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Impact Of Modi Govt’s PLI Scheme: ₹95,000 Cr Across 14 Sectors Invested, 6.4 Lakh Jobs Generated, 20% Surge In Mobile Manufacturing

By
The Commune
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Job Creation Gathers Further Momentum In 2024-25

The Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry statement released on Tuesday (26 December 2023) revealed that the production linked incentive (PLI) schemes initiated by the central government have attracted investments exceeding ₹95,000 crore by September. These investments have resulted in the production of goods valued at ₹7.80 lakh crore. Additionally, these PLI schemes, spanning 14 sectors, have generated both direct and indirect employment opportunities for over 6.4 lakh individuals and have boosted exports by ₹3.20 lakh crore. In the fiscal year 2022-23, incentives totaling approximately ₹2,900 crore have been disbursed.

Notable achievements include a 20 percent increase in value addition in mobile manufacturing within three years and a significant contribution to the USD 101 billion total electronics production in FY 2022-23, with smartphones accounting for USD 44 billion, including USD 11.1 billion in exports.

Import substitution of 60 percent has been accomplished in the Telecom sector, rendering India nearly self-reliant in products like Antennae, GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Network), and CPE (Customer Premises Equipment). The Pharma sector has seen a considerable reduction in imports of raw materials, with the manufacturing of unique intermediate materials and bulk drugs taking place in India, including Penicillin-G. Moreover, technology transfer has occurred in the production of Medical Devices such as CT scans and MRIs.

The drones sector has experienced a seven-fold increase in turnover, driven mainly by MSME startups. Under the PLI Scheme for Food Processing, there has been a significant rise in the sourcing of raw materials from India, positively impacting the income of Indian farmers and MSMEs.

In the white goods sector, including ACs and LED lights, 64 companies have invested a total of ₹5,429 crore, with additional investments of ₹6,766 crore expected to create approximately 48,000 new jobs. The net incremental production is projected to exceed ₹1.23 lakh crore during the scheme’s duration. Thirteen foreign companies are investing ₹2,090 crore under the scheme, while 23 MSME applicants have committed investments of ₹1,042 crore. Notably, the actual investment has surpassed the threshold, reaching ₹2,084 crore by September, underscoring the scheme’s success.

These facts come at a time when ‘rockstar economists’ like Raghuram Rajan have been criticizing and trivializing the Modi government’s PLI scheme.

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PM Modi Is The Boss On YouTube With Over 20 Million Subscribers

By
The Commune
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s YouTube channel has reached an impressive milestone, surpassing 20 million subscribers, making it the most subscribed among prominent global leaders.

In fact, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the sole world leader to attain this distinction, with 20 million subscribers on his personal YouTube channel, putting him significantly ahead of both his global and Indian counterparts.

For context, the global leader with the second-largest subscriber count is former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has just 6.4 million subscribers, less than one-third of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s channel.

Following at a distance is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with 1.1 million subscribers.

Furthermore, in December 2023 alone, the Narendra Modi YouTube channel accumulated a staggering 2.24 billion views, which is 43 times more than the views on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s channel, the second-highest among global leaders.

With a remarkable 4.5 billion video views, the Narendra Modi Channel leads in terms of both subscribers and video views, setting a high standard for political leaders on YouTube.

Consistently, global surveys, such as Morning Consult, have consistently ranked Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the most popular global leader, with an approval rating exceeding 75 percent, far surpassing his global peers.

The dominance of Narendra Modi’s YouTube channel reflects his influence not only in India but also on the international stage.

The video views and subscriber count of the Narendra Modi YouTube channel are leagues ahead of those of other Indian political leaders and parties, underscoring his unparalleled online presence and popularity.

TN BJP Leader SG Suryah Debunks Lies Peddled By “Economist” And SPC Vice Chairman Jeyaranjan, Schools Him On GST

By
The Commune
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In a video clipping shared by DMK mouthpiece Sun News, Vice Chairman of State Planning Commission (SPC) J Jeyarajan is seen peddling lies about the press interview given by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman a few days ago regarding the recent floods in Tamil Nadu. 

