Kanimozhi
Encyclopedia
Kanimozhi Karunanidhi (born 1968 in Chennai
), a politician, poet and journalist. She is a Member of Parliament
, representing Tamil Nadu
in the Rajya Sabha
(the upper house
of India's Parliament
). Kanimozhi is the daughter of the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Karunanidhi and his third wife, Rajathi Ammal.She was arrested on charges of being associated with the 2G spectrum scam
and is currently in Tihar Jail after the repeated bail pleas being rejected. Kanimozhi's was on Monday, 28-Nov-2011 granted bail by the Delhi high court in the 2G case. Asif Balwa and three others was also granted bail by the court. However, former telecom sectretary Siddharth Behura was denied bail.
Kanimozhi belongs to the South Indian Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
(DMK) political party, 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". Her half-brothers M.K. Azhagiri and M. K. Stalin are the Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers and the Former Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
respectively.
, editor in charge of Kungumam
(a Tamil weekly magazine belonging to the Sun group
), and a features editor for a Singapore based Tamil newspaper called Tamil Murasu
.
Kanimozhi also claims to have written Tamil poetry and penned 87 Tamil film songs .
In 2007, Kanimozhi conceived the idea of the Chennai Sangamam
, an annual open Tamil
cultural festival, usually held during the Pongal
season.
, Vellore
, Udhagamandalam, Virudhunagar
, Cuddalore
, Tiruchirapalli
and Tirunelveli
. She plans to conduct similar job fairs all over Tamil Nadu
.
.
from the Madras University. She has been married twice; firstly in 1989 to Athiban Bose, a businessman from Sivakasi, and then to G. Aravindaan, a Singapore
based Tamil writer, in 1997.
published transcripts of six conversations between lobbyist Niira Radia and Kanimozhi from May 2009. India Today
claims that these conversations reveal that Kanimozhi filtered the information flowing to her father (the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu) and thereby "tipped the scales in favour of" A. Raja
, who was Minister of Communications and Information Technology
during controversial 2G
wireless spectrum allocations
in 2008. The New York Times Delhi correspondent Lydia Polgreen
said Raja's rise to telecommunications minister was "emblematic" of how politics in India really work, with the DMK "more closely resembling a sprawling family business empire than a political party," and highlighted Mr. Raja's "close relationship" with Kanimozhi. Raja was arrrested on February 2, 2011 for his alleged role in manipulating rules to allocate favourable spectrum to some telecom companies at throwaway prices.
Following the Income Tax Department raid on Tamil Maiyam, an NGO
of which she is a director, Kanimozhi said the DMK party will come out clean in the CBI probe, stating "The law has to take its own course. It is a process to prove us not guilty." After the February 2nd arrest DMK party members and workers immediately passed a resolution declaring that the arrest doesn't mean Raja is guilty, and claimed opposition parties were targeting him for political purposes.
On March 11, 2011, Kanimozhi was questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation at the DMK headquarters in Chennai, in relation to an apparent flow of over Rs.200 crore from Shahid Balwa
DB Realty firm to Kalaignar TV
, the regional Tamil channel in which Kanimozhi is alleged to have a 20 percent stake. The CBI
has included Kanimozhi's name in the second chargesheet of the 2G scam in relation to this alleged money transaction.
On May 20, 2011, the special Central Bureau of Investigation
(CBI
) court in New Delhi
ordered the arrest of Kanimozhi along with Kalaignar TV
CEO Sharad Kumar after rejecting their bail pleas. Kanimozhi was arrested and sent to Tihar Jail
.
Kanimozhi appealed for bail citing that she is a women and mother of a young boy as reasons. But it got rejected considering the reasons that she belongs to upper echelons of society and enormity of the crime commited which is likely to affect the economy of the country.
On Nov 28, 2011, Kanimozhi was granted bail by the Delhi high court in the 2G case. Asif Balwa and three others was also granted bail by the court. However, former telecom sectretary Siddharth Behura was denied bail.
