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Chinmayi Stands With TM Krishna Who Glorified Anti-Hindu EVR, Exposes Her Ignorance On Ranjani Gayatri’s Stance On MeToo Allegations In Music Fraternity

By
The Commune
-

The stance taken by Carnatic musician duo Ranjani Gayatri led to a massive meltdown in the leftist ecosystem. Following this, several musicians in TN also expressed their opinion and withdrew from the performance.

While Congress functionaries abused the sisters for dragging EVR aka Periyar into their statement, singer Chinmayi ignorantly questioned the sisters’ stand on the molestation allegations in the Carnatic music industry. She wrote, “The actions of Molester Vidwans in Carnatic music didn’t bring them any shame at all. Please note the point.”

She wrote a longer post on the same post made by Ranjani and Gayatri. “WOW. I have not seen such an impassioned thread when scores of Carnatic Music students spoke about sexual abuse and harassment by multiple Carnatic Musicians in 2018. They have multiple molesters – Child sex offenders to be specific, in their own fold, denigrating and soiling the purity of the very craft they deify misusing and abusing the status of being a Guru. They all went stone cold silent & survivor shaming. 

The entire Carnatic Music community continues to platform the molesters despite knowing who the dirty mamas are. Yet, since 2018 – none of the outed, so called great Vidwans have been punished by the Carnatic music community or the rasikas. These molesters have been the reason so many kids have refused to touch a violin, or refused to sing, or even cultivated a hatred for Carnatic Music because they associated it with the trauma of child sexual abuse. Tyagaraja Kriti a paadina porum. That too with a horrible Telugu pronunciation. Sa becomes sha. Solven becomes sholven. Whatever. Sila kozhandhaigala molest pannina ivaalukku enna… carnatic music a molester kaapaathina enna… adhellam paravaiyilla has been the mindset. All the outed molesters have such connections, money, and might that nothing happened to them. All the emails, DMs from so many students around the world – and the utter helplessness I felt that I could do nothing and change nothing except say It. Is. Not. Your. Fault.

All these people with power and audience could have done so much – but they didn’t. Nobody said a word. Also, TIL today that @tmkrishna has been awarded the Sangita Kalanidhi. Much congratulations to him.”

Netizens jumped at this chance to school her and make her aware of the sisters’ statements in 2018 when the #MeToo trend was at its peak. 

In 2018, some musicians were alleged to have been involved in sexual harassment of their disciples. The Music Academy reverted their invite to the musicians who were facing these allegations. Supporting this move, the sisters wrote on their Facebook page, “The Madras Music Academy’s decision to uninvite the alleged musicians who have been named in the #metoo campaign is a step in the right direction. We have been reading accounts of abuse which are highly disturbing to us. Our hearts go out to the victims- it is indeed commendable that they have been brave enough to come out and share their experiences. Sexual harassment in any situation is despicable. It is even more criminal when the same is perpetrated in a sacred space of Guru-Shishya relationship. We hope and pray that our field will become a clean and safe place for stakeholders, particularly students and aspiring performers. #metoo #carnaticmetoo #sexualabuse”

Netizens called out Chinmayi’s ignorance and asked her why she did not do basic research before making the allegations against the singer sisters. 

 

 

 

When a netizen asked if she condemned the normalisation of hate against a particular community as mentioned by the sisters in their post, Chinmayi did not respond, exposing her duplicity. 

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Congress Functionaries Abuse Ranjani Gayatri For Speaking Out Against TM Krishna Who Had Glorified Anti-Hindu EVR

By
The Commune
-

After Music Academy announced the ‘Sangita Kalanidhi’ award for controversial singer TM Krishna, the Carnatic vocalist duo Ranjani and Gayatri declared their withdrawal from the anticipated Music Academy conference in 2024. Additionally, they cancelled their scheduled concert on December 25th. In a firm statement, Ranjani-Gayatri pointed to TM Krishna’s controversial reputation, citing his leftist and Dravidianist views as reasons for their decision. They expressed concern over the perceived damage he has caused to the Carnatic music community.

