Kanimozhi Karunanidhi
Kanimozhi Karunanidhi (born 5 January 1968) is an Indian politician, poet and journalist. She is a Member of Parliament, representing Thoothukkudi constituency in the Lok Sabha (the lower house of India's Parliament). She was also a former MP, represented Tamil Nadu in the Rajya Sabha (the upper house of India's Parliament).[2] Kanimozhi is the daughter of the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M. Karunanidhi and his third wife Rajathi Ammal.
Kanimozhi Karunanidhi | |
|---|---|
.jpg.webp) Kanimozhi in 2007 | |
| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| Assumed office 18 June 2019 | |
| Prime Minister | Narendra Modi |
| Preceded by | Jeyasingh Thiyagaraj Natterjee |
| Constituency | Thoothukkudi |
| Chairperson – Chemicals & Fertilizer Standing Committee | |
| Assumed office 13 September 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Anandrao Vithoba Adsul |
| Chairman – Thoothukudi Airport Advisory Committee | |
| Assumed office 18 June 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Jeyasingh Thiyagaraj Natterjee |
| Deputy Leader of the DMK in Lok Sabha | |
| Assumed office 18 June 2019 | |
| Leader | T. R. Baalu |
| Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha | |
| In office 25 July 2007 – 29 May 2019 | |
| Preceded by | S. G. Indira |
| Succeeded by | P. Wilson |
| Constituency | Tamil Nadu |
| Women's Wing Secretary of DMK | |
| Assumed office 9 January 2015 | |
| President | M. Karunanidhi M. K. Stalin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kanimozhi 5 January 1968 Madras, Madras State, India (present-day Chennai, Tamil Nadu) |
| Citizenship | Indian |
| Political party | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| Spouse(s) |
G. Aravindan (m. after 1997) |
| Relations | See Karunanidhi family |
| Children | 1 Son (Aditya Aravindan) |
| Parents | M. Karunanidhi (father) Rajathi Ammal (mother) |
| Residence | 14-I, First Main Road, CIT Colony, Mylapore, Chennai-600004, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Education | Master of Economics |
| Alma mater | Ethiraj College for Women |
| Signature |  |
Kanimozhi belongs to the Indian political party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), where she functions as the chief of the DMK's wing for Art, Literature and Rationalism and is seen as her father's "literary heir".[3]Her half-brothers M. K. Alagiri and M. K. Stalin are the former Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers and the former Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu respectively.
Early life
Before her entry into politics, Kanimozhi was involved in journalism, such as sub editor for The Hindu, editor in charge of Kungumam (a Tamil weekly magazine) and a features editor for a Singapore based Tamil newspaper called Tamil Murasu.[3]
Social Works
Interests
Kanimozhi has been known to support pan-Tamil issues.[4][5] She takes part in organising women empowerment programs[6] and is interested in the welfare of differently abled people and transgender people. In 2005, with Karthi Chidambaram, she founded a portal supporting free speech.[7]
Chennai Sangamam
In 2007, Kanimozhi conceived the idea of the Chennai Sangamam, an annual open Tamil cultural festival, usually held during the Pongal season.
Job fairs
She spearheads[8] DMK efforts to organise job fairs, under the banner 'Kalaignar 85' across rural Tamil Nadu to facilitate employment opportunities for young people in smaller cities, towns and villages.[3] Begun as a small employment drive to mark the birthday of DMK President Kalaignar Karunanidhi in June 2008 at Kariyapatti (a village in Virudhunagar District) job fairs have provided jobs to about 1,33,000 unemployed youth spread across nine districts. Places it has been held include Cuddalore, Nagercoil, Thoothukudi, Tiruchirapalli, Tirunelveli, Udhagamandalam, Vellore and Virudhunagar. She plans to conduct similar fairs all over Tamil Nadu.[9]
Literary works
- Sigarangalil Uraikiradhu Kaalam[10]
- Agathinai
- Paarvaigal
- Karukkum Marudhaani
- Karuvarai Vaasanai
Her literary works were translated into English, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada.
Silappathikaram
Kanimozhi has worked on a production titled Silappadikaram, A woman of Substance based on a Tamil epic of the same name with Bombay Jayashri.[11]
Personal life
Kanimozhi was a student of Presentation Convent, Church Park in Chennai and later did her master's degree in economics in Ethiraj College for Women from the Madras University.[3] She has been married twice; firstly in 1989 to Athiban Bose, a businessman from Sivakasi, and then to G. Aravindan, a Singapore-based Tamil writer, in 1997. She has a son named Aditya Aravindan.[12]
Political career
As a Rajya Sabha MP
In May 2007, the DMK nominated Kanimozhi as one of the party's candidates for the Rajya Sabha.[13] She became a Rajya Sabha member for the second time in 2013. Kanimozhi was the leader of the DMK in the house and was the voice of the state of Tamil Nadu in the Upper house.
