Nainar Nagendran Explained

Nainar Nagendran
Office3:Vice President of TN BJP
Term Start3:Jun 2020
Office4:Cabinet Minister for Electricity, Industry and Transport
Term Start4:2001
Term End4:2006
Office:Member of Legislative Assembly
Term Start:7 May 2021
Constituency:Tirunelveli
Term Start1:2011
Term End1:2016
Constituency1:Tirunelveli
Term Start2:2001
Term End2:2006
Constituency2:Tirunelveli

Nainar Nagendran is an Indian politician of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state of Tamil Nadu.

Political career

He left the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) party in August 2017 to join the Bharatiya Janata Party.[1] He was one of several AIADMK figures to do so and soon after his move he was appointed a state-level BJP vice-president.[2]

As an AIADMK candidate, Nagendran was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Tirunelveli constituency in the 2001[3] and 2011 state assembly elections. He lost the seat by 606 votes in the election of 2006[4] and in 2016, when the difference was 601. His opponent in the latter election was A. L. S. Lakshmanan of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), a person he had beaten in 2011 by over 38,000 votes.[5]

Nagendran served variously as a Minister for Electricity, Industry and Transport during the AIADMK-led government of 2001–2006. He was not a member of the cabinet during the AIADMK government led by Jayalalithaa from 2011 but he said it was her death and the subsequent rudderless situation in which the party found itself that caused his move to the BJP in 2017.

In 2021, as a BJP candidate Nagendran has been elected to Tamil Nadu state assembly from Tirunelveli constituency for the third time defeating the DMK candidate by a margin of 23,107 votes. In addition he has been also selected as the leader of BJP members in Tamil Nadu assembly.

Electoral performance

Tamil Nadu Legislative elections

Party!Result!Votes !%
2001 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly electionTirunelveliAIADMK42,76540.93%
2006 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly electionTirunelveliAIADMK64,91145.42%
2011 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly electionTirunelveliAIADMK86,22054.81%
2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly electionTirunelveliAIADMK81,16043.81%
2021 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly electionTirunelveliBJP92,28246.70%

Lok Sabha Elections

ElectionsConstituencyPartyResultVote percentageOpposition CandidateOpposition PartyOpposition vote percentage
2019 Indian general electionRamanathapuramBJP32.13Kani K. NavasIUML44.05
2024 Indian general electionTirunelveliBJP31.54ROBERT BRUCE CINC47.06

Disproportionate assets case

Tamil Nadu's Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption conducted raids in 12 places belonging to Nagendran in various parts of Chennai city and in his native place of southern Tirunelveli district and in Kochi.[6] Later, investigation conducted in 2006 revealed the accumulation of Nainar Nagendran's assets in excess of his income when he was a minister of Industry, Power and Transport during the AIADMK rule. Vigilant police investigation has revealed that Nagendran bought property including gold jewellery and lands for more than 3 crore 9 lakh 97 thousand 97 rupees.[7] A chargesheet was filed in December 2010 against Nainar Nagendran his wife and four other relatives under the Prevention of Corruption Act for Rs 3.9 crore disproportionate assets case by Directorate of Vigilance.[8]

Controversy

Nainar Nagendran has sent death threats against acclaimed Tamil lyricist and writer Vairamuthu in January 2018 for his controversial remarks on Andal. Nagendran has announced that BJP leaders are ready to award a cash reward of ₹10 crore for anyone slays and chops the tongue of writer Vairamuthu. He also said there should be no hesitation in killing even those people who speak ill of Hinduism.[9] [10] This created a huge controversy in Tamil Nadu.[11] Later, he was arrested together with Hindu Munnani state vice-president VC Jayabalan for provocative hate speech that would cause divisiveness among the people and posed a threat to national unity.[12]

Notes and References

  1. News: The Hindu . Prominent AIADMK figures join BJP . T. . Ramakrishnan . 27 August 2017 . 2018-01-18.
  2. News: The Hindu . BJP rewards entrants from other parties . Dennis S. . Jesudasan . 20 November 2017 . 2018-01-18.
  3. Web site: 2001 Tamil Nadu Election Results, Election Commission of India.
  4. News: The Hindu . Nainar Nagendran thanks voters . 17 May 2006 . 2018-01-18.
  5. News: The Hindu . DMK, allies make a comeback in Tirunelveli district . 20 May 2016 . 2017-05-15.
  6. Web site: DVAC raids former AIADMK ministers' houses, firms. 27 October 2006. www.oneindia.com.
  7. Web site: சொத்துக்குவிப்பு வழக்கில் நயினார் நாகேந்திரனுக்கு குற்றப்பத்திரிக்கை நகல். 16 June 2011. tamil.oneindia.com.
  8. Web site: Chargesheet filed against former AIADMK minister. 4 December 2010. Hindustan Times.
  9. Web site: Jagannath. G.. 2018-01-19. Now, a death threat against Vairamuthu. 2020-07-15. DNA India. en.
  10. Web site: 2018-01-18. Former minister announces 10 crore to cut Vairamuthu's tongue - Tamil News. 2020-07-15. IndiaGlitz.com.
  11. Web site: Akilan. Mayura. 2018-01-17. வைரமுத்துவின் நாவை அறுத்தால் ரூ.10 லட்சம் பரிசு: நயினார் நாகேந்திரன் மிரட்டல். 2020-07-15. tamil.oneindia.com. ta.
  12. Web site: Ananth. M. K.. Jan 19, 2018. BJP leader Nainar Nagendran, five others booked for hate speeches Chennai News - Times of India. The Times of India. en.