president, moved a case of perjury against Pawar and Board officials and prayed for criminal proceedings against them for allegedly producing false documents in court.

The court passed the ex parte order and directed the Registrar (Original side) to initiate criminal proceedings under section 195 of CR P C (prosecution for contempt of lawful authority of public servants for offences against public justice and for offences relating to documents given in evidence), at an appropriate court.

Adityanath made the statement after reports that a second Hindu spiritual leader will be questioned in connection with the blasts on September 29. Sources in the ATS, which is investigating the blasts, say the spiritual leader is from Uttar Pradesh. The ATS has sought the Uttar Pradesh government’s cooperation in its investigation and secured court permission to question this “high-profile” person.

“We deeply regret the Indian side’s remarks, that take no regard of the historical facts,” Qin said when asked to comment on Mukherjee’s comments on Sunday in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh. “China and India have never officially settled demarcation of borders, and China’s stance on the eastern section of China-India borders is consistent and clear-cut,” Qin said at a regular bi-weekly news briefing.

“The current Chinese government, as well as previous ones, has never recognized the illegal “McMahon Line,” the official Xinhua news agency quoted Qin as saying.

The session jumped right off with Heilemann saying the Internet played a disruptive role in the 2008 election in the same way television played a disruptive role in the 1960 election of John F. Kennedy to president. Neither medium was new in the respective elections, but both “came of age” and swung the election towards the winning candidate. Kennedy, in particular, used television ads extensively in his campaign to reach the American voters directly, and embraced simple things like makeup:

“There is absolutly no truth in her allegations,” said AICC spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan. “Congress leader Alva’s charges are not baseless. They should be probed,” said Congress leader Yogendra Makhawana.

The Congress is trying hard to stem such indiscipline. But the irony is, she has only said what Rahul Gandhi has said before – family can’t be bigger than the party. Therefore, the disciplinary proceedings are being carried out at an informal level. Her complaint which names Congress leaders like Arjun Singh and Motilal Vohra, whose sons have got tickets, is expected to be given a silent burial.

View GOOD Sheet: The First 100 Days

On October 31, the mob led by Madhav Singh, Purnea district president of central minister Ramvilas Pawan’s LJP, surrounded Thackeray’s office in Purnia, about 350 km from here, and shouted slogans like “Go back Maharashtrians” and “Officer go back, we do not need your services”. Officials in the district administration said the police have lodged an FIR against Singh, accused him of inciting the crowd on the basis of language, caste and religion.

“A case was lodged against Singh under section 153 A of the IPC (Indian Penal Code), a non bailable (offence),” a police official said. Police officials said that action against Singh was initiated following an intelligence report that indicted him. The district administration also seized CDs from the local TV channel for evidence that Singh incited the mob against Ashwini Dattarey Thackeray for her being a Maharashtrian. Her security was tightened after the incident.

“She has been provided full security,” an official said, adding it was the first time that a government official from Maharashtra has been targeted since protests against the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) began last month in the state.

A group of ABVP activists had gone on a rampage at Delhi University on Thursday, vandalising the venue of a seminar in protest against the presence of S A R Geelani, who was acquitted in the Parliament attack case, and spat on him. Around 50 youths damaged property and hurled abuses at Geelani at the seminar on ‘Communalism, Fascism and Democracy, Rhetoric and Reality’, disrupting the programme briefly.

The party, however, said that the protest by the student body could have been “more hygienic.”

Earlier, Shiv Sena activists set ablaze the head office of the Rashtrawadi Sena in Shahadra in Delhi. According to the Shiv Sena North India chief Sandip Kulkarni the office was set ablaze in retaliation to Monday’s attack on the Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi. “It was a spontaneous reaction by Sainiks angered by the insult of the Sena leaders by Rashtravadi Shiv Sena. It was a befitting reply to those who attacked the Maharashtra Sadan,” Kulkarni said.

He also accused Goyal of trying to “unnecessarily” blame the Shiv Sena in the Marathi-North Indian row. Rashtravadi Sena, which was formed to counter Shiv Sena’s anti-north Indian stand, had attacked Maharashtra Sadan on Monday and demanded arrest of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray under the National Security Act.

Rai, who is a supporter of the BJS breakaway faction led by Prahlad Patel, was asking people to come out of the meeting which annoyed Bharti, sources said. Bharti asked Rai to get down from his car and slapped him twice in front of people and party workers.

However, Bharti later told a press conference that Rai was like her brother and she had a right to “love or hit him”. Rai, who was also present at the press conference, said Bharti was like his elder sister and she had the right to “beat him or love him”.

“Indians should celebrate change in the political structure of the US. Obama’s presidency begins a new chapter in America’s political history, a new chapter in America’s engagement with the world and a great opportunity for India to combat terrorism in its region,” said Chintamani Mahapatra, professor of American studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University. “I visualise a very bright future for India-US relations. He would be the first Democratic president in the White House after Bill Clinton who began the path-breaking turnaround in India-US ties during his visit to India in 2000. He will build upon that legacy,” Mahapatra said.

