Tamil orator booked over alleged provocative remarks against Modi, Amit Shah
Tirunelveli (TN), Dec 31: Flooded with a volley of complaints seeking action over his 'provocative' remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, police have booked a Tamil writer and orator on charges, including instigating violence and rift between the two communities.
As police reached his residence here on Tuesday to arrest Nellai Kannan, who was associated with the Congress, they were told he was "suffering from chest pain" following which they took him to a hospital in an ambulance, police said.
Kannan, who was admitted to a private hospital, was shifted to another one after some Hindu outfits staged a dharna in front of them protesting his remarks, sources said.
He was later shifted to a private hospital in Madurai, they said.
Kannan landed in trouble after a video of his purported speech at a meeting against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) organised by the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) here on Saturday went viral on social media and the BJP lodged a police complaint seeking his arrest and prosecution.
State BJP spokesperson Narayanan Thirupathi on Monday lodged a police complaint stating that Kannan called out the names of Prime Minister and Home Minister at the meeting and told the gathering he was "shocked as to why Muslims have not yet killed the Prime Minister and Home Minister..."
Maintaining that such remarks were an "open threat to the lives" of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister, an attempt to incite violence, criminal intimidation, and abetment to murder also, he said all these were punishable under the Indian Penal Code and sought action against Kannan.
Party General Secretary K S Narendran has separately petitioned the state Director General of Police seeking stringent action against the orator, alleging his remarks went against national integrity and would trigger communal clash.
Besides abusing Modi and Shah, he had also allegedly made derogatory remarks against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and others in his controversial speech.
Police said a case had been registered against Kannan under the IPC, including 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 505 (Statements conducing to public mischief) and 505 (2) (statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes).
They had also received a complaint from the ruling AIADMK against Kannan for allegedly defaming the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister, police said.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders, including district secretary Dayasankar, gave a memorandum and a complaint seeking action by police against Kannan.
The BJP district secretary charged that Kannan spoke against the sovereignty and integrity of the country and sought stern action.
A group of BJP volunteers also separately gave a complaint to the Tirunelveli Commissioner of police.
According to the complaints, the orator allegedly told the gathering that "If his (Amit Shah) story is finished, then the story of the PM would also be over because he is the brain behind Modi. He was expecting some thing to happen. But No Muslim is doing."
BJP leader H Raja said in a tweet in Tamil that he would stage a sit in dharna, along with party leaders Pon Radhakrishnan, L Ganesan and C P Radhakrishnan at Marina beach in Chennai on January 1, demanding Kannan's arrest for his 'derogatory' remarks.
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Telangana survey flags 89,000 child labourers, highlights caste disparities in employment
Hyderabad: A caste-based survey conducted by the Telangana government for 2024–25 has identified around 89,000 children engaged in labour across the state, with a large share belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities.
The findings are part of the Socio, Economic, Educational, Employment, Political and Caste (SEEEPC) Survey, which covered about 3.5 crore people across 242 caste groups. According to the report, nearly one per cent of individuals below 18 years are involved in daily wage work. While the percentage appears small, officials noted that the absolute number reflects a serious concern.
The survey found that 11 per cent of identified child labourers belong to the ST Lambadi community, while 14 per cent are from the SC Madiga community. The highest incidence was reported among the ST Kolam group, where 7.2 per cent of minors are engaged in daily wage labour.
The data also revealed wider socio-economic disparities. Nearly half of the Scheduled Caste population is dependent on daily wage work, while only around 5 per cent are employed in the private sector, compared to about 30 per cent among General Castes.
State Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said the findings show that SC and ST communities remain three times more backward than General Castes, while Backward Classes are about 2.7 times more disadvantaged.
The report further noted that, on average, 31.3 per cent of people in the 25–65 age group depend on daily wage work. Among communities, the BC-A Odde group recorded the highest share at 55 per cent. In contrast, only 2.6 per cent of OC Brahmins rely on such work.
Several SC and ST communities, including Kolam, Beda, Madiga, Koya, Gond, Yerukulas and Mala Sale, were found to have among the highest proportions of daily wage earners. On the other hand, most General Caste communities and some Backward Class groups such as Goldsmiths and BC-C Christians showed lower dependence on daily wage employment.
The survey also pointed to inequalities in access to formal employment. Communities such as OC Rajus, OC Brahmins and Kapus were found to have a higher presence in private sector jobs, with up to 27 per cent of their population employed in such roles.