The self-proclaimed ‘economist’ started by stating how he could not watch Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s interview even for a few minutes because of the “arrogance in the language used as well as the Finance Minister’s body language”. He claimed it belittled the distress of the people of Tamil Nadu. 

He claimed the CAG looks into the expenditures of the governments and should not talk about the 4000 crore expenditure of the state government. 

The host quoted Tamil Nadu BJP President Annamalai as having said that the relief fund comes from the central government and that is what is being distributed by the state government (6000 rupees). To this Jeyarajan replies, “Why are repeating, Delhi money, Delhi money? Where does Delhi get its money from? Does Delhi have something like a separate lunar satellite? Does it have land on Mars or the Moon from where they can give alms to the people here? What you are collecting is from our pocket. Are you not collecting from the people here? Then why are you repeating that you are the ones giving the relief funds? It is for ease of business that you have been made to sit there. First, remember that you are not masters (yejamanargal). They don’t seem to realise this. The language she used stems from that only. Are they our masters? Are they masters of the Indian Union? They behave like that but that is not their job. They collect tax from the people and then decide how to use it and for what, there are instructions and procedures for that.”

He also added, “This 1200 crore is usually given by the centre to every state as relief every time. Small such incidents happen and there are procedures to estimate the costs. With that, they allot a specific amount based on the state and its risk factors. When there comes a disaster worse than the regular ones, at that time the NDRF comes into the picture to oversee the expenses. A team will be sent to study the ground situation. You all would have seen the team on the news after the recent Chennai floods. They all praised the government for the measures taken. But she is sitting in Delhi and saying they didn’t do anything here.” 

The host quoted the Chief Minister as saying the 6000 rupee relief amount is from the State government’s pocket and not from the centre. He quotes a few WhatsApp messages stating that the state government is either pocketing the funds from the centre and giving meagre amounts to the people or that the state is contributing less to the actual amount. To this Jeyarajan replies, “There are procedures in place for this. When spending government money, you feel you are some big donor giving money from your own pocket? You cannot do that, you have to follow rules. Everything is accounted for – that is how it is done – what/how much goes to whom. The ones doing the survey are responsible for that. They cannot claim that the state government has not passed on to the people what was given by the central government. This is because you can only spend the money from the government coffers without violating the rules. It is not possible to do what is being claimed.”

Slamming these lies, State Secretary of Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party, SG Suryah exposed the truth on his official X handle. He wrote, “Jeyaranjan & his Dravidian Stock lies never end. States receive 100% of State GST (SGST) collected in that state, approximately 50% of IGST collected in the state, and a portion of CGST is also devolved to the states based on the Finance Commission’s recommendations. Industrialised states like Tamil Nadu have several companies with pan-India operations and concurrent tax payments. For example, Tamil Nadu is one of the leading automobile manufacturing states in the country. Manufacturers make a profit because these automobiles are sold across the country. Similarly, plantations from Kerala make profits by selling across India. This explains why the location of direct tax collection may not be a fair and equitable principle for the sharing of tax because although the money comes from everywhere across India, tax is paid in the state where the companies are registered.

So, if automobile companies selling across India are registered in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu and they pay their taxes from there, it’s not just Tamil Nadu’s tax money that is there.”

Suryah also shared an infographic on the tax devolution comparison between UPA and NDA decades which shows a 3x increase from UPA. The grants-in-aid from Govt of India comparison also shows an almost 4x increase from 10 years of UPA to 9 years of NDA government. 

It is noteworthy that Sun News was under scrutiny recently for disseminating fake news concerning Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s remarks during a press conference held on 22 December 2023. The news outlet reported that Sitharaman had allegedly stated, “We cannot announce the severe flood damages in Tamil Nadu as a national disaster.” The FM had not made any such statements during the presser.

