Kanimozhi

Before her entry into politics, Kanimozhi was involved in journalism, such as sub editor for The Hindu, editor in charge of Kungumam (a Tamil weekly magazine ), and a features editor for a Singapore based Tamil newspaper called Tamil Murasu.[3]

• Sigarangalil Uraikiradhu Kaalam[10]
• Agathinai
• Paarvaigal
• Karukkum Marudhaani
• Karuvarai Vaasanai

Her literary works were translated into English, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada.

Kanimozhi was a student of Presentation Convent, Church Park in Chennai and later did her master's degree in economics in Ethiraj College for Women from the Madras University.[3] She has been married twice; firstly in 1989 to Athiban Bose, a businessman from Sivakasi, and then to G. Aravindan, a Singapore-based Tamil writer, in 1997. She has a son named Aditya Aravindan.[12]

In May 2007, the DMK nominated Kanimozhi as one of the party's candidates for the Rajya Sabha.[13] She became a Rajya Sabha member for the second time in 2013. Kanimozhi was the leader of the DMK in the house and was the voice of the state of Tamil Nadu in the Upper house. She was elected from Thoothukudi for the 17th Lok Sabha which was held in the year 2019 and was elected as a DMK's deputy leader of the parliament. As of September 2019, Kanimozhi works as a chairperson of Parliament Standing Committee for Chemicals and Fertilizers.[14]

Kanimozhi has been elected as MP of Lok Sabha from Thoothukudi constituency. This was her first direct electoral performance. She resigned her Rajya Sabha MP post on 29 May 2019 after being elected to 17th Lok Sabha.[17]

As per the chargesheet filed by CBI, Kanimozhi has 20% stake in her family owned Kalaignar TV, her step-mother Dayalu Ammal owns 60% stake in the same channel. CBI alleged that Kanimozhi was an "active brain" behind the channel's operations and she worked along with former telecom minister A. Raja to get DB Realty promoter Shahid Balwa to circuitously route 2 billion (US$36.2 million) to Kalaignar TV. According to CBI, Kanimozhi was in regular touch with A. Raja regarding launching of Kalaignar TV channel and its other pending works. CBI alleges that A. Raja was further pursuing the cause of Kalaignar TV not only for getting registration of the company from Ministry of Information and Broadcasting but also for getting it in the DTH operator TATA Sky's bouquet. She was also summoned by the Income Tax Department, Chennai for alleged tax evasion charges.

On 3 July 2012, briefing the joint parliamentary committee probing the scam, ED claimed that it has enough evidence to convict DMK chief Karunanidhi's wife and daughter Kanimozhi.

Kanimozhi has defended herself by arguing that she is only a 20% shareholder in the company, who has no involvement in the financial aspects or the liability of a director.[18]

During the course of the trial, Kanimozhi's name was cleared by at least one witness who deposed that she had no involvement in the day-to-day affairs of Kalaignar TV and that she was initially reluctant to join the management of the channel. It was also admitted in court that Kanimozhi resigned from Kalaignar board after only two weeks to become a Member of Parliament. In an extraordinary twist, on 21 December 2017 a special CBI court acquitted her along with 19 others accused including A. Raja in 2G spectrum allocation cases. The Court said that the prosecution has miserably failed to prove any of its charge. Thus all accused are acquitted.