Kanimozhi Karunanidhi (born 5 January 1968) is an Indian politician, poet and journalist. She is a
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
, representing
Thoothukkudi constituency in the
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-past ...
(the
lower house
A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...
of
India's Parliament
The Parliament of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the president of India and two houses: the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of the ...
). She was also a former
MP, represented
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
in the
Rajya Sabha
The Rajya Sabha, constitutionally the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India. , it has a maximum membership of 245, of which 233 are elected by the legislatures of the states and union territories using si ...
(the
upper house
An upper house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smalle ...
of
India's Parliament
The Parliament of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the president of India and two houses: the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of the ...
).
Kanimozhi is the daughter of the former
Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
The chief minister of Tamil Nadu is the chief executive of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's ''de jure'' head, but ''de facto'' executive authority rests with th ...
M. Karunanidhi and his third wife Rajathi Ammal.
Kanimozhi belongs to the Indian political party
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (; DMK) is a political party based in the state of Tamil Nadu where it is currently the ruling party having a comfortable majority without coalition support and the union territory of Puducherry where it is curre ...
(DMK), where she functions as the deputy general secretary and women's wing secretary. Her half-brothers
M. K. Alagiri and
M. K. Stalin
Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin ( , born 1 March 1953), often referred to by his initials MKS, is an Indian Tamil politician serving as the 8th and current Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. The son of the former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, Stalin ...
are the former
Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers of the Republic of India and the
Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
The chief minister of Tamil Nadu is the chief executive of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's ''de jure'' head, but ''de facto'' executive authority rests with th ...
respectively.
Early life
Before her entry into politics, Kanimozhi was involved in journalism, such as sub editor for ''
The Hindu
''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
'', editor in charge of ''
Kungumam'' (a Tamil weekly magazine) and a features editor for a Singapore based Tamil newspaper called ''
Tamil Murasu
''Tamil Murasu'' ( ta, தமிழ் முரசு) is a Singapore-based Tamil-language newspaper. Launched in 1935 by Thamizhavel G. Sarangapani, Tamil Murasu is Singapore's only Tamil-language newspaper. It is one of the sixteen newspap ...
''.
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
A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...
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
Chennai Sangamam (Tamil: சென்னை சங்கமம்) 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 Governmen ...
, an annual open
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
cultural festival, usually held during the
Pongal Pongal may refer to:
* Pongal (festival), an annual Tamil festival
* Pongal (dish)
Pongal, also known as pongali or huggi, is an Indian rice dish. In Tamil, "pongal" means "boil" or "bubbling up". The two varieties of pongal are ''chakarai pong ...
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
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
.
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
''Cilappatikāram'' ( ta, சிலப்பதிகாரம் ml, ചിലപ്പതികാരം, IPA: ʧiləppət̪ikɑːrəm, ''lit.'' "the Tale of an Anklet"), also referred to as ''Silappathikaram'' or ''Silappatikaram'', is the ...
, A woman of Substance'' based on a Tamil
epic of the same name with
Bombay Jayashri
"Bombay" Jayashri Ramnath is an Indian Carnatic vocalist, singer, and musician. She has sung in multiple languages including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi movies. Born into a family of musicians, Jayashri represents the fourth ge ...
.
Personal life
Kanimozhi was a student of Presentation Convent, Church Park in Chennai and later did her master's degree in economics in
Ethiraj College for Women
Ethiraj College for Women is an arts and science college for women in Chennai, India, managed by the Ethiraj College Trust. It was founded in 1948 by the barrister V. L. Ethiraj of Vellore.
History
Ethiraj College for Women is an autonomous col ...
from the
Madras University
The University of Madras (informally known as Madras University) is a public state university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigious universities in India, incorporated by an a ...
.
She has been married twice; firstly in 1989 to Athiban Bose, a businessman from
Sivakasi
Sivakasi () is a city and Municipal Corporation in Virudhunagar District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. This city is known for its fireworks, firecracker, matchbox and printing industries. Sivakasi city alone meets about 90% fire cracker ...