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AIADMK Leader Edappadi Palaniswami Signals Potential Alliance With SDPI, To Participate In “Secularism Protection Conference”

By
The Commune
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In a strategic shift, former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader Edappadi Palaniswami, after breaking ties with the BJP, is actively engaging with minority communities to forge alliances ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections. Palaniswami’s approach echoes the political tactics employed by the late J. Jayalalithaa during the 2014 elections when the AIADMK contested solo and secured significant victories in Tamil Nadu.

Palaniswami, who has categorically ruled out an alliance with the BJP, has been participating in minority functions and meetings, signalling a departure from the party’s previous affiliations.

Earlier, he had called for the release of 1998 Coimbatore bomb blast terror convict SA Basha on “humanitarian grounds”.

His recent participation in a Christian organization’s conference in Coimbatore on 28 November 2023 emphasised the AIADMK’s historical “commitment” to minority rights and listed the concessions made to these communities.

The move seems to be gaining traction, as leaders from minority parties have approached Palaniswami for collaboration. Thamimun Ansari, General Secretary of the Manithaneya Jananayaka Katchi (Humanist Democratic Party), and the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) have expressed interest in aligning with the AIADMK. Palaniswami has been directly invited by SDPI’s state president, Nellai Mubarak, to participate in the Secularism Protection Conference scheduled for 7 January 2024 in Madurai.

While the DMK has allied with minority parties like the Manithaneya Makkal Katchi, Indian Union Muslim League, and Christian Goodwill Movement, Palaniswami seems to be aiming to pull a few minority parties under the AIADMK banner by sending a message of assurance that for minority communities, the AIADMK remains a safe and inclusive choice.

Political observers note that while Palaniswami is making inroads with minority leaders, there is scepticism among minority communities regarding his trustworthiness. AIADMK Advocates Wing Joint Secretary Babu Murugavelu asserts that severing ties with the BJP was a crucial step in attracting minority support. He claims that the AIADMK, under Palaniswami’s leadership, is committed to the welfare of minority communities in the state and will implement policies beneficial to them.

As the political landscape evolves in Tamil Nadu, Palaniswami’s attempts to forge alliances with minority parties indicate a strategic move to capture crucial constituencies in the upcoming elections. Whether this outreach will translate into electoral support remains to be seen.

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“Rahul Gandhi Should Clarify That He Is Not Against Hindus And The Poor”: BRS Leader Kavitha Slams Congress Leader For His Silence On Anti-Hindu And Anti-Hindi Remarks Made By I.N.D.I. Allies

By
The Commune
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BRS party leader K Kavitha, on 25 December 25 2023, strongly criticized the Congress party and its leader Rahul Gandhi for their silence regarding the anti-Hindi and anti-Sanatan Dharma comments made by Congress allies and insisted that Rahul Gandhi needs to clarify that he is not against Hindus or the economically disadvantaged.

Kavitha vehemently criticized Rahul Gandhi for not speaking out against DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran’s controversial statement where the latter said Hindi speakers clean toilets. She argued that his failure to address these offensive remarks against Sanatan Dharma and Hindi-speaking regions suggested that his Bharat Jodo Yatra was merely a public relations stunt.

In an interview with the news agency PTI, Kavitha emphasized the significance of these statements, highlighting their potential to disrupt the unity of the nation and the fact that such statements have been made by I.N.D.I. bloc members.

Kavitha also questioned Rahul Gandhi’s silence regarding DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin’s derogatory comments about Sanatana Dharma, likening it to a disease. She stated that Rahul Gandhi, who frequently talks about uniting the nation during his Bharat Jodo Yatra, should have spoken up when these offensive remarks were made, as they hurt the sentiments of Hindus.

Kavitha drew attention to the derogatory comments made by a DMK MP inside Parliament, referring to Hindi-speaking states as “Gaumutra states.” She noted that such anti-Hindi and anti-Sanatan remarks from DMK leaders and their allies have been causing division and hurting the sentiments of the Hindu community.

Taking a dig and labeling him as ‘Election Gandhi,’ Kavitha demanded that Rahul Gandhi clarify his stance on these divisive remarks, especially with the upcoming National Parliamentary elections approaching. She insisted that Rahul Gandhi should make it clear that he is not anti-Hindu, anti-poor, or anti-labor.

