Kanimozhi

Early life

Kanimozhi was born in Chennai to M. Karunanidhi, the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, and Rajathi Ammal. She was a student of Presentation Convent, Church Park, in Chennai, and later completed her master's degree in economics from Ethiraj College for Women, Chennai.

Before her entry into politics, Kanimozhi was involved in journalism, such as subeditor 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.

Social works

Interests

Kanimozhi has been known to support pan-Tamil issues. She takes part in organising women empowerment programs 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.

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 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. She plans to conduct similar fairs all over Tamil Nadu.

Literary works

• Sigarangalil Uraikiradhu Kaalam
• 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.

Personal life

Kanimozhi 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.

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. 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.

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 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 and Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, respectively.

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.

Women's Wing Secretary of the DMK

She 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.

Deputy General Secretary of the DMK

On 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.

Following the Operation Sindoor, She led an all-party delegation to Russia, reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi's assertion that India would make no distinction between terrorists and their sponsors should the nation face further attacks.

Controversies

2G spectrum scam

Main article: 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. 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.

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 had failed to prove any of its charge. Thus all accused were acquitted.

Positions in Parliament of the Republic of India

Electoral performance

Kanimozhi 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.

References

References

1. (26 May 2009). "The Big and Mighty Karuna family". [[Daily News and Analysis]].
2. "Detailed Profile: Smt. Kanimozhi". Govt. of India.
3. "Kanimozhi: A poetess politician in trouble". [[Sify]].com.
4. [http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1083461 Kanimozhi the rising daughter in Tamil Nadu?]. Dnaindia.com (7 March 2007). Retrieved on 27 March 2012.
5. (11 January 2018). "'Why does god need gunman to protect hundiyal?': Kanimozhi's speech rankles Hindu group".
6. (24 March 2007). "Fight against injustice, Kanimozhi tells women". [[The Hindu]].
7. [http://www.karuthu.com Karuthu] {{Webarchive. link. (26 August 2007 . Karuthu. Retrieved on 27 March 2012.)
8. V. Mallady, Shastry. (11 November 2008). "Private companies urged to participate in rural job fairs". [[The Hindu]].
9. "ADMK job fairs a big draw in rural areas".
10. (15 September 2009). "Dravidian ideals will remain the central theme: Kanimozhi". [[The Hindu]].
11. {{usurped
12. "A Wedding In The Family .....". Rediff News.
13. "Kanimozhi, Tiruchi N. Siva, DMK nominees for Rajya Sabha polls". The Hindu.
14. (16 September 2019). "BJP MPs head most panels, outnumber opposition in committees".
15. (12 April 2017). "Kanimozhi is the Hindu staff union president". The Hindu.
16. (20 March 2017). "DMK holds rally in Delhi to demand early passage of Women's Bill".
17. (2025-05-24). "Will call spade a spade: In Russia, DMK's Kanimozhi warns Pakistan on terror".
18. "Report about Kanamozhi on 2G case". Indian Express.
19. "I am not involved in day-to-day running of Kalaignar TV". [[The Times of India]].
20. (29 May 2019). "Amit Shah, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Kanimozhi resign as Rajya Sabha members after being elected to 17th Lok Sabha".