(since divorced), and then to G. Aravindan, a
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
-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
The Rajya Sabha, constitutionally the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India. , it has a maximum membership of 245, of which 233 are elected by the legislatures of the states and union territories using si ...
. She became a Rajya Sabha member for the second time in 2013. Kanimozhi was the leader of the DMK in the house and was the voice of the state of Tamil Nadu in the Upper house.
As a Lok Sabha MP
She was elected from
Thoothukkudi
Thoothukudi (formerly Tuticorin) is a port city, a municipal corporation and an industrial city in Thoothukudi district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The city lies in the Coromandel Coast of Bay of Bengal. Thoothukudi is the capital and he ...
as the first female MP of that constituency for the
17th Lok Sabha
The 17th Lok Sabha was formed by the members elected in the 2019 Indian general election. Elections, all across India, were conducted in seven phases from 11 April 2019 to 19 May 2019 by the Election Commission of India. Counting started offi ...
, 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
The chief minister of Tamil Nadu is the chief executive of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's ''de jure'' head, but ''de facto'' executive authority rests with th ...
and the
DMK President
M. K. Stalin
Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin ( , born 1 March 1953), often referred to by his initials MKS, is an Indian Tamil politician serving as the 8th and current Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. The son of the former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, Stalin ...
, announced and appointed Kanimozhi as the deputy general secretary to the DMK party in the presence of the party's general secretary
Durai Murugan
Durai Murugan (born 1 July 1938) is an Indian politician and lawyer. He is the Minister for Water Resources under the government of M. K. Stalin since 2021. He is the general secretary of the DMK party since 9 September 2020. He graduated in M ...
at the General Council Meeting held in
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
.
Elections contested and positions held
Kanimozhi has been elected as
M.P. of Lok Sabha from
Thoothukkudi
Thoothukudi (formerly Tuticorin) is a port city, a municipal corporation and an industrial city in Thoothukudi district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The city lies in the Coromandel Coast of Bay of Bengal. Thoothukudi is the capital and he ...
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
The 17th Lok Sabha was formed by the members elected in the 2019 Indian general election. Elections, all across India, were conducted in seven phases from 11 April 2019 to 19 May 2019 by the Election Commission of India. Counting started offi ...
.
Lok Sabha Election
Posts in Parliament of India
2G spectrum case
As per the chargesheet filed by CBI, Kanimozhi has 20% stake in her family owned
Kalaignar TV
Kalaignar is an Indian general entertainment satellite television channel based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The channel was launched on 15 September 2007 as Kalaignar in respect of former Chief minister of Tamil Nadu M. Karunanidhi. Malaysia ...
, 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
Andimuthu Raja (born Sathyaseelan; 26 October 1963) is an Indian politician from Tamil Nadu, who serves as Member of Parliament for the Nilgiris constituency and deputy general secretary for the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. He was a member of t ...
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.
References
External links
Profile on Lok Sabha website*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kanimozhi
1968 births
Living people
Politicians from Chennai
Tamil Nadu politicians
Women in Tamil Nadu politics
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam politicians
Rajya Sabha members from Tamil Nadu
Lok Sabha members from Tamil Nadu
Members of Parliament from Tamil Nadu
India MPs 2019–present
Indian Tamil people
Karunanidhi family
Indian atheists
Women members of the Rajya Sabha
Women members of the Lok Sabha
Women writers from Tamil Nadu
Indian women journalists
Indian women editors
Poets from Tamil Nadu
Tamil poets
Tamil journalists
The Hindu Group
2G spectrum case
Indian prisoners and detainees
Inmates of Tihar Jail
Prisoners and detainees of India
Ethiraj College for Women alumni
University of Madras alumni
21st-century Indian politicians
21st-century Indian women politicians
People charged with corruption