Less than a fortnight ago, the 47-year-old Obama had promised to make strong strategic partnership with India a “top priority” of his presidency and described New Delhi as “a natural strategic partner” for Washington in the 21st century. Obama, who liked to keep Mahatma Gandhi’s portrait in his Senate office, is also known among Indian-Americans for his fondness for Indian dal. Obama has, accused Pakistan of misusing funds for the war against terror and allegedly using it to fund militancy against India – remarks which were hailed in India’s diplomatic and strategic circles. With the global financial crisis affecting emerging economies like India, Obama’s advocacy of a stricter oversight on the financial institutions and greater state interventionism also inspires greater confidence in this country, said Mahapatra.

Not all are so enthusiastic about the Obama presidency in India though. The diplomatic establishment and strategic circles are treading cautiously, especially after Obama’s recent remarks on Kashmir, which they see as a throwback to American postures 10 years ago. In an interview last week, Obama had said: “We should probably try to facilitate a better understanding between Pakistan and India and try to resolve the Kashmir crisis so that they can stay focused not on India, but on the situation with those militants.”

Another issue that is causing concern in India is Obama’s incentives to American companies who don’t outsource jobs. “This is certainly going to affect us if Obama’s policies turn protectionist. Given the financial meltdown, there is a greater likelihood of protectionism,” Ghosh said. Mansingh also sees a potential pitfall in Obama’s strong views on non-proliferation and Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). “India will be under enormous pressure to sign the CTBT,” pointed out Mansingh.

Citing the current violence in Indian-occupied Kashmir, Mr Haroon said the occupation forces had brutally killed innocent protesters. The Kashmiri political leadership has been put behind bars to silence their call for freedom. Such actions, he said, created tension and aggravated the situation on the ground. Mr Haroon exercised his right of reply to a statement by Indian delegate Rajeev Shukla claiming Kashmir to be a part of India, and insisting that an earlier speech by the Pakistani ambassador amounted to “unwarranted” interference in the Indian internal affairs and that it was also “factually incorrect”.

Mr Shukla said: “The people of Jammu and Kashmir exercised their right to self-determination at the time of India’s independence and have since then repeatedly participated in free, fair and open elections at all levels. In contrast, Pakistan pretends to be concerned over human rights, yet denied even a semblance of such rights to the people of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.”

In a hard-hitting response, Mr Haroon said the Indian claims about Kashmiris’ exercise of the right to self-determination through elections had been rejected not only by the UN Security Council but also by the people of Kashmir. “The current response to announcing elections is in front of the whole world. The Kashmiri leadership has once again rejected the so-called elections, they have been put behind bars, and widespread protests in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir are going on”.

As regards human rights violations, Mr Haroon said Pakistan had only echoed what had been said and reported both by the international and Indian human rights non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and media about Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir. “*Pakistan remains committed to the ongoing dialogue between the two countries* and considers it an important vehicle for promotion of cooperative and good neighbourly relations as well as peace and security in the region. It is, however, important that the process of engagement produce results in addressing the outstanding issues. It should move from a stage of conflict management to conflict resolution,” he added.

An improvement in the human rights situation in the Indian-occupied Kashmir, he said, would facilitate and enhance the dialogue process between India and Pakistan. He called upon all parties to seize the opportunity provided by the ongoing dialogue to find a negotiated settlement on the Jammu and Kashmir issue.

Note: I’ve highlighted the specific terms that I found very interesting – coming from the representative of a country that:

1. Is on the brink of economic collapse
2. Is on the brink of radical anarchy
3. Is not in full control over 100% of it’s own territory
4. Talks about human rights when they are regularly violated within the same state
5. Talks about achieving peace and on the other hand regularly violates the cross-border peace agreement with India

On Tuesday the apex court had observed that if there was a “political will” such hate campaign would not occur in the country. It had also cited Article 355 to drive home the point that the Union government had adequate powers to give necessary directions to the State to prevent such incidents. The bench of Justices Aggrawal and Singhvi said it would hear the matter along with another related PIL which had earlier sought appropriate directions to the government to ensure that the country’s unity was not threatened by vested interests fomenting regional chauvinism. Incidentally, the apex court had directed the petitioners in both cases to suitably amend their petition and come before it when the matter is taken up for further hearing.

During the brief arguments on Thursday, the petitioner, Sanjeev Kumar Singh, submitted that he was compelled to approach the Supreme Court as the authorities in Maharashtra had failed to respond to his request for providing adequate protection to north Indians in the state. “When I made representation to all senior officials including the Mumbai police commissioner, I was threatened that I would meet the same fate if I do not get out of the place,” Singh told the bench after being asked as to why he did not approach the authorities concerned with his plea.