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
), a politician, poet and journalist. She is a Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, representing Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
in the Rajya Sabha
Rajya Sabha
The Rajya Sabha or Council of States is the upper house of the Parliament of India. Rajya means "state," and Sabha means "assembly hall" in Sanskrit. Membership is limited to 250 members, 12 of whom are chosen by the President of India for their expertise in specific fields of art, literature,...
(the upper house
Upper house
An upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...
of India's Parliament
Parliament of India
The Parliament of India is the supreme legislative body in India. Founded in 1919, the Parliament alone possesses legislative supremacy and thereby ultimate power over all political bodies in India. The Parliament of India comprises the President and the two Houses, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha...
). Kanimozhi is the daughter of the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Karunanidhi and his third wife, Rajathi Ammal.She was arrested on charges of being associated with the 2G spectrum scam
2G spectrum scam
The 2G spectrum scandal involved officials in the government of India illegally undercharging mobile telephony companies for frequency allocation licenses, which they would use to create 2G subscriptions for cell phones...
and is currently in Tihar Jail after the repeated bail pleas being rejected. Kanimozhi's was on Monday, 28-Nov-2011 granted bail by the Delhi high court in the 2G case. Asif Balwa and three others was also granted bail by the court. However, former telecom sectretary Siddharth Behura was denied bail.
Kanimozhi belongs to the South Indian Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is a state political party in the states of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, India. It is a Dravidian party founded by C. N. Annadurai as a breakaway faction from the Dravidar Kazhagam headed by Periyar...
(DMK) political party, 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". Her half-brothers M.K. Azhagiri and M. K. Stalin are the Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers and the Former Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
respectively.
Early life
Before her entry into politics, Kanimozhi was involved in various instances of journalism, such as sub editor for The HinduThe Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
, editor in charge of Kungumam
Kungumam
Kungumam is a Tamil weekly magazine published in Chennai, India. It is owned by Kalanidhi Maran's Sun Network. According to the Kungumam emerged as the top-selling Tamil weekly magazine overtaking historical market leaders like Kumudam and Ananda Vikatan. Also, is the second best selling...
(a Tamil weekly magazine belonging to the Sun group
Sun Network
Sun TV Network is an Indian media company based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, part of Kal Media Services, Sun Group. It has been named as Asia's most profitable media corporations and the largest TV network. Established on April 14, 1993, it created and owns a variety of television channels and...
), and a features editor for a Singapore based Tamil newspaper called Tamil Murasu
Tamil Murasu
Tamil Murasu is a Singapore based Tamil language newspaper. Launched in 1935 by Thamizhavel G. Sarangapani, Tamil Murasu is Singapore's only Tamil language newspaper...
.
Kanimozhi also claims to have written Tamil poetry and penned 87 Tamil film songs .
Interests
Kanimozhi has been known to support Pan Tamil issues, and in particular, Sri Lankan Tamils. Kanimozhi also takes part in organizing various women empowerment programs, and is also interested in the welfare of differently-abled people and transgenders. In 2005, along with Karthi Chidambaram, she founded a portal supporting free speech also has been involved spiritually with an spiritual guide in south India.In 2007, Kanimozhi conceived the idea of the Chennai Sangamam
Chennai Sangamam
Chennai Sangamam is a large annual open Tamil cultural festival held in the city of Chennai. The festival is organized by the Tamil Maiyam and Department of Tourism and Culture of the Government of Tamil Nadu with the intention of rejuvenating the old village festivals, art and artists...
, an annual open Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
cultural festival, usually held during the Pongal
Pongal
Thai Ponggal is a harvest festival celebrated by Tamils in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Indian Union Territory of Pondicherry and in Sri Lanka. Pongal coincides with the festival Makara Sankranthi celebrated throughout India. Pongal in Tamil means "boiling over" or "spill over". The boiling...
season.
Job Fairs
She also spearheads DMK efforts to organize Job Fairs, under the banner 'Kalaignar 85' across rural Tamil Nadu to facilitate employment opportunities for young people in smaller cities, towns and villages. 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 70,000 unemployed(citation required) youth spread across five districts. Places it has been held at include NagercoilNagercoil
Nagercoil is the 12th largest city in the southernmost Indian state of Tamil Nadu and a municipality and administrative headquarters of Kanyakumari District...
