1. CM, Governor come together on R-Day after Assembly face-off; Stalin attends tea party
For the first time since the face-off at the Legislative Assembly on January 9, Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi and Chief Minister Minister M.K. Stalin shared dais during the 74th Republic Day celebrations near Labour Statue at Chennai.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Ravi unfurled the flag. In the wake of the recent ‘Tamizhagam - Tamil Nadu’ row sparked by the Governor, the State sent out a clear reiteration on the use of the word ‘Tamil Nadu’ through a tableau titled ‘Vaazhga Tamil Nadu’ (Long live Tamil Nadu) that was displayed as the first tableau during the event.
Later in the evening, Mr. Stalin who had earlier skipped Pongal celebrations hosted by Mr. Ravi, attended the ‘At tea’ reception hosted by the Governor at Raj Bhavan, along with senior DMK Ministers. This comes at a time when DMK’s allies — Congress, VCK, CPI, Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi have boycotted the event.
2. Governor orders university-level research on unsung freedom fighters
In his letter to the Vice Chancellors of universities across Tamil Nadu, Governor R.N. Ravi who is also Chancellor of Universities directed them to engage atleast five students each to carry out research and document unsung freedom fighters in Tamil Nadu.
A fellowship spanning one year could be given to complete this work and the students would be honoured at the Raj Bhavan upon successful completion, he added.
The statement from the Raj Bhavan came at a time when Mr. Ravi recently remarked that the contributions of many freedom fighters remained unknown.
3. BBC documentary on Modi | CPM councillor detained for attempting to screen, later let off
Kilpauk police arrested Chennai-based CPM councillor Priyadharshini along with members of Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) for attempting to screen a BBC documentary on Godhra riots showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi in bad light.
They were detained in a wedding hall when they tried to protest when the screening was prevented in T.P. Chatram. They were later released.
4. Parandur airport | Villagers pass resolution against project for fourth time
For the fourth time, the villagers of Ekanapuram who are up against the proposed Parandur airport citing loss of dwellings and livelihood, passed resolution against the project during the gram sabha meeting held on the occasion of Republic Day.
