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 who 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 | |
|---|---|
 Kanimozhi in 2020 | |
| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| Assumed office 18 June 2019 | |
| Leader of the House | Narendra Modi |
| Preceded by | J. Jayasingh Thiyagaraj Natterjee |
| Constituency | Thoothukkudi |
| Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha | |
| In office 25 July 2007 – 23 May 2019 | |
| Leader of the House | |
| Preceded by | S. G. Indira |
| Succeeded by | P. Wilson |
| Constituency | Tamil Nadu |
| Chairperson – Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj | |
| Assumed office 13 September 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Prataprao Jadhav |
| Chairperson – District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee | |
| Assumed office 18 June 2019 | |
| Preceded by | J. Jayasingh Thiyagaraj Natterjee |
| Chairperson – Tuticorin Airport Advisory Committee | |
| Assumed office 18 June 2019 | |
| Preceded by | J. Jayasingh Thiyagaraj Natterjee |
| Chairperson – Standing Committee on Chemicals and Fertilizers | |
| In office 13 September 2019 – 12 September 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Anandrao Adsul |
| Succeeded by | Shashi Tharoor |
| President – The Hindu Office and National Press Employees’ Union | |
| Assumed office 12 April 2017 | |
| Preceded by | E. Gopal |
| Parliamentary Chairperson of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | |
| Assumed office 10 June 2024 | |
| Preceded by | T. R. Baalu |
| Deputy Leader of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Lok Sabha | |
| In office 18 June 2019 – 5 June 2024 | |
| Leader | T. R. Baalu |
| Succeeded by | Dayanidhi Maran |
| Deputy General Secretary of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | |
| Assumed office 9 October 2022 | |
| President | M. K. Stalin |
| General Secretary | Duraimurugan |
| Preceded by | Subbulakshmi Jagadeesan |
| Women's Wing Secretary of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | |
| In office 9 January 2015 – 23 November 2022 | |
| President | |
| General Secretary | |
| Preceded by | Office Established |
| Succeeded by | J. Helen Davidson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kanimozhi 5 January 1968 Madras, Madras State, India (present-day Chennai, Tamil Nadu) |
| Political party | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| Spouse |
G. Aravindan (m. 1997) |
| Relations | See Karunanidhi family |
| Children | Aditya Aravindan (Son) |
| Parent(s) | Father: M. Karunanidhi Mother: Rajathi Ammal |
| Residences |
|
| Education | Master of Economics |
| Alma mater | Ethiraj College for Women |
| Profession |
|
| Signature |  |
Kanimozhi belongs to the Indian political party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), where she functions as the deputy general secretary. Her half-brothers M. K. Alagiri and M. K. Stalin are the former Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers of the Republic of India and the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu respectively.
Early life
editBefore 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
editInterests
editKanimozhi 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
editIn 2007, Kanimozhi conceived the idea of the Chennai Sangamam, an annual open Tamil cultural festival, usually held during the Pongal season.[citation needed]
Job fairs
editShe 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] She plans to conduct similar fairs all over Tamil Nadu.[9]
Literary works
edit- Sigarangalil Uraikiradhu Kaalam[10]
- Agathinai
- Paarvaigal
- Karukkum Marudhaani
- Karuvarai Vaasanai
Her literary works were translated into English, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada.
Silappathikaram
editKanimozhi 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
editKanimozhi 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 (since divorced), and then to G. Aravindan, a Singapore-based Tamil writer, in 1997. She has a son named Aditya Aravindan.[12]
Political career
editAs a Rajya Sabha MP
editIn 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 chief whip of the DMK in the house and was the leader of DMK in the Upper house.[citation needed]
As a Lok Sabha MP
editShe 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 the DMK's deputy leader of the Lok Sabha. As of September 2019 and September 2022, Kanimozhi works as the chairperson of the Parliament Standing Committee on Chemicals and Fertilizers[14] and Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, respectively.
As a trade union leader
editShe is the president of The Hindu National Press employees union. She is the first woman to be elected to that post.[15]
Women's Wing Secretary of the DMK
editShe was the women's wing secretary of the DMK party and encourages women to enter politics. She has organised training camps for the district-level office-bearers of the women's wing. She also organised a rally in Delhi, demanding that the women's reservation bill be passed by the parliament.[16]
Deputy General Secretary of the DMK
editOn 9 October 2022, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu and the DMK president M. K. Stalin, announced and appointed Kanimozhi as the deputy general secretary of the DMK party in the presence of the party's general secretary Duraimurugan at the general council meeting held in Chennai.
Elections contested and positions held
editKanimozhi has been elected as M.P. 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 elections
edit| 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 | ||
| 2024 Indian general election | Thoothukkudi | DMK | Won | 55.26 | R. Sivasamy Velumani | AIADMK | 15.12 | ||
Positions in Parliament of the Republic of India
edit| Elections | Position | Constituency | Term in office | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assumed office | Left office | Time in office | |||
| 2007 | Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha | Tamil Nadu | 25 July 2007 | 29 May 2019 | 11 years, 308 days |
| 2019 | Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | Thoothukkudi | 18 June 2019 | 5 June 2024 | 4 years, 353 days |
| 2024 | Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | Thoothukkudi | 25 June 2024 | Incumbent | 142 days |
2G spectrum scam
editAs 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.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed] 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 had failed to prove any of its charge. Thus all accused were acquitted.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ "The Big and Mighty Karuna family". Daily News and Analysis. 26 May 2009. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
- ^ "Detailed Profile: Smt. Kanimozhi". Govt. of India. Archived from the original on 30 March 2009. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
- ^ a b c "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. Archived from the original on 10 June 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. Archived from the original on 25 May 2011. 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.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Dravidian ideals will remain the central theme: Kanimozhi". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 15 September 2009. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
- ^ Classic in a new idiom[usurped]. 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". 20 March 2017.
- ^ "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. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013.