On their official social media handles, they wrote, “He has caused immense damage to the Carnatic music world, wilfully and happily stomped over the sentiments of this community and insulted most respected icons like Tyagaraja and MS Subbulakshmi. His actions have tried to spread a sense of shame in being a Carnatic musician and has been exhibited through his consistent denigration of spirituality in music.“

They also slammed TM Krishna’s glorification of anti-Hindu ideologue EV Ramasamy Naicker (hailed as ‘Periyar’ by his followers) saying,

“It is dangerous to overlook Mr TM Krishna’s glorification of a figure like EVR aka Periyar who

1. Openly proposed a genocide of ‘brahmins’

2. Repeatedly called/abused every woman of this community with vile profanity

3. Relentlessly worked to normalize filthy language in social discourse”

Ranjani and Gayatri reiterated their dedication to upholding a value system that respects art, artists, and the rich cultural heritage of Carnatic music. They contended that attending the conference with Mr. Krishna’s involvement would contradict these values, constituting a breach of moral integrity.

This seemed to have hit the leftist ecosystem so hard that Congress functionaries based out of TN started abusing the sisters over “dragging” EVR aka Periyar into the issue. 

Congress member Dhivya Marunthiah called the sisters “casteist” and “vile”. She wrote, “What a low life Casteist vile woman you are! When & where did Periyar proposed genocide of Brahmins?! You’re jealous. Shut your filthy mouth & Get some life.”

Netizens schooled her over her ignorance of EVR’s statements calling for the genocide of Brahmins. They shared the letter written by former PM Jawaharlal Nehru to Kamaraj over the issue as well as audio recordings of EVR making those statements.

 

 

It also seemed that Dhivya assumed Ranjani-Gayatri to be a single person.

The General Secretary of TN Congress and Committee Spokesperson of the TNCC claimed the musician sisters were doing this to attract the BJP’s attention. She wrote, “Utter nonsense! Looks like they are looking for some shortcut to attract the attention of @BJP4India. I am proud to say that I have known @tmkrishna for many years now and he would count among one of the most decent, kind, and just human beings I have known. He is fearless and outspoken. I also know that there are many many projects of social interest that he is involved in that he doesn’t talk about. This thread consists of vile and baseless accusations.”

Netizens once again schooled her on what vile actually meant. Netizens called out her agenda to make everything political. 

 

 

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Artistes In TN Join Ranjani-Gayatri In Taking A Stance Against Music Academy Awarding TM Krishna Who Had Glorified Anti-Hindu EVR

By
The Commune
-

Musician sisters duo Ranjani Gayatri withdrew from participating in the highly anticipated Music Academy’s conference slated for 2024. Additionally, they have also pulled out from presenting their scheduled concert on 25 December 2024. Following this, several music exponents and artistes put forth their stances on the issue. 

Vedic scholar and Upanyasika Dushyanth Sridhar posted on his social media handles that he had conveyed to the Madras Music Academy that he would not be performing on 1 January 2025 (after the sadas). He attached a copy of the letter he wrote to the Academy. Explaining the reason for his decision, he wrote in the letter, “I have had a sea of ideological differences with the Sangita Kalanidhi designate of 2024 – Sri TM Krishna. I have no authority to question the selection of his name for the award. I am pained by many of his public statements on Dharma, Ayodhya and Sri Rama, and more. I am guided by the life and teachings of Bhagavad Ramanuja, Vedanta Desika, and Kanchi Paramacharya. I will prove disrespectful to their values if I perform immediately after the sadas (where he will be awarded). I would hence withdraw from performing on 1st January 2025.”

Hari Katha exponent Smt Vishakha Hari also shared her thoughts on the issue. She wrote on her Facebook page, “By Guru’s grace, I have been following the principle of “Mind your own business and stick to your core values and principles”. But this time I have decided to move away from that stance as my core values are threatened by certain actions in the recent past. This year’s Sangeetha Kalanidhi designate awardee has engaged in a lot of slandering previously, hurting the sentiments of many tremendously and willfully. He has not been a regular performer in the institution for years, either. I (as many others) believe that values and virtues are as important as the music – as what Sri Thyagaraja, Sri Muthuswamy Dikshithar, Syama Sastri– our beloved Music Trinity also believed and lived by. This whole journey of Nadopasana is intended towards divinity. I wonder if the late Sangeetha Kalanidhis like Ariyakkudi or Semmangudi or Palghat Mani Iyer would accept this decision if alive today. What would their stance be? Also, would even the present Sangeetha Kalanidhis accept this decision? Awards may come and go. But setting the right role models for posterity is what is important.”

