Prez Murmu turns emotional during visit to native village, will spend night in Similipal forest
Rairangpur (PTI): President Droupadi Murmu turned emotional on Thursday as she garlanded the statue of her late husband Shyam Charan Murmu at her native village in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district.
The president, who is on a six-day trip to the state, visited her native village, Pahadpur, and went to the SLS Memorial built in memory of her late husband and her two sons, Laxman and Sipun.
Murmu has endured a series of personal tragedies, losing her son Laxman in 2009, her husband in 2014, and her son Sipun in 2012. She also lost her mother and a brother during that period.
The SLS Memorial houses a residential school that provides free education to tribal, underprivileged and orphaned children.
The president performed 'pinda daan' rituals in Jajpur and Puri for the salvation of the souls of members of her family who have passed away over the last few days.
On Thursday, she organised a feast for Brahmins at a Jagannath temple in Rairangpur, in accordance with Hindu customs.
Murmu also visited a 'Jahira', the sacred grove and place of worship of the Santhal community, located in a forested area. She offered prayers to the Santhali deity Marang Buru.
Commandos accompanying her wore traditional tribal attire before entering the 'Jahira'.
The president arrived here around 3.30 pm, with her helicopter landing at the temporary helipad set up at Anukulpur playground near Jashipur. She was received by Forest Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia, MP Naba Charan Majhi, and senior police and administration officials.
A large number of tribal women lined both sides of the road to welcome the president, while several tribal artistes performed traditional dances, such as Changu and Dantha, adding cultural vibrancy to the reception.
Students from various educational institutions waved the national flag to welcome the 'daughter of the soil'.
She will spend the night at the Gurugudia Forest Bungalow in the Similipal National Park.
On Friday, the president is scheduled to interact with local tribal women and youth groups in Similipal. She will also distribute blankets to poor and underprivileged forest dwellers before returning to Bhubaneswar, officials said.
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No need for guv: DMK leader Kanimozhi
Chennai (PTI): Senior DMK leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi on Friday reiterated her party’s opposition to the office of the governor amid uncertainty over government formation in Tamil Nadu after a fractured election mandate.
Speaking to PTI Videos, Kanimozhi emphasised that the DMK’s demand for the abolition of the governor’s post remained unchanged, especially as questions arise over constitutional propriety during the current political transition.
"Our position that we do not need a governor at all is something the DMK has never changed at any point in time," she said.
When asked about the governor’s actions following the election results—particularly the delay in inviting the leading party to form the government—Kanimozhi pointed to what she described as the "inherent friction" between the office of the governor and the political interests of the state.
She said the current situation "raises a lot of questions" and requires introspection regarding constitutional procedures.
Kanimozhi described the election results as lacking a "clear mandate", which she identified as the primary reason for the prevailing political uncertainty in the state.
"What the people decide is supreme," she said, adding that while the mandate was not decisive, it must be respected.
The Thoothukudi MP attributed the ongoing delays and "many confusions" to the absence of a decisive majority for any single party.
She firmly dismissed rumours about the DMK potentially supporting the AIADMK from outside to help stabilise the government.
She described such reports as mere "speculation" and "rumours".
"We can’t be responding to every rumour," she said, declining to comment on the AIADMK’s claims regarding its numbers to form the government.
The political situation in Tamil Nadu remains fluid as stakeholders await the governor’s next constitutional step in an Assembly where no party has secured a clear majority.
The DMK and AIADMK—both of which suffered significant losses to the TVK—are reportedly exploring tactical manoeuvres to navigate the hung Assembly.
The TVK, with 108 seats and the support of Congress’s five MLAs, is still short of the majority mark. The DMK and AIADMK secured 59 and 47 seats, respectively.