Karunanidhi also questioned the rationale behind Brahmins wearing sacred thread. “What is the need for these things in a country that has accepted all religions and preached equality of the same,” he asked in a poem penned by him in the wake of caste-related violence in Madurai yesterday in which one person was killed in police firing. In the poem, Karunanidhi described truth as God, adding that all people were equal before God and described as “ignorance” those who were not aware of it.

He had on earlier occasions also ridiculed the practice of smearing ash or saffron on the forehead. The DMK chief had made similar remarks on certain other Hindu customs earlier and described Hindus as “robbers”. But later he clarified that he meant Hindus were robbers “who stole hearts”. In the height of the Sethusamudram controversy, he had described Lord Ram as a “drunkard” and wondered whether he was a qualified engineer to have built the Ramasethu.

Mr Karunanidhi, you seem to have conveniently forgotten that – regardless of whether the country is secular or not – one does not pass unnecessary comments upon others’ religious beliefs needlessly. Interestingly, if you could be sane enough to listen, in a secular country, one does not need reservation either – don’t you agree?

The paper decried the hue and cry raised over the mob lynching of Dharam Dev in a local train recently and said, “This episode had nothing to do with Marathi-Bihari divide as was projected by some elements. In Mumbai’s local trains hundreds of such incidents take place daily and even Marathi people too get beaten up.”

The paper also condemned the reported attack on a Marathi woman IAS officer named Ashvini Thakre in Poorniya district of Bihar and said not a single Bihari leader spoke against it. “These pseudo secularists are comfortable in the company of Imam of Jama Masjid or Muslim league. But they hate the nationalist Shiv Sena,” it alleged. “When Bihar was ravaged by the fury of Kosi in spate, help reached there from Mumbai. A medical team went to Bihar and one Dr. Chandrakant Patil died there while discharging his duty towards the hapless Biharis,” it added.

“If she (Pragya) wishes, our party will field her from any seat in Madhya Pradesh against the BJP,” BJS National Secretary Inder Prajapat told reporters. “We had a discussion with Sadhvi Pragya’s lawyer in this regard and if she agrees then the party would consider fielding her against any powerful leader of the BJP,” he said.

Strongly defending Sadhvi, Prajapat said that she was “totally innocent” and it was a conspiracy to frame her with political motives and to defame the saint community. “We hope that people’s court will ultimately acquit her in the case,” he said.

Chhath is now being celebrated in Bihar. The resignations will take place after November 15 as Lalu wants to give about a week’s time to all the political parties after Chhath is over. Clad in white kurta-payjama and surrounded by party leaders and workers, Lalu launched a scathing attack on Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray and Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray for repeated attacks on north Indians. “Attacks and killing are handiwork of communal forces like MNS and Shiv Sena,” he said.

On the all party Bihar delegation last month that met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and submitted a memorandum for action against MNS and Raj Thackeray, Lalu said that it was the right time to show a united face of Bihar to send a strong message that Bihar will not tolerate any such incident in future. He announced launching of an all party agitation on the issue of Bihari ‘asmita’ (honour). “We will take to streets in and outside Bihar to warn element like MNS and Shiv Sena,” he said.

He made it clear that he along with all of his party’s 24 MPs, 4 Rajya Sabha MPs, and 55 legislators including his wife Rabri Devi, who is leader of opposition in Bihar assembly, would resign along with other MPs and legislators belonging to other parties and Independents. “It is for other parties to decide and ensure resignation of their MPs and legislators. My party MPs and legislators would resign on the issue,” Lalu said.

“It (terror attack) again highlights the issue of Bangladeshi illegal immigrants in the country,” said in Delhi. “I believe that these blasts are symbolic of the sense of insecurity in the country. This also proves the total failure of the government in combating terrorism,” said Advani while alleging that the UPA administration was “soft” on terror.

The BJP has been criticising the government, saying it was not taking effective steps to stop illegal immigrants from Bangladesh “involved in operating (terrorist) sleeper cells in various parts of India”.

Dal chief HS Dhami said the government should have rules to curb this influx. Protestors carried placards and put up hoardings which read, ‘Return Migrants, Save Punjab’ and ‘Punjab for Punjabis’.

The Dal also wants a law to limit the percentage of jobs for non-Punjabis in all enterprises, private and public. Dhami said about 13 lakh migrants are working in the state at present while about 15 lakh Punjabis are unemployed.

The development came after indications started reaching Hyderabad that the Congress leadership may be seriously thinking about taking a decision on Telangana and chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy was summoned to Delhi – for the second time in three days – to discuss Telangana matters. On Monday, Y S R Reddy had convinced Sonia Gandhi that a resolution in the Andhra Pradesh assembly agreeing in principle to the formation of a Telangana state would be enough to take care of the party’s interest in the forthcoming elections but two days later obviously this is not being considered as going far enough. “Y S R Reddy has told Madam that he would be able to deliver two-thirds of the Lok Sabha seats from Andhra Pradesh in the elections. Even though Madam felt this was an overestimate, she felt that YSR would be able to win half of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state,” a top-level source told The Times of India.