In a subsequent interview with the news agency ANI, Kavitha asserted that leaders within the I.N.D.I.A. bloc were making divisive remarks for the sake of political gain, emphasizing that such statements ultimately divide the country in unimaginable ways.

She emphasized that if Rahul Gandhi had reacted to the Sanatana Dharma controversy earlier, it might have prevented others from making similar statements. She also criticized the Congress party for its handling of the hijab issue in Karnataka, accusing it of being inconsistent and failing to fulfill its promises.

Kavitha underscored, “Congress forgets all promises as soon as it wins elections. They promised to provide six guarantees in Karnataka, but nothing has been done as of now. They promised to lift the hijab ban in educational institutions in Karnataka, but now seem confused about it. They do not implement what they promise. It is in their DNA.”

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Modi’s Checkmate To I.N.D.I

By
M Ananth Narayan
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The last few weeks were full of interesting events in the political arena. It always seems that the opposition now has an upper hand on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP but eventually it turns out that Modi is the final winner. It has been very rare in cases like the farm laws then and the wrestler’s agitation now when Modi had to retract his steps. Even if Modi retracts like in the chess board, the impact of that on BJP has been electorally negligible. The important point to note is that in both cases the opposition has shot from the shoulders of other people and have not done it directly but Modi gives a blow directly to the opposition and seldom shoots from anyone else’s shoulder which has proved electorally fatal for the opposition especially for the only other national party albeit on paper today, the Indian National Congress. Even if the opposition was able to make a rare dent in the armor of Modi, his next moves have left the clueless opposition fall heavily on the ground losing the bout.

As we all know, some miscreants entered our new parliament and did a copycat act mimicking some great freedom fighters who had a very good and noble reason which their agenda driven attempt can never match. If the opposition had a strong strategy and skill, they would have not repeated the same mistake asking every time for Amit Shah or Narendra Modi to speak in parliament and would have come up with a solid plan of attack to corner Modi as there was a security lapse which was the main issue. As always, the opposition had a lackluster idea and everyone started creating ruckus in parliament and had a lot of their rank and file suspended. What they didn’t expect was that a historic record of suspension to the extent of 146 people would be done. Logically, the next smart move by them would have been to go to the public with a serious face, sit outside parliament protesting against the so called injustice meted to them. On the contrary what they do? They have a gala time outside with one TMC leader mimicking the Hon’ble Vice President of India and another Congress leader filming it. The public who was already irritated with opposition parties consistently hindering the business of the house(s) in multiple sessions now but could have sympathized with them got more angered witnessing their casual and irresponsible behavior outside of parliament. The opposition plan totally flopped as no one seemed to take them seriously as the public at large except their staunch supporters realized that they were not serious about the nation nor them as their voters and were just concentrating on their agenda. In the midst of all this ruckus, BJP got time to investigate the incident. Amit Shah will eventually share the findings of the security breach and I somehow feel it will be big blow to the dot dot alliance again. Another important catch, not surprisingly, missed by a team totally out of form.

In the meanwhile, Modi’s smarter army springs to action and quickly improvises while the opposition soldiers were jumping on the field and outside. A theory that some have is that there is a bigger plan behind the mass suspension. BJP knew the risk of sympathy factor for opposition but still they let the suspensions happen. Modi’s move through this is to unite the I.N.D.I alliance very strongly so that they fight the 2024 elections as one single unit instead of multiple parties splitting votes and all the votes of those voters who don’t like a party in the dot dot alliance will move in bulk to the only opposition which is BJP. This way BJP tends to gain more.

