At an Area Sabha meeting for Tamil New Year in Tiruchy, things got a bit awkward when a DMK councillor protested about unresolved petitions from past meetings. Ironically, he’s supposed to clear them in his ward! This isn’t new for him; the mayor has reminded him multiple times in council meetings that it’s his job. Sources say the DMK bigwigs weren’t thrilled and quickly told him to cut it out, making the protest fizzle. When asked about it, the councillor brushed it off, claiming it was just some locals protesting encroachments that he “fixed.” Now, people are joking that he might file a petition against himself!
Technical glitch
The Tamil Nadu Assembly proceedings are now live-streamed, but don’t expect to see everything. Some parts, like speeches by MLAs after a department’s Demand for Grants, go missing. Recently, after CM MK Stalin introduced two bills, the official stream froze on a static card when it was time for MLAs’ speeches — perhaps a ‘technical glitch’. Meanwhile, on YouTube live streams of some news channels, viewers were made to experience déjà vu as the CM’s speech was replayed in a loop to cover for the missing portions. Sure, we can catch some Assembly action now, but it’s like watching a movie where all the dramatic scenes are cut, frustrating for those wanting to keep up with what’s happening!
Get in the good books
With the state government now in charge of picking vice-chancellors for universities, thanks to a Supreme Court ruling, candidates are hustling to build connections with DMK leaders. A former V-C noted, “Once the government sets up those search panels for selecting V-Cs, you’ll see wannabe V-Cs lined up outside DMK offices and homes.” It’s all about who you know, and right now, everyone’s scrambling to get in good with the DMK if they’re gunning for that top university position!
(Contributed by Jose K Joseph, Subashini Vijayakumar, Binita Jaiswal; Compiled by Dinesh Jefferson E)