The latest twist in the battle to control Makkal Osai Tamil daily is the suspension of its General Manager Periasamy, who will be retiring in two months’ time at age 60, earlier this week.
Since the former MIC deputy President Subramaniam went into coma after a brain surgery on 11/11/11, his brainchild business entities Makkal Osai and Nesa Cooperative society are embroiled in a power struggle.
Periasamy, Nesa CEO Rajannan, Lawyer Saraswathi Kandasamy and OMS Thiagarajan are the main actors of one faction.
They have successfully took control of Nesa ousting MIC Central Working Committee Member K P Samy, deputy president Nadaraja and Subramaniam’s family members.
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Ousted K P Samy & Newly elected Nesa Director Periasamy |
The ousted actors, however, are in the midst of preparing to challenge their apparent dismissal in court. Until then, Rajannan and Saraswathi Kandasamy can maintain their dead silence on the Nesa land scam.
This tussle at Nesa precipitated a crisis at Makkal Osai.
Rajakumaran, the late Athikumanan’s brother, holds Makkal Osai license and 50% shares in the daily.
By joining with Rajakumaran, Subramaniam’s son Sundar took control of the administration, placed Periasamy in cold storage and fired his mentor Saraswathi Kandasamy from the daily’s panel of lawyers.
Further, Sunder quickly moved to purchase 50 % stake in Thinakkural’s Tamil daily thwarting Periasamy’s master plan to migrate to Thinakkural. He expected the bulk of Makkal Osai staff to follow him.
Essentially, Sundar wanted to put Periasamy in coma for his role in shutting the Nesa doors for his family though for more than 30 years, Subramaniam was the President and now being kept as dummy President.
In the face of this reality, Periasamy triggered the printing machine crisis but it had little effect. The case is in court and printing is done at Tamil Nesan.
The court will decide who actually owns the machine.
Periasamy then moved to manufacture another crisis.
This time he tried to use the newspaper vendors against Sunder but that too failed, according to a source with the knowledge of the matter.
Ironically, a General Manager plotting to stop the printing of his company’s newspaper and when that failed plotting to stop the distribution of his company’s newspaper.
Self-interest comes first before anything else.
Now, coming back to why Periasamy was suspended as General Manager of Makkal Osai, the drama goes like this.
Last week, the Makkal Osai computer system was down intermittently disrupting the daily’s operations and Sundar smelled rat, not surprisingly.
Too bad, the computer downtime may be a coincidence and may be genuinely nothing to do with the power struggle but Sunder felt otherwise and as such he fired the staff in charge of the computer server.
The fired staff is actually Periasamy’s loyalist.
Thus, Periasamy confronted Rajakumaran blaming him for firing his loyalist and in the course of argument, assaulted Rajakumaran.
Yes, assaulted Rajakumaran, the 50% owner of Makkal Osai and owner of Makkal Osai license.
That opened the window of opportunity for Sunder to demand Periasamy’s resignation but was refused which led to the suspension.
With this, the one faction of bed-ridden Subramaniam’s supporters had taken control of Nesa and the other faction had taken control of Makkal Osai.
This is not the end. Like Sun TV serials, the koothu (drama) must go on for the actors survival.
As far as Nesa concerned, the dram will be played in court soon.
For the control Tamil daily, three other licenses approved by authorities -- two are held by unknown individuals and one by Thiruttu (Nalla) Karrupan -- that are dormant for now.
Businessman OMS Thiagarajan is contemplating to revive either Uthya Sooriyan or Senthamil Tamil daily license in the coming weeks.
What role survivors Periasamy and Saraswathi Kandasamy will play in the coming sixth daily to hit the street is anyone’s guess.
Tamil Nesan, Malaysia Nanban, Makkal Osai, Thinakkural, Nam Naadu and soon Uthya Sooriyan or Senthamil.
Will Tamil readers have Great time? |
