Is the TVK’s cabinet expansion, DMK’s loss? | Above the Fold | 22.05.2026

Indexed: 2026-05-22

[00:00:12]Good evening. I'm Sonika Logan. Welcome to Above the Fold. In today's episode, we're taking a look at the DMK's future after the VCK and the IUML joined Vijay's cabinet. The Delhi High Court pulling up the wrestling federation of India over its remarks and decision against Bines Fogat and more. Stay tuned for the full report. The political spotlight is on Tamil Nadu where the ruling TVK has expanded its cabinet again with the induction of BCK's Vani Arsu and IML's AM Shajahan. The move has triggered sharp reactions and cryptic criticism from the DMK camp, highlighting what many see as the weakening of the party's longstanding alliance network as key partners in the secular democratic alliance move closer to TVK. What does this mean for the DMK's political strength and future of the 75year-old Dervidian Party? Our senior deputy editor Kolapan explains >> politics is heading for a complete revamp with the two allies of DMK joining the government headed by Tamla Kachi and Indian Union Muslim League earlier offered unconditional support.

[00:01:26]Now the two parties have decided to join the government. It has strengthened the longevity of the government because they are part of the government and they will think twice before withdrawing their support. So in a way it has helped the government. Their decision to join the government headed by TVK and chief minister Joseph has triggered a lot of criticism from the DMK, Union Minister Raja and and former MP Alandures Bahadi has no came out with attacks that know that was not in good taste. It was felt by even the DMK president Mr. MK Stalin who has asked the his partyman not to indulge in this kind of attacks. DMK has always been able to build a rainbow alliance because before the election everybody thought with this lot of parties in the alliance the DMK is able to win the election but that has not happened after the elections now the parties one after one started extending support to the government and now the two allay have even joined the government. Another party mana maki today adopted a resolution and one resolution is very important in which they say next election we have decided to conduct a symbol of their own. Why they are saying is because they also want to join the TVK government but they cannot join the government because they contested on the rising symbol of the DMK. Another party you know wos marmaladam is also has also contested in the symbol of rising sin. So these are the parties are now left with no choice even though they they may be nurturing the ambition to join the government in this background we have to think about the future of the DMK future of the DMK as if it is not in question because the party has seen the major crisis in the past it is out of power for many years during MJ's period it was almost 13 years out of power between 2011 to 21 the party is out of power for 10 years but now the emergence of a third player in Tamilad politics posture challenge.

[00:03:27]So now the party has to think about no addressing to the generation X a crop of new voters who feed mostly on social media and internet for information.

[00:03:38]Another thing is no ideology has taken a backseat in Tamilad politic. It seems DMK is talking about ideology politics parana dvidian womanian model government. Here is a person who had acted in so many films suddenly started a party and catapulted to power. So there is a completely different phenomenon the DMK is facing today. It has to evolve strategy to take on a person whose charisma is no today nobody has to match his charisma and the team is really under compulsion to think about strategy to uh face him.

[00:04:16]>> In other news, Olympian wrestler Vineh Fogat's bid to return to competitive wrestling has now reached the Delhi High Court. More on this report.

[00:04:25]>> The Delhi High Court has pulled up the Wrestling Federation of India over its decision to declare ace wrestler Vines Fugat ineligible to participate in domestic events. Hearing an appeal from the International Wrestling Star, a division bench led by Chief Justice DK Upad questioned the federation's sudden change in selection rules. The court noted that the departure from allowing reputed athletes to compete quote speaks volumes and cautioned the body that it should not act with vengeance. Forgot who is making a comeback after a maternity break following the birth of a child in July 2025 was declared ineligible by the WFI until June 2026.

[00:05:08]The federation cited a mandatory 6-month anti-doping notice period for athletes returning from retirement. However, the high court rejected that approach. The bench remarked that motherhood is celebrated in this country, asking why it should ever come to the detriment of an athletes career. The court also expressed displeasure over a show cause notice issued by the WFI, which described Fogat's 100 g weight disqualification at the Paris Olympics as a national shame. The bench questioned the federation's conduct, asking why it shouldn't be presumed that the selection criteria were altered specifically to target her. This legal battle unfolds against the backdrop of significant friction within the sport.

[00:05:54]Forgot was a prominent face of the 2023 athlete protests against alleged sexual harassment by the federation's former president bridge Bhan Sharan Singh. High Court has now directed the center to constitute an expert panel through the Sports Authority of India. The mandate is clear. Evaluate Fugat's case, assess her fitness and ensure her participation in the high stakes Asian games selection trials scheduled for May 30th and 31st.

[00:06:24]In its final remarks, the bench made it clear that whatever internal feuds exist, the cause of sports must not suffer.

[00:06:41]And now a snippet from the Hindus Maharashtra infrastructure conclave 2026 where Maharashtra deputy CM Aknat Shindai spoke about his vision for Daravi's redevelopment and his goal of making Mumbai slumf free while ensuring housing for all residents. Take a look.

