No Sunday lockdown in Karnataka on May 31: CM Yediyurappa
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Saturday asserted that the state will not observe complete “Sunday lockdown” on May 31 like it did on May 24, wherein the state had undergone a complete lockdown with only essential shops remaining open across the state.
Yediyurappa clarified that the decision was taken in the interest of the people of the state and that all the activities across the state will continue as usual on Sunday, May 31.
In an earlier order, the State government had directed the District authorities to observe complete lockdown in their respective districts on Sunday, as the lockdown was eased across the state in the lockdown 4.0 the order has now been withdrawn after the latest announcement from the CM.
Lockdown 4.0 ends on May 31 and new instructions and guidelines are expected to be released soon for the people of the state.
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Kamal Haasan-led MNM opts out of TN Assembly poll race, extends full support to DMK & allies
Chennai (PTI): Actor-politician Kamal Haasan's MNM, a constituent of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, on Tuesday announced that it would not contest the April 23 Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu.
The number of seats DMK offered and the 'suggestion' that MNM nominees should contest under DMK's Rising Sun symbol are not acceptable, the party said.
MNM founder chief Haasan declared that his party will not fight polls but extend unconditional support to all the candidates of the DMK-led alliance and the move was hailed by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin as "magnanimous decision setting aside self-interest with dignity and prioritise the welfare of Tamil Nadu."
"I don't know how to express my gratitude to him. His decision has deeply moved me," Stalin, who is the president of the DMK, said and thanked Haasan. He requested "brother Kamal Haasan" to campaign across Tamil Nadu for the April 23 polls.
Haasan, who called on the chief minister and conveyed his decision on Tuesday evening, said in a statement: "In today's difficult political environment, the number of seats that they (DMK) have promised to give us and the suggestion that we should contest under the Rising Sun symbol are not acceptable to the members of the MNM and to me."
Haasan said in politics, election is only a part and it is not final; there is no 'full stop' in politics.
The MNM joined the DMK-led alliance during the last parliamentary election for the good of the nation. "We worked hard for the alliance's success. As a result, the voice of Makkal Needhi Maiam was heard in the Rajya Sabha. From that day till today, we have maintained the alliance dharma without giving up our uniqueness," he said.
The chief minister and other leaders in the DMK "behaved with love, respect, and friendliness" towards him during the seat-sharing negotiations for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
"I fully understand that there is justification for it on their part. In an environment where communal forces are scheming in every way to somehow capture Tamil Nadu, the overall chance of victory of the alliance is paramount. And it is justified," Haasan said.
But the bond of MNM members with the party's "torch" symbol is emotional because it is not just a symbol for them but is their "identity." "I cannot and will not ignore the feelings of my workers who have been travelling with me for the last nine years without any gain," he said.
The decision to abstain from poll fray was "not sacrifice but a duty" and through this he has planted the seeds of a new political civilisation. "Proudly rejecting what the chief minister lovingly offers is also a form of love," he said and added that he gave up the seats for the progress of Tamil Nadu, and for the formation of a Dravidian Model 2.0 government which was the need of the hour.