Chitravina Ravikiran announced that he was returning the Sangita Kalanidhi award conferred upon him in 2017. On his official X handle, he wrote, “RETURNING SANGITA KALANIDHI AWARD from ACADEMY: I’ve taken this step after careful consideration as principles much larger than all of us are at stake. However, I’ll always remain deeply grateful to the org for its role in my career from childhood”

He also attached a copy of the letter he wrote to the President of the Madras Music Academy, N Murali. In the letter, he enumerated the reasons for his decision to return the award. 

Yet another musician duo who caught the rasikas by surprise with their decision was the Trichur Brothers. In a post on their official X handle, they wrote, “Formal announcement that we are pulling out of the Annual Conference 2024 of The Music Academy, Madras, for obvious reasons. 

To participate in a conference presided by Mr TM Krishna would make us outright hypocrites in our own eyes. 

Sincerely, 

Trichur Brothers”

Netizens and rasikas alike hailed the decisions made by the musicians in protest of TM Krishna being bestowed the Sangita Kalanidhi. 

About TM Krishna

TM Krishna belongs to a family that boasts of a hoary and extremely wealthy past. His grand-uncle is TT Krishnamachari, son of a Madras High Court judge TT Rangachari during the British Raj.

TM Krishna is known more for his ‘activism’ than his music. He often courts controversy with his leftist views and plays second fiddle to the tunes of Dravidianists. He had also participated in the blatantly anti-Hindu global conference titled “Dismantling Global Hindutva“. Before that, he had felt sad when the 26/11 Mumbai attack terrorist Ajmal Kasab was hanged.

He has hailed EVR and has even sung songs revering him. Recently, he released a song titled “Sindhikka Sonnavar Periyar,” which means “EVR told us to think,” in contrast to what EV Ramasamy Naicker told his Dravidar Kazhagam followers. EV Ramasamy Naicker always wanted his followers not to think and just follow his orders like a military organization.

He had also written a hitjob piece on the revered carnatic singer Bharat Ratna MS Subbulakshmi for rabidly leftist rag The Caravan. He has even distorted Carnatic music to display his secular credentials by singing Islamic songs in Carnatic tunes.

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Ranjani-Gayatri Withdraw From Music Academy’s 2024 Conference In Protest Against Rewarding Of TM Krishna Who Had Glorified Anti-Hindu EVR

By
The Commune
-

Following Music Academy’s announcement of conferring ‘Sangita Kalanidhi’ award to controversial singer TM Krishna, Carnatic vocalist duo Ranjani and Gayatri have announced their decision to withdraw from participating in the highly anticipated Music Academy’s conference slated for 2024. Not only that, but they have also pulled out from presenting their scheduled concert on December 25th.

In a strongly worded statement, Ranjani-Gayatri cited their reason for withdrawal as the presence of controversial singer TM Krishna, who is known for his leftist and Dravidianist views.

They accused TM Krishna of causing irreparable harm to the Carnatic music world.

“He has caused immense damage to the Carnatic music world, wilfully and happily stomped over the sentiments of this community and insulted most respected icons like Tyagaraja and MS Subbulakshmi. His actions have tried to spread a sense of shame in being a carnatic musician and has been exhibited through his consistent denigration of spirituality in music.“, the Carnatic sisters said in their statement.

They also slammed TM Krishna’s glorification of anti-Hindu ideologue EV Ramasamy Naicker (hailed as ‘Periyar’ by his followers) saying,

“It is dangerous to overlook Mr TM Krishna’s glorification of a figure like EVR aka Periyar who
1. Openly proposed a genocide of ‘brahmins’
2. Repeatedly called/abused every woman of this community with vile profanity
3. Relentlessly worked to normalize filthy language in social discourse”

Ranjani Gayatri emphasized their commitment to a value system that honors art, artists, and the cultural heritage of Carnatic music. They argued that participating in the conference, given Mr. Krishna’s involvement, would constitute a moral violation of these values.

About TM Krishna

TM Krishna belongs to a family that boasts of a hoary and extremely wealthy past. His grand-uncle is TT Krishnamachari, son of a Madras High Court judge TT Rangachari during the British Raj.

TM Krishna is known more for his ‘activism’ than his music. He often courts controversy with his leftist views and plays second fiddle to the tunes of Dravidianists. He had also participated in the blatantly anti-Hindu global conference titled “Dismantling Global Hindutva“. Before that he had felt sad when 26/11 Mumbai attack terrorist Ajmal Kasab was hanged.