Even if the earlier plan doesn’t work and the opposition disintegrates before 2024 elections which is just a few months away now and everyone does their own thing although they will not call off the alliance formally, Modi will adopt plan B which is to keep attacking Congress’s ego and have them cut the votes of the regional parties as much as possible wherever its not a direct one to one contest for BJP. It is very clear that Congress will have existential crisis as a national party if they don’t get enough seats in states like TN, WB, Bihar etc. The stronger regional parties are not in a mood to give them double digit number of seats and the Hindi heartland has already abandoned them. BJP will take full advantage of the abusive remarks of DMK about Sanatana Dharma and Hindi speaking states as they know the other parties of their alliance will not openly condemn for the sake of the alliance. Nitish kumar and RJD are visibly unhappy with DMK and with Mallikarjun Kharge’s name proposed as PM candidate albeit Congress has been silent on that.  Public is bound to get terribly confused with so many contradictions and the big question that will run in their minds is that how the parties will run the country together if they can’t simply work amicably.

Either way it’s Modi’s check and mate to the I.N.D.I alliance. No prizes for guessing the winner. The only thing to wait and watch is to how much more seats will BJP manage to gain beyond 300 although I am confident they will easily break their highest so far. 2024 is set to start with a spiritual and political celebration in its first quarter itself. Jai Shri Ram!

Ananth Mahadevan is a political commentator based in Bengaluru.

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Sabarimala: Pilgrims Once Again Face Long Hours Of Traffic In Pala-Ponkunnam Route; Stranded For 12-14 Hrs

By
The Commune
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Sabarimala is grappling with an overwhelming surge of pilgrims, leading to severe disruptions and protests due to inadequate facilities. The situation escalated on Monday, with reports indicating heavy traffic jams, restrictions on vehicle movement, and pilgrims facing a lack of essential amenities such as food, water, and toilets.

The Pala-Ponkunnam route to Sabarimala witnessed intense traffic, resulting in an approximately 8 km-long jam from Elikulam to Elangulam Temple Junction. Some vehicles were reportedly stranded for over 12-14 hours, prompting frustration among the pilgrims. Police measures, including the halting of buses at Vaikom, further fuelled discontent, leading to protests against the authorities’ actions.

On 24 December 2023, the hill shrine experienced its highest pilgrim turnout of the season, with 1,00,969 devotees ascending the ‘Pathinettampadi’ (18 steps) for a glimpse of the deity. Pilgrims faced extensive waiting times, with queues stretching from Neelimala, and the situation persisted into 25 December 2023 – Christmas day. Strict control measures were enforced by the police at Pampa and Nilackal.

The restrictions imposed by the police on vehicle entry in Pamba and Erumely exacerbated the situation, contributing to significant traffic congestion. Pilgrims, including women and children, were left waiting for hours, with some expressing disappointment over the lack of basic facilities. The Kerala High Court had recently directed temple authorities and the police to ensure pilgrims are provided with snacks and drinking water.

As the current pilgrim season, known as Mandalakalam, progresses, Sabarimala continues to witness an unprecedented influx of devotees. With the Mandala pooja scheduled for 27 December 2023, the temple is expected to close for three days before reopening on the fourth day. 

Speaking to Asianet News, devotees from Karnataka stranded on the road in their vehicle said, “In the morning we arrived here at 8 AM. It is already a whole day now. There is no food or water to drink. No one should come to Sabarimala next time. I am begging you with folded hands, nobody should come. Please. At least they should have informed us. The police here are not handling the situation properly. They are not allowing vehicles to pass freely.”

Another devotee from Karnataka said, “There is no water or toilet facilities. This is a shame for the Kerala government. Police are doing dadagiri. They are showing their shoe if we ask anything. We have not had food since 8 PM last night. Why are they doing this?”

Another devotee said, “Even Tirupati is better than this. Tirupati is very good. Kerala government is unable to handle the crowd that comes in large numbers just for 2 months.”

A Karnataka Union leader named Jagadish said, “In Karnataka, CPM is good. In Kerala, it is no good. No improvement at all. There is no toilet or water. Shouldn’t Pinarayi Vijayan do something about all this?”

The plight of the devotees took a distressing turn as pilgrims from various states, including Chennai, Coimbatore, and West Bengal, found themselves stranded without access to food, water, or toilet facilities. Complaints arose regarding the blockage of vehicles, leading to protests, including devotees lying on the ground on the Pala Ponkunnam Road. Water scarcity issues were exacerbated by vendors selling water at exorbitant prices.

