National
DMK removes Minister Ponmudi from party post over vulgar remarks against Hindu Gods
Chennai, April 11: The DMK has removed Tamil Nadu Forest Minister and senior party leader K. Ponmudy from his post as Deputy General Secretary following his controversial and vulgar remarks made at a recent party meeting.
The remarks, perceived as deeply offensive towards the Shaivite and Vaishnavite communities, sparked widespread outrage, including criticism from within the party.
DMK MP and party leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi publicly condemned Ponmudy’s comments, calling them “unacceptable”.
In a strongly worded post on her X account, she stated: “The recent speech of Minister Ponmudy is unacceptable. No matter the context, such vulgar speeches are condemnable.”
The remarks, reportedly made during a DMK workers’ meeting in Chennai within the past week, triggered backlash from political leaders, civil society, and the public.
In a now-viral video, Ponmudy is seen using a sexually explicit analogy involving a prostitute to ridicule religious practices.
Referring to sacred Hindu symbols, he mockingly described the Shaivite horizontal tilak and the Vaishnavite vertical tilak in most vulgar words, reducing spiritual symbolism to crude innuendos.
Singer and activist Chinmayi Sripada also criticised the minister, saying, “This is the Forest Minister Ponmudy from Tamil Nadu. He previously held portfolios such as Science and Technology and Education. He describes this as a ‘joke’ because there’s a market for such speeches in public gatherings. The joke, sadly, is on us.”
The BJP strongly condemned the remarks, demanding Ponmudy’s immediate removal from the state cabinet.
BJP Tamil Nadu Vice-President Narayanan Thirupathy said in a social media post, “Minister Ponmudy continuing in his post is shameful. CM Stalin, will you order Ponmudy’s arrest? He has maligned the women of Tamil Nadu with his comments.”
Thirupathy also welcomed Kanimozhi’s condemnation of Ponmudy.
This is not the first time the minister has courted controversy. In a previous incident, he made disparaging remarks linking North Indian migrants to selling ‘pani puri’ in Coimbatore, suggesting that those advocating for learning Hindi end up in low-paying jobs.
With mounting pressure from the public and political opponents, the DMK acted swiftly to strip Ponmudy of his senior party position. However, there has been no official statement or apology from the minister himself at the time of reporting.
National
Market volatility over Greenland issue to continue due to ‘few sticking points’: Report

New Delhi, Jan 24 : Investors are likely to remain on edge over the proposed US framework on Greenland, and near-term volatility related to this issue can continue, a report has said.
The report from Bank of Baroda said that market participants are awaiting more details that could determine whether negotiations succeed or unravel.
“Going ahead, investors are likely to await more details of the deal, as there are a few sticking points which can derail the negotiations. Hence, some volatility can be expected,” the report said.
Several analysts expect the arrangement to resemble an update of the existing security agreement between the US and Denmark, which was signed in 1951, the report noted.
Further negotiations will follow in due course which will cover areas such as US military presence in Greenland, as well as use of its mineral resources and sovereignty, said Aditi Gupta, Economist, Bank of Baroda.
US President Donald Trump has framed Washington’s interest in Greenland as driven by national security concerns, but the island’s largely unexplored mineral wealth including oil, gas and rare earth elements is of interest to US, the report said.
“The announcement of a framework deal between the US and NATO has helped to soothe investors’ nerves, however the details of the deal are still fuzzy,” it added.
Geo-political tensions escalated and markets went into turmoil after the US President intensified rhetoric to annex Greenland and threatened economic measures against European countries that oppose US plans. In response, several European nations, including France, Germany, Sweden amongst others increased military deployment in Greenland, further escalating tensions.
Trump had announced a 10 per cent additional tariff on goods from the UK, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Netherlands and Finland from February 1, 2026. The rate was expected to increase to 25 per cent by June 1, 2026.
Later, he backed off from his threat of imposing tariffs on European countries along the sidelines of the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos.
Crime
Two Held With ₹68 Lakh Cash Near India-Myanmar Border In Mizoram; Heroin Worth ₹78 Lakh Seized

Aizawl: Two persons were arrested with Rs 68 lakh in cash near the India-Myanmar border in east Mizoram’s Champhai district, officials said on Thursday.
Acting on a tip-off, the Assam Rifles intercepted a vehicle at Zote village on August 11, they said.
Upon thorough checking, Rs 60 lakh in cash was recovered from two persons in the vehicle.
The duo, identified as Joseph Lalthansanga and Vanlalruati, could not state any proper reason why they were carrying such a huge amount of cash. They were subsequently handed over to the police for legal action, officials said.
In another operation, the Assam Rifles recovered 94.6 gram of heroin, worth Rs 78 lakh, from the village on Wednesday.
The drugs were handed over to the Excise and Narcotics Department, officials said.
National
India’s AI Tech Spending Projected To Reach Rs. 92 Thousand Crore By 2028: Report

India’s AI technology spending is projected to grow at an annualised rate of 38 per cent from 2023 to reach $10.4 billion (approximately Rs. 92 thousand crore) in 2028, a report said on Thursday.
Around 40 per cent of organisations in India have already implemented agentic AI, and close to 50 per cent are planning to use the technology within the next 12 months, IDC InfoBrief and UiPath said in a joint report.
In 2025, AI investments are focused on building the foundational infrastructure required to power transformative, high-value use cases.
According to the report, the adoption is surging, fueled by a tech-savvy workforce, expanding digital infrastructure, and government-backed initiatives.
Organisations’ spending on enterprise automation, multilingual AI models, and agentic deployments is driving this momentum further.
The benefits are already visible, as 80 per cent of Indian companies say agentic AI boosts productivity, while 73 per cent say it improves decision-making, the report said.
According to the report, agentic AI is gaining strong traction across the manufacturing, retail and wholesale, healthcare, and life sciences industries, which heavily rely on data and repetitive decision-making cycles.
“Agentic automation is rapidly redefining business operations across India. While enterprises in this region are embracing the full potential of AI agents to streamline workflows and autonomously execute complex business processes, trust and security remain barriers to widespread implementation,” said DebDeep Sengupta, Area Vice President, South Asia, UiPath.
Our agentic automation platform directly addresses these challenges, breaking down barriers to enterprise AI adoption by enhancing security and compliance, improving accuracy and reliability for agentic outcomes, Sengupta added.
About 69 per cent of Indian organisations are using agentic AI to enhance productivity, 59 per cent to drive personalised customer engagement, while 57 per cent apply it to risk and fraud detection, highlighting how agentic AI is being applied across front and back-office functions, the report highlighted.
“Becoming an AI-fueled business is no longer an option in today’s unpredictable climate. For many organisations, it’s fast becoming a strategic necessity,” said Deepika Giri, Associate Vice President, IDC Asia/Pacific.
Across the region, organisations are embracing agentic AI and agentic automation at scale, Giri added.
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