As a Lok Sabha MP
She was elected from Thoothukkudi as the first female MP of that constituency for the 17th Lok Sabha which was held in the year 2019 and was elected as a DMK's deputy leader of the parliament. As of September 2019, Kanimozhi works as a chairperson of Parliament Standing Committee for Chemicals and Fertilizers.[14]
As a Trade Union leader
She is the president of The Hindu National Press employees union. She is the first woman to be elected to that post.[15]
Secretary to the DMK Women's Wing
She is the secretary to the DMK party's Women's wing and encourages women to enter into politics. She has organised training camps for the district level office bearers of women's wing. She also organised a rally in Delhi demanding the Women's reservation bill to be passed by the parliament.[16]
Elections contested and positions held
Kanimozhi has been elected as MP of Lok Sabha from Thoothukkudi constituency. This was her first direct electoral performance. She resigned her Rajya Sabha MP post on 29 May 2019 after being elected to 17th Lok Sabha.[17]
Lok Sabha Election
| Elections | Constituency | Party | Result | Vote percentage | Opposition Candidate | Opposition Party | Opposition vote percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 Indian general election | Thoothukkudi | DMK | Won | 56.77 | Tamilisai Soundararajan | BJP | 21.77 |
Posts in Parliament of India
| Year | Constituency | Position | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Tamil Nadu | Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha | 25 July 2007 | 29 May 2019 |
| 2019 | Thoothukkudi | Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | 18 June 2019 | Incumbent |
2G spectrum case
As per the chargesheet filed by CBI, Kanimozhi has 20% stake in her family owned Kalaignar TV, her step-mother Dayalu Ammal owns 60% stake in the same channel. CBI alleged that Kanimozhi was an "active brain" behind the channel's operations and she worked along with former telecom minister A. Raja to get DB Realty promoter Shahid Balwa to circuitously route 2 billion (US$36.2 million) to Kalaignar TV. According to CBI, Kanimozhi was in regular touch with A. Raja regarding launching of Kalaignar TV channel and its other pending works. A. Kanimozhi had spent 190 days in Tihar Jail in 2011 after the CBI named her an "active brain" behind the functioning and setting up of Kalaignar TV.[18] Raja was further pursuing the cause of Kalaignar TV not only for getting registration of the company from Ministry of Information and Broadcasting but also for getting it in the DTH operator TATA Sky's bouquet. She was also summoned by the Income Tax Department, Chennai for alleged tax evasion charges.
On 3 July 2012, briefing the joint parliamentary committee probing the scam, ED claimed that it has enough evidence to convict DMK chief Karunanidhi's wife and daughter Kanimozhi.
Kanimozhi has defended herself by arguing that she is only a 20% shareholder in the company, who has no involvement in the financial aspects or the liability of a director.[19]
During the course of the trial, Kanimozhi's name was cleared by at least one witness who deposed that she had no involvement in the day-to-day affairs of Kalaignar TV and that she was initially reluctant to join the management of the channel. It was also admitted in court that Kanimozhi resigned from Kalaignar board after only two weeks to become a Member of Parliament. In an extraordinary twist, on 21 December 2017 a special CBI court acquitted her along with 19 others accused including A. Raja in 2G spectrum allocation cases. The Court said that the prosecution has miserably failed to prove any of its charge. Thus all accused are acquitted.
References
- "The Big and Mighty Karuna family". Daily News and Analysis. 26 May 2009. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
- "Detailed Profile: Smt. Kanimozhi". Govt. of India. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
- "Kanimozhi: A poetess politician in trouble". Sify.com. Archived from the original on 19 December 2010. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
- Kanimozhi the rising daughter in Tamil Nadu?. Dnaindia.com (7 March 2007). Retrieved on 27 March 2012.
- "'Why does god need gunman to protect hundiyal?': Kanimozhi's speech rankles Hindu group". 11 January 2018.
- "Fight against injustice, Kanimozhi tells women". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 24 March 2007. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
- Karuthu Archived 26 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Karuthu. Retrieved on 27 March 2012.
- V. Mallady, Shastry (11 November 2008). "Private companies urged to participate in rural job fairs". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
- "ADMK job fairs a big draw in rural areas". Archived from the original on 25 May 2011. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- "Dravidian ideals will remain the central theme: Kanimozhi". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 15 September 2009. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
- Classic in a new idiom Archived 25 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Hinduonnet.com (31 March 2004). Retrieved on 27 March 2012.
- "A Wedding In The Family ...", Rediff News, retrieved 9 December 2010
- "Kanimozhi, Tiruchi N. Siva, DMK nominees for Rajya Sabha polls". The Hindu. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
- "BJP MPs head most panels, outnumber opposition in committees". Economic Times. 16 September 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- "Kanimozhi is the Hindu staff union president". The Hindu. 12 April 2017.
- "DMK holds rally in Delhi to demand early passage of Women's Bill".
- "Amit Shah, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Kanimozhi resign as Rajya Sabha members after being elected to 17th Lok Sabha". DNA India. 29 May 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
- "Report about Kanamozhi on 2G case". Indian Express.
- "I am not involved in day-to-day running of Kalaignar TV". The Times Of India.
External links
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