TN CM MK Stalin says SIR a 'shortcut attempt' to defeat DMK
Chennai (PTI): In a veiled attack on actor-politician Vijay-led TVK, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Saturday said the DMK captured power for the first time after toiling for 18 long years.
Without naming the BJP, he said since the DMK could not be defeated ideologically, a shortcut through the Election Commission is being attempted and that is the SIR.
Stalin inaugurated the "DMK 75 - knowledge carnival" a youth wing event and released the book, "Kaalathin Niram Karuppu Sivappu- DMK 75", and delivered his special address.
He said the party founded by common people achieved the feat of capturing power in 1967 and it was the first state-level party to do so and this is being researched to this day.
"We did not come to power by making a declaration that we have started a party and that I am the next Chief Minister," he said, underscoring that it was easier said than done and without naming actor-politician Vijay's TVK.
Furthermore, the CM said right from the level of party leadership to the last-level worker, everyone worked tirelessly.
"For 18 years (1949-1967), they gave their lives and toiled, every single one of them! So many struggles, imprisonments, sacrifices and betrayals and the suffering endured by the DMK was nothing ordinary."
Referring to the unique propagation methods adopted by the DMK in its early years to mould public opinion --like reading out Dravidian movement magazines in public places including tea shops-- he said the scale of victory was historic, which no one could ever replicate.
"Some who do not know all this history try to intimidate us! Some other fools daydream that they will win just like the DMK."
In order to win like the DMK, one needs to toil like the DMK and also, they should posses knowledge like the DMK does.
Furthermore, he said: "However big may be the enemies and however big may be the conspiracies, they have not been able to defeat us! Since they cannot defeat the DMK ideologically, they are trying to see if they can beat the DMK through a shortcut; via the Election Commission and that is the Special Intensive Revision.
"Why conduct this SIR in such a hurried manner? Further he wondered why the exercise should be conducted when political parties have taken a stand against it as it creates confusion during the election season.
"Without listening to all this, the Election Commission has started the SIR work. We are fighting against this legally and politically, we will continue to fight, we will fight, that is a separate matter!
At the same time, he said the youth wing functionaries working on the ground must ensure that no fake voter finds a place in the electoral rolls. Also, they must make sure that genuine voters are not left out and ensure that no one's voting right is snatched away.
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South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
