Kanimozhi is famous for being the daughter of Tamil Nadu’s former Chief Minister and DMK Chief, M. Karunanidhi, and infamous for her alleged involvement in the 2G spectrum scam under the UPA Government’s period in 2010.
Biography/Wiki
Muthuvel Karunanidhi Kanimozhi, also known as Kanimozhi or M. K. Kanimozhi, was born on 5 January 1968 (aged 51; as in 2019) to politician M. Karunanidhi and his third wife, Rajathi Ammal. Her father was already married to Dayalu when her mother got involved in an extra-marital affair with her father M. Karunanidhi. This extra-martial affair came in public domain when her mother’s name once figured in assembly records when Karunanidhi as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu was asked who was living with him in the house on Oliver Road, Chennai, to which he was collecting the official rent. Karunanidhi took a bold move and said, “My daughter Kanimozhi’s mother,” as at that time he couldn’t officially say Rajathi as his wife. Her father always tried to maintain a balance between the two families as throughout his life, he spent half the day at his official Gopalapuram residence and the rest at Rajathi’s residence in CIT Colony, Chennai. Though she was born to be the successor of her father, she had some other ambitions as she wanted to do something related to art, poetry and literature.
Family, Caste & Husband
Kanimozhi was born into one of Tamil Nadu’s most influential political families, of Isai Vellalar community. Her father, M. Karunanidhi, served as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu for 5 separate terms. Her mother, Rajathi Ammal, was part of the drama troupe in the mid-1960s. She is the only child of her parents and has 4 half-brothers– M. K. Stalin, M. K. Alagiri, M. K. Muthu, M. K. Tamilarasu, and a half-sister, Selvi Geetha Kovilam.
She was first married to Athiban Bose, a businessman, in 1989, but the marriage ended in divorce. In 1997, she had her second marriage to from to G. Aravindaan, a Singapore-based Tamil writer, and an IT Professional. The couple has 2 sons.
Career
Kanimozhi was always a bright student and enjoyed studying. She did her schooling from the Presentation Convent, Church Park in Chennai. She did her Masters in Economics from Ethiraj College for Women, Madras University in 1994.
She started her career with journalism and worked at several media houses including Kungumam, The Hindu, and Tamil Murasu.
In 2007, she joined politics by becoming a Member of Rajya Sabha from Tamil Nadu. In 2013, she got re-elected as a Member of Rajya Sabha from Tamil Nadu. In the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, she defeated her nearest rival BJP’s Tamilisai Soundararajan by a margin of 3.47 lakh votes from the Thoothukudi Constituency.
Controversies
- Till she reached the age of 50, she was booked on numerous charges, such as- one charge related to Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property (IPC Section-420), one charge related to false evidence (IPC Section-193), one charge related to Punishment of criminal conspiracy (IPC Section-120B), one charge related to Criminal breach of trust by public servant, or by banker, merchant or agent (IPC Section-409), one charge related to Forgery for purpose of cheating (IPC Section-468), one charge related to Using as genuine a forged document or electronic record (IPC Section-471), etc.
- On 20 May 2011, she was arrested for her alleged involvement in the 2G spectrum scam during the UPA Government, which caused huge loss of ₹1.76 lakh crore to the exchequer of India. On 21 December 2017, after a 6-year-long trial, a special CBI Court acquitted all the accused in the 2G Scam including her.
Salary/Net Worth
Her salary as a Member of Lok Sabha is Rs. 1 Lakh + Other Allowances (as in 2019) and has a net worth of Rs. 30.33 crore (as in 2019).
Favourite Things
- She is a big foodie and loves eating Idli, Dosa, Kothu Parotta, Pakoda, Podi Dosais, Chicken 65, Madurai Fish Curry, and Thayir Sadam.
- She is a voracious reader and her favourite books include- Saayavanam by Sa. Kandasamy, and The Sunday Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith
Facts
- Apart from politics, she has been associated with social issues like organising women empowerment programs, advocating for the welfare of differently-abled people and transgender people, etc.
- It was Kanimozhi, who proposed the idea of the Chennai Sangamam (an annual open Tamil cultural festival) in 2007.
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