To get stranded in a place that is not one’s hometown or home state without food and water is a big cause for concern. 

(with inputs from Manorama)

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“Paarpaan (Brahmins) Will Control Courts”: DMK IT Wing Shares Alleged Quote Of EVR Slandering Judiciary Amidst Ponmudi’s Jail Sentence And Justice Anand Venkatesh Getting Allotted MP/MLA Portfolio

By
The Commune
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“Paarpaan (Brahmins) Will Control Courts”: DMK IT Wing Shares Alleged Quote Of EVR Slandering Judiciary Amidst Ponmudi’s Jail Sentence And Justice Anand Venkatesh Getting MP/MLA Portfolio

With the arrest of former DMK minister K Ponmudi, the party and other Dravidianists seem to be jittered especially after it was reported that Justice N Anand Venkatesh of the Madras High Court will hold MP/MLA portfolio from 2 January 2024.

So, once 2024 begins, all suo motu revision petitions against sitting and former Ministers will get listed before him once again after a break of 3 months when he was sitting in Madurai Bench.

In a post intended to remember EV Ramasamy Naicker (hailed as Periyar by his followers), the DMK IT Wing shared a post quoting him. Indirectly, the post seemed to take jibes and abuse the judiciary. The post said, “The day we struggle and bring laws, the paarpaan (slur word for Brahmin) will be the one who will keep the court under his control!”

The Hindu on 23 December 2023, reported that Justice N. Anand Venkatesh is set to resume handling cases involving both sitting and former Members of Parliament as well as Legislative Assembly members starting 2 January 2024, as per the roster for the first three months of the upcoming year.

The report stated that Chief Justice Sanjay V. Gangapurwala, acting as the master of the roster, decided to reassign the MP/MLA portfolio to Justice Venkatesh following a three-month hiatus from 3 October 2023. During his previous tenure in this role, Justice Venkatesh initiated suo motu revisions against the discharge/acquittal of Ministers K. Ponmudy, K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran, I. Periyasamy, and Thangam Thennarasu, along with former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam and former Minister B. Valarmathi in various cases.

The suo motu revision petitions raised in August 2023 stirred considerable tension in political circles. Subsequently, he had to discontinue the hearings of these petitions due to his relocation to the Madurai Bench. As a result, Justice G. Jayachandran was assigned the portfolio for three months from 3 October 2023. However, none of the six suo motu revision petitions have been resolved since then, causing anxiety among lawyers in the High Court about which judge would take on the MP/MLA portfolio during the next three-month roster period commencing on 2 January 2024.

The uncertainty was particularly heightened because Justice Venkatesh was scheduled to return to the principal seat of the High Court in Chennai after completing his tenure in the Madurai Bench. An official sitting arrangement list released on 22 December 2023 confirmed that Justice Venkatesh would indeed be resuming his responsibilities for the MP/MLA portfolio.

It is noteworthy that when the judgement against Ponmudi was announced, the DMK and its ally, the VCK had cast aspersions on the judge who delivered the verdict. VCK head Thirumavalavan had said, “Nowadays, there’s a fear that even judges too are being ‘Sanatanised’”.

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The Print Uses Clickbaity Title Calling EVR As “South Indian Socrates”, Here’s Why He Is Not

By
The Commune
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The Print shared an article, on their X handle, on 24 December 2023, to mark the death anniversary of Dravidian ideologue, EV Ramasamy Naicker also referred to as Periyar in the region. The caption of the X post read, “Periyar, the ‘South Indian Socrates’ who smashed Brahminical patriarchy On his death anniversary, read #ThePrintProfile by Aananth Daksnamurthy @aananth95“

The X post of The Print gave a link to a 2018 article with the title that hailed EVR as the ‘Socrates of South India’.

Does The Article Talk About Socrates And Periyar? Or Their Connection?

The article which claims to be a profile of EVR does neither. There is no mention of Socrates or any philosophy connecting the two. It just traverses the life history of EVR from birth to death. It touches upon a short anecdotal mention of who gave him that title. 

