1. LTTE Prabakaran alive: Pazha Nedumaran
Thirteen years after Velupillai Prabakaran (54), the leader of the banned terror outfit Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was proclaimed “killed” by the Sri Lankan government on May 18, 2009, Tamil Nationalist Movement leader Pazha.Nedumaran, at Thanjavur, claimed Prabhakaran is alive and would emerge in public soon.
Reading out a statement at a press conference in Thanjavur at Mullivaikkal Mutram, Mr. Nedumaran said “they were in touch with the LTTE leader” and would say nothing more than that. He added that he was making the announcement only with the consent of Prabakaran’s family.
CPI leader Mutharasan, Congress leader K.S. Alagiri, AMMK leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran and MDMK leader Vaiko expressed elation on the possibility of Prabakaran being alive.
It maybe recalled that Mr. Nedumaran made a similar statement at Coimbatore in February 2016. Prabakaran led a separatist war for the minority Tamil Eelams in Sri Lanka, resulting in civil war at the island nation.
2. Erode (East) bypoll | AIADMK alleges irregularities in voters list
AIADMK’s interim general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami is to campaign for the party’s byelection candidate K.S. Thennarasu in the Erode (East) Assembly constituency from February 15 to 17 and 24 to 25.
In a related development, AIADMK leader lodged a complaint with the Election Commission of India at New Delhi, alleging irregularities in the electoral roll. He stated that the voter’s list features names of deceased persons and those whose names are featured in more than one constituency.
Meanwhile, a public holiday has been declared on February 27, in view of the bypoll.
3. Renault - Nissan to invest ₹5,300 crore in Chennai plant
The Renault-Nissan alliance announced that it would invest ₹5,300 crore in Tamil Nadu, with plans to make six new models at its plant near Chennai. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in the presence of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin in Chennai.
Renault and Nissan will make three models each for domestic and international customers which include two electric vehicles and the investment is expected to create about 2,000 jobs. The Chennai plant will become a carbon-neutral vehicle plant.
4. Two in Coimbatore hacked to death in public in two days
A day after a person accused in a murder case was hacked and shot to death in Coimbatore, a 24-year-old man was hacked to death near the Combined Court Complex in Gopalapuram on Monday morning.
The deceased has been identified as G. Gokul of Kavundampalayam. Police said he was involved in a murder in 2021. A five-member gang assaulted him with machetes when he had come to the court with his friend Manoj (27), who escaped with a cut on his head, police said.
Political leaders including K. Annamalai of BJP and Dhinakaran of AMMK condemned the murders, questioning the law and order situation in the State.