, Vellore
Vellore
Vellore It is considered one of the oldest cities in South India and lies on the banks of the Palar river on the site of Vellore Fort. The city lies between Chennai and Bangalore and the Temple towns of Thiruvannamalai and Tirupati...
, Udhagamandalam, Virudhunagar
Virudhunagar
Virudhunagar is a municipality in Virudhunagar district of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu.In the beginning of 20th century AD, Virudhupatti was one among the six important places of Ramanathapuram District. Due to the rapid growth in the field of Trade and Education, it was renamed as...
, Cuddalore
Cuddalore
Cuddalore is a fast growing industrial city and headquarter of Cuddalore district in the Tamil Nadu state of southern India. Located south of Pondicherry on the coast of Bay of Bengal, Cuddalore has a large number of industries which employ a great deal of the city's population.Cuddalore is known...
, Tiruchirapalli
Tiruchirapalli
Tiruchirappalli ) , also called Tiruchi or Trichy , is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli District. It is the fourth largest municipal corporation in Tamil Nadu and also the fourth largest urban agglomeration in the state...
and Tirunelveli
Tirunelveli
Tirunelveli , also known as Nellai , and historically as Tinnevelly, is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the headquarters of the Tirunelveli District and the sixth biggest city in Tamil Nadu...
. She plans to conduct similar job fairs all over Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
.
Literary works
- Sigarangalil Uraikiradhu Kaalam
- Agathinai
- Paarvaigal
- Karukum Marudhaani
- Karuvarai Vaasanai
- Raaja
Singing career
Kanimozhi has worked on a production titled Silappadikaram based on a Tamil epic of the same name with Bombay JayashriBombay Jayashri
Bombay Jayashri Ramnath is an Indian Carnatic music vocalist. She has also recorded songs as a playback singer in South Indian films. She has many albums to her credit, released as cassettes and CDs....
.
Personal life
Kanimozhi was a student of Presentation Convent, Church Park in Chennai and later did her Masters in Economics in Ethiraj College for WomenEthiraj College for Women
Ethiraj College for Women is a degree-granting college for women in Chennai, India. It was founded in 1948 by V. L. Ethiraj.-Founder:In 1948 the philanthropy of a single individual, Thiru. V. L. Ethiraj, financed the college. Ethiraj graduated from Presidency College, Chennai...
from the Madras University. She has been married twice; firstly in 1989 to Athiban Bose, a businessman from Sivakasi, and then to G. Aravindaan, a Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
based Tamil writer, in 1997.
2G spectrum controversy
In November 2010 OutlookOutlook (magazine)
Outlook is one of India's four top-selling English weekly newsmagazines. Like many other Indian magazines, it is reluctant to reveal its circulation, but the 2007 National Readership Survey suggested 1.5 million copies...
published transcripts of six conversations between lobbyist Niira Radia and Kanimozhi from May 2009. India Today
India Today
India Today is an Indian weekly news magazine published by Living Media India Limited, in publication since 1975 based in Mumbai. India Today is also the name of its sister-publication in Hindi...
claims that these conversations reveal that Kanimozhi filtered the information flowing to her father (the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu) and thereby "tipped the scales in favour of" A. Raja
A. Raja
Andimuthu Raja is an Indian politician from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam political party. He was a member of the 15th Lok Sabha representing the Nilgiris constituency of Tamil Nadu....