The Print’s title describing EVR as ‘south Indian Socrates’ stems from a lie that has long been peddled by DMK and Dravidian Stockists but has been busted.

Was EVR Really A South Indian Socrates As Claimed?

For long, a myth was peddled by the Dravidianists that EVR was conferred the title of “Socrates of South-East Asia” by UNESCO. This “fact” had secured a prominent spot in Tamil Nadu school textbooks and was even included as a question in annual examinations and Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission exams.

Nevertheless, this recognition was later debunked and exposed as a sham. An email response from the UNESCO office in Delhi verified that no such award or title was bestowed upon E.V. Ramasamy Naicker.

This so-called award itself contains a glaring error. The title of the award reads “Socrates of South-East Asia.” However, the fact remains that India is not part of the South-East Asia grouping. South-East Asian nations include Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. India falls under South Asia, not South-East Asia.

For over four decades, this lie has been peddled by the Dravidianists, influencing numerous articles and research papers on EVR that are based on this inaccuracy. Surprisingly, no one in the media or the so-called ‘intellectual’ circles, known for their commitment to factual accuracy, has ever addressed this blatant lie.

So, who presented the award to EVR? It was none other than the late former DMK leader M. Karunanidhi, in the presence of Dravida Kazhagam President K. Veeramani!

Brahminical Patriarchy

Now coming to the second part of the title – EVR smashed “brahminical patriarchy”. 

At some point in his life, EVR made a trip to Kashi. It is claimed that he was not allowed inside the temple or given food, mainly for the fact that he was not a Brahmin. It is also claimed that this disgrace he experienced coupled with being witness to “immoral behaviour”, floating dead bodies, and encountering beggars made him convinced that all this was Brahminical exploitation! 

What the article doesn’t cover is that the same EVR called for the genocide of Brahmins openly. He once said, “The first would be the destruction of the Congress party, the second the destruction of Hindu religion, and the third the destruction of the domination of Brahmins. The third would automatically happen when the first two tasks were completed. Gandhi’s response was not to our satisfaction.”

EVR had called for the ‘annihilation of Gandhi’ and ‘annihilation of Congress’ along with the ‘annihilation of Brahmins’. He even threatened to burn Mahatma Gandhi’s photos and raze down his statues.

EVR gave a genocidal call to kill 1000 Tamil Brahmins to ‘eradicate caste’.

He said “If to eradicate caste we need to burn the agraharams (Tamizh Brahmin house colonies) and murder at least 1000 Tamizh Brahmins then we will do exactly that” declaring the date of genocide as 26th November 1957, the Constitution Day. Reacting to this genocidal call, Nehru wrote a letter to then Chief Minister of Madras K. Kamaraj saying that EVR’s call might lead to strong communal feelings which could even lead to murders. “I do hope that you will take adequate notice of this”, Nehru wrote in his letter to Kamaraj.

Anguished by the virulent vitriol spewed by EVR, Nehru shot off another letter to Kamaraj on 5 November 1957 in which he asked EVR to “be put in a lunatic asylum” and let his “perverted mind be treated there”.

Nehru once again wrote to Kamaraj on 4 December 1957, stating that EVR’s activities were the most barbarous thing that he had come across in a civilised country.

Overall in what seems like an article that does not touch upon important facts, it only seems as if the title and the caption were written in a clickbaity fashion to grab eyeballs from all sections of the social media population. 

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Self-Styled ‘Fact-Checker’ Mohammed Zubair Tries To Buttress DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran’s “Hindi Speakers Clean Toilets” Remark, Says It Is An Old Video

By
The Commune
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As Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MP Dayanidhi Maran’s derogatory comments on Hindi speakers surfaced online once again, Dravidianists and alleged fact-checkers jumped into the scene with their explanations and justifications.

Most prominent among those buttressing the DMK was the alleged fact-checker Mohammed Zubair of propaganda outlet Alt News. His explanation for the video was that it was a 4-year-old video.