[00:07:01]Number one, by this Fore! Foreign! Foreign!

[00:07:36]Government deeply.

[00:08:16]Mumbai slumbi.

[00:08:44]Mmda, BMCA, MSRDC, MCAD Maharust.

[00:09:17]I see.

[00:09:22]Up next, the Delhi High Court has granted 3 days interim bail to Omar Khaled who was charged with the UAPA in the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case.

[00:09:31]Khaled had sought temporary bail to attend the final post-death religious rituals of his uncle and to care for his mother who was set to undergo surgery.

[00:09:41]The bail comes days after a trial court rejected his plea saying the grounds cited were not necessary. Significantly, the development follows recent Supreme Court observations that granting bail should be the norm and keeping an accused in jail should be the exception even in stringent UAP and terror related cases. and especially when trials are delayed for years. Let's now turn to the Hindu Roundup for some of our exclusive content. In an editorial titled Castway on the court and cast count, the piece says that the Supreme Court was right in refusing to halt the cast census, observing that governments need accurate data on backward communities to design welfare policies effectively. It notes that while independent India once avoided counting cast in the census to promote a castless society, governments have continued to rely on cast data for reservations and representation, creating a contradiction. Referring to the flawed 2011 cast survey that produced massive data errors, it says that the government still faces challenges in conducting accurate enumeration. It concludes that while cast data might aid policymaking, it also risks deepening cast identities and stresses that the larger goal of annihilating cast must remain central.

[00:11:00]Tap on the card above to watch the editorial on the Hindu Originals YouTube channel. In the latest episode of Focus Tamil Nadu, deputy resident editor Durish Kumar examines how on camera inspections by TVK leaders at hospitals and Amma Unavagams have sparked a debate in Tamil Nadu over political overreach, public humiliation of officials and performance governance. He looks into whether such actions reflect peoplecentric governance or the rise of instant action politics. Here's a snippet. Ever since C Joseph Vijay became chief minister on mate tech the new TV government has tried to project itself as energetic fastm moving and actionoriented but there's a thin line between accountability and overreach and critics say some ruling party MLAs and office beers are beginning to cross that line take the recent controversy in ten kasi a worker injured in the stone quarry accident was taken to the government hospital in Shakran Kovville doctors amputated his crushed and and referred him to Turtle Valley Medical College Hospital for advanced surgery.

[00:12:06]Soon media reports began circulating alleging a negligence. This is when V was a nurse and office of the TVK medical wing entered the scene. She told reporters she had reviewed the issue, understood the hospital's manpower and equipment needs and assured there would be no medical negligence in Vijay's government. Immediately a serious question arose who authorized her to conduct such an exercise. She was neither an elected representative nor a government appointed authority. But then she went a step further. She argued the TVK medical wing should have the right to review hospitals because they were functioning like a third eye. That statement alarmed many because in a democracy governments cannot function through unofficial parallel authority structures. Ultimately, such behavior frustrates officials, weakens institutions and encourages ruling party candidates to believe visibility matters more than responsibility. The public voted for governance for reform, not for spectacle. Vijay still has time to course correct. He must clearly tell party men that publicity is not public service and he must ensure MLA is conducting inspections with dignity, restraint and respect. Meanwhile, the political row over the neat UG paper leak escalated after the Congress sharply attacked the center over claims made by top NTA officials. The NTA director general appearing before a parliamentary standing committee reportedly told the panel that the paper was not leaked through the agency's system. Congress leader Jaram Romesh said that a guest paper carrying several actual exam paper questions had circulated before the exam and accused the government of attempting a cover up.

[00:13:46]He alleged that the government had similarly tried to suppress reports of irregularities in meet UG 2024 and also criticized the CBI's closure report in the cancelled UGC 2024 examination which reportedly found no irregularities despite the exam being scrapped over concerns of a paper leak. Calling the NTA a national trauma agency, the Congress demanded accountability from both the prime minister and the education minister over repeated controversies surrounding national entrance examinations.

[00:14:20]Moving on, the Supreme Court has asked a committee headed by former Apex Court Judge Justice Indu Malotra to review cartoons published in NCERT textbooks after solicitor general Tashar Meta questioned whether such material was appropriate for children. Appearing before a bench led by Chief Justice of India Suya Kant, MEA argued that while cartoons were not objectionable in themselves, textbooks were not the proper place for satire aimed at quote impressionable students. The issue came up during the court's hearing on controversial content in a class 8 social science textbook about the judiciary. The centerapp appointed panel will now examine the proprietary of the cartoons as part of its broader review of school curriculum material. And that's it for today. Thank you so much for watching. Please share your thoughts on today's episode in the comments section. And if you found this video useful, don't forget to share it and save the above the fold playlist so that you never miss an update.