, who was Minister of Communications and Information Technology
Minister of Communications and Information Technology (India)
The Minister of Communications and Information Technology is the head of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and one of the cabinet ministers of the Government of India....
during controversial 2G
2G
2G is short for second-generation wireless telephone technology. Second generation 2G cellular telecom networks were commercially launched on the GSM standard in Finland by Radiolinja in 1991...
wireless spectrum allocations
Frequency allocation
Use of radio frequency bands of the electromagnetic spectrum is regulated by governments in most countries, in a Spectrum management process known as frequency allocation or spectrum allocation. Radio propagation does not stop at national boundaries...
in 2008. The New York Times Delhi correspondent Lydia Polgreen
Lydia Polgreen
Lydia Frances Polgreen is an American journalist who was the West Africa bureau chief of The New York Times, based in Dakar, Senegal, from 2005-2009.She has won many awards, most recently the Livingston award in 2009. She is currently reporting from India.-Biography:Polgreen graduated from...
said Raja's rise to telecommunications minister was "emblematic" of how politics in India really work, with the DMK "more closely resembling a sprawling family business empire than a political party," and highlighted Mr. Raja's "close relationship" with Kanimozhi. Raja was arrrested on February 2, 2011 for his alleged role in manipulating rules to allocate favourable spectrum to some telecom companies at throwaway prices.
Following the Income Tax Department raid on Tamil Maiyam, an NGO
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
of which she is a director, Kanimozhi said the DMK party will come out clean in the CBI probe, stating "The law has to take its own course. It is a process to prove us not guilty." After the February 2nd arrest DMK party members and workers immediately passed a resolution declaring that the arrest doesn't mean Raja is guilty, and claimed opposition parties were targeting him for political purposes.
On March 11, 2011, Kanimozhi was questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation at the DMK headquarters in Chennai, in relation to an apparent flow of over Rs.200 crore from Shahid Balwa
Shahid Balwa
Shahid Usman Balwa is an entrepreneur based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. He is one of the Promoters of Mumbai-based DB Group which runs DB Realty India's 3rd largest realtor, DB Hospitality and Swan Telecom .-Early life:...
DB Realty firm to Kalaignar TV
Kalaignar TV
Kalaignar TV is a Tamil language satellite television channel based in Chennai, India.-History:After disputes between Kalanithi Maran and M. K. Azhagiri, Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi launched this channel on September 15 2007...
, the regional Tamil channel in which Kanimozhi is alleged to have a 20 percent stake. The CBI
CBI
- Places and installations :* Cape Breton Island, part of Nova Scotia, Canada* Center for Biomedical Imaging, a research facility of Boston University Medical Center* Central Bukidnon Institute, a secondary school in the Philippines...
has included Kanimozhi's name in the second chargesheet of the 2G scam in relation to this alleged money transaction.
On May 20, 2011, the special Central Bureau of Investigation
Central Bureau of Investigation
The Central Bureau of Investigation is a government agency of India that serves as a criminal investigation body, national security agency and intelligence agency. It was established on 1 April 1963 and evolved from the Special Police Establishment founded in 1941...
(CBI
CBI
- Places and installations :* Cape Breton Island, part of Nova Scotia, Canada* Center for Biomedical Imaging, a research facility of Boston University Medical Center* Central Bukidnon Institute, a secondary school in the Philippines...
) court in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
ordered the arrest of Kanimozhi along with Kalaignar TV
Kalaignar TV
Kalaignar TV is a Tamil language satellite television channel based in Chennai, India.-History:After disputes between Kalanithi Maran and M. K. Azhagiri, Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi launched this channel on September 15 2007...
CEO Sharad Kumar after rejecting their bail pleas. Kanimozhi was arrested and sent to Tihar Jail
Tihar Jail
Tihar Prisons , also called Tihar Jail and Tihar Ashram , is the largest complex of prisons in South Asia. It is located at Tihar village, approximately 7 km from Chanakya Puri, to the west of New Delhi, India. The surrounding area is called Hari Nagar.The prison is maintained as a...
.
Kanimozhi appealed for bail citing that she is a women and mother of a young boy as reasons. But it got rejected considering the reasons that she belongs to upper echelons of society and enormity of the crime commited which is likely to affect the economy of the country.
On Nov 28, 2011, Kanimozhi was granted bail by the Delhi high court in the 2G case. Asif Balwa and three others was also granted bail by the court. However, former telecom sectretary Siddharth Behura was denied bail.