Targeting ANI for the reportage, he wrote, “Hello @smitaprakash, Denounce Dayanidhi Maran’s Anti UP/Bihar speech in strongest terms, But your News Agency @ANI, @PTI_News and other News Channels getting video bites should atleast mention that you/they are running his 4 year old speech from June 2019. By not doing so, Your agency and other News Channels are proving that they are running a Propaganda set by the ruling Govt.”

His tweets buttressing Dayanidhi Maran was reposted by the DMK MP himself.

In multiple tweets, Zubair kept repeating that the video was four years old but never condemned the hate speech of the DMK MP.

Zubair, a serial fake news peddler himself had many a times shared old tweets of his ideological/political comments to target them. He had even targeted veteran personalities like Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin Tendulkar and very recently an X handle named Gabbar Singh.

When all-in-all commentator and TV debater Dr. Sumanth had called out his double-standards, the Islamist propagandist justified saying “People can and should share the old tweet/video for calling out their hypocrisy. But News Channels and News Agencies sharing a 4 year old video as recent and asking politicians to give their reaction/video bite for the old video is wrong.” without uttering a word about the derogatory comments on Hindi speakers made by DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran

What Did Dayanidhi Maran Say In The Video?

During a public address, the DMK MP stated that people who learn Hindi end up as construction workers and toilet cleaners in Tamil Nadu, while Tamilians who are not proficient in Hindi occupy high-ranking positions in the IT sector.

He said, “We asked you to study Tamil and English. You studied. Look at Sundar Pichai, he is now the CEO of Google. He would have been a construction worker if he had studied Hindi. Our children hold high-level positions in IT firms and earn a good living. Look at those who studied Hindi. They work as construction workers and clean toilets.”

This is not the first time Maran made such derogatory comments against Hindi speakers.

During another public meeting, he referred to North Indians and Hindi-speaking individuals as ‘fools’ who would support the BJP in the elections.

In another diatribe, he ridiculed north Indians for chanting Jai Shri Ram during the India Pakistan World Cup match that happened in Ahmedabad. 

Speaking at a campaign-related event in Annanagar in October 2023, where he shared the stage with DMK Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, around the time when the Jai Shri Ram chanting “controversy” broke out during the ICC World Cup, Dayanidhi Maran said, “When the Pakistani players were playing and when they got out and returned to the pavilion, the audience surrounded them and chanted Jai Shri Ram. I just watched the video fully. What I got reminded of was that, after the 2019 Parliamentary election victory, when we went for the swearing-in ceremony of all MPs, there were 330 MPs from the BJP. And for the first time in the history of the Parliament, there were chants of Jai Shri Ram, they shouted so much. I bravely went there and shouted, Long Live Periyar, Long Live Kalaignar, Long Live Anna, Long Live Tamil. Only when I did that, did they shut up their mouths. Similarly, that video (match) is making the rounds on WhatsApp. The Pakistan team visited India in the 70s or 80s in Chepauk and won the match. After the victory, they carried out a victory lap on the ground. While they were doing it, the audience from Tamil Nadu and Chennai, gave them a standing ovation and respected them. Only now we can understand why “sanghis” live in the north and in Tamil Nadu the reason they have no place here is because of Dravida model rule, Periyar, Anna, Kalaignar, Thalapathy MK Stalin, and next Udhayanidhi Stalin. We didn’t say anything wrong.

Netizen Reactions To Zubair Tweet

Netizens questioned if the hatred/attitude of Dayanidhi Maran or anyone from the DMK toward Hindi speakers had changed over the 4 years or even before. 

Some even called out Zubair’s hypocrisy over sharing screenshots of other people from the past. 

Some others shared points about how Kamlesh Tiwari and Salma Rushdie were murdered and attacked (respectively) for something they had said in the past.

 

It is noteworthy that I.N.D.I Alliance member Nitish Kumar of the JDU, reportedly turned down DMK’s TR Baalu request for translation during their recent meeting. Nitish Kumar had reportedly said, “We live in Hindustan, Hindi is our national language, and everyone should know it.” 

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