The Congress’s interests have been lately jeopardized by the support announced by the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to the Telangana cause on Gandhi Jayanti day. The TDP now wants to tie up with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) – the estranged partner of the Congress – for the 2009 elections. The new interest taken by the Congress party headquarters is mainly because of this development which now threatens to adversely affect the party’s prospects.

It is understood that the Muslim group that has now rushed to Delhi is selling the line that Hindutva elements would have a chance to entrench themselves in Telangana and therefore its formation must be opposed. As an indicator of the shape of things if a new state is formed, they cite the Vatoli incident of last fortnight in which a family of six Muslims was beaten and burned to death in a Telangana village. “That is why the BJP is so keen for a new state of Telangana” is what some Muslim leaders argue.

“First and second offence would attract a penalty of Rs 10,000. The third time, the offender would be prosecuted,” Labour Minister, B N Bachche Gowda, said. The penalty used to be just Rs 100 before — something that people could take quite lightly. While some say Rs 10,000 is too heavy, others say it’s important for the proper implementation of the order. A lot expressed their discontent over the use of a regional language, especially in a cosmopolitan city like Bangalore.

The last few months have seen quite a few shops adding on Kannada to their signboards due to the stepped up Kannada activism in the state.

Now what is the sentiment about Raj Thackeray and his “Marathi Signboards” drive?

“The Christian growth rate in the district is 66 percent as against 18.6 percent for the overall population growth in the district,” District Collector Krishan Kumar told IANS. Kumar said that the Orissa Freedom of Religious Act, which came into action in 1989, allows people to change or adopt any religion but all such individuals need to submit a form to the district magistrate. “We have received just two applications not just between 1991 and 2001 but between 1989 and 2008. We must understand that every one must follow law,” Kumar explained. However, he did not specify what action the district administration has taken to punish those who have violated the law. Asked if he attributes the growth of Christian population to conversions, he said: “It could be because of two reasons – conversion and migration.”

Of the over 650,000 people in the troubled district, at least 53 percent are tribals, less than 20 percent Christians. Of the nearly 118,000 Christians, a majority has converted from Dalit families. Kumar said that conversion, longstanding caste conflicts between tribals and Dalits, poverty and growing influence of Hindu groups among the tribal population had led to several communal clashes in recent years. Ever since the killing of Swami Laxmanananda, a Hindu religious leader, and four of his supporters by unidentified gunmen Aug 23, anti-Christian violence has been boiling in Kandhamal.

While Maoists have claimed responsibility for the murders, the Hindu leader’s supporters have insisted that Christians were behind the murder. The Orissa Police are investigating the case.

Asked if it was a hate attack, Sharma said, “The three who were accompanying Rai have said that the attackers were all speaking Marathi.” Sharma said Rai and the others worked in a factory in Khopoli and were going home in Uttar Pradesh. Rai, with Veerendra Ramgopal Rai, Satyaprakash Kaushal Rai and Shivkumar Verma, hailed from Gauri Ghat in UP’s Gorakhpur district. The boys were to board the Kushinagar express from Lokmanya Tilak Terminus at Kurla.

Verma told a private TV news channel that the immediate provocation for the attack was an argument between them and the Marathi-speaking youths. It’s learnt that the four, who had boarded the 1.55 pm CST-bound local, were questioned about their destination as they were carrying suitcases and luggage with them. “When the Marathi-speaking youths learnt that we were going to UP, they taunted us and angrily told us not to return,” Verma said.

Several McCain advisers have suggested to CNN that they have become increasingly frustrated with what one aide described as Palin “going rogue.”

Marking a significant change in AIADMK’s approach towards the Sri Lankan Tamils’ issue, which also manifests the growing sympathy towards the cause of the island Tamils among the people, party supremo Ms Jayalalitha, declared her support to Mr Vaiko’s protest “condemning the Centre for providing military assistance for the genocide of Sri Lankan Tamils”. This is the first time, after nearly two decades, the AIADMK is openly supporting a protest on the island Tamils issue.

AIADMK organising secretary and a former minister in the MGR Cabinet, Mr S Muthusamy, who was present, conveyed the support of his leader Ms Jayalalitha to Mr Vaiko’s endeavour for the rights of Sri Lankan Tamils. Citing his party leader’s statement on the issue, the senior AIADMK leader said that his party supported the self-determination rights of island Tamils and stressed the need for sending medicines and food to the suffering Tamil people. “The AIADMK is firmly behind Mr Vaiko’s protest for Sri Lankan Tamils”, he declared.