He has hailed EVR and has even sung songs revering him.  Recently, he had released a song titled “Sindhikka Sonnavar Periyar,” which means “EVR told us to think,” in contrast to what EV Ramasamy Naicker told his Dravidar Kazhagam followers. EV Ramasamy Naicker always wanted his followers not to think and just follow his orders like a military organization.

He had extended solidarity to controversial ‘activist’ Meena Kandasamy who had called Brahmin community as ‘dicks’.

He had even advocated for equating Lord Ram with a dog.

He had also written an hitjob piece on the revered carnatic singer Bharat Ratna MS Subbulakshmi for rabidly leftist rag The Caravan.

He has even distorted carnatic music to display his secular credentials by singing Islamic songs in Carnatic tunes.

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Dravidian Model Social Justice: DMK Fields Alleged Real Life ‘Rathnavelu’ Of Maamannan Film As Salem MP Candidate

By
The Commune
-

Even as the dust is yet to settle on DMK’s ally KMDK fielding an overt casteist Suriamoorthy as MP candidate for Namakkal, DMK delivers another jolt to Tamil Nadu and deals a blow to social justice with the announcement of Selvaganapathy, who is alleged to be the real-life Rathnavelu of Maamannan fame and is reputed as yet another casteist.

The film “Maamannan,” starring Vadivelu in the lead alongside Keerthy Suresh, Fahad Fasil, Raveena, and Udhayanithi in supporting roles, premiered on June 23, 2023. Although the movie received mixed reviews, Vadivelu’s performance as the lead and Fahad Fasil’s portrayal of the villain garnered critical acclaim. DMK minister Udhayanidhi played second fiddle to actress Keerthy Suresh who overshadowed the former with her acting skills. Despite Udhayanidhi Stalin’s relatively minor part, DMK supporters promoted him more vigorously than the lead actor Vadivelu. They propagated the notion that Udhayanidhi is the chosen one for advancing social justice in Tamil Nadu. However, this narrative collapses with the announcement of Selvaganapathy, a former DMK MP originally associated with ADMK, as the DMK candidate for the Salem constituency for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2024.

It’s noteworthy that DMK and director Maari Selvaraj faced criticism for portraying the appointment of Dhanapal as the speaker of the Assembly in 2016, attributed to former CM J Jayalalitha, as an achievement of DMK in the movie. Moreover, allegations surfaced claiming that the character of Rathinavelu, depicted as the villain and casteist in the film and portrayed by Fahad Fasil, was actually based on former DMK MP Selvaganapathy. Several ADMK leaders asserted that it was Selvaganapathy who mistreated Dhanapal in real life.

 

 

Under these circumstances, DMK, in its recent announcement of 21 candidates, has surprised the people of Tamil Nadu by nominating Selvaganapathy, who is purported to be the real-life counterpart of the casteist character Rathinavelu, as the candidate for the Salem Parliamentary constituency. This is the very Selvaganapathy who was found guilty in a scandal involving a cremation shed and subsequently lost his position as a Rajya Sabha MP. Subsequently, his conviction was temporarily halted by the Madras High Court, presided over by Justice Jeyachandran.

It’s noteworthy that another DMK candidate, Suriamoorthi, who is currently contesting under the party’s symbol, has become the subject of discussion on social media. This comes after an old video of him, wherein he is seen verbally abusing and threatening violence against Dalits, went viral.

DMK’s endeavor to nominate individuals with a history of casteist remarks and oppression against Dalits has faced severe criticism from the public and social media. Despite this, Mari Selvaraj, the director of “Maanannan,” who extensively addressed social justice issues in his film, has not yet condemned DMK’s decision to field such individuals and the real-life antagonist from “Maamannan.”

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Badaun Double Murder Tragedy: Minors Killed Brutally, Accused Sajid Killed In Encounter, Police On Hunt For Accomplice Javed

By
The Commune
-

On 19 March 2024, Uttar Pradesh Police encountered and killed Sajid, the primary suspect in the Badaun murder case, where two minor children, Ayush (13) and Ahaan (6), were brutally killed by slitting their throats with a sharp-edged weapon.

The incident occurred in Baba Colony, where the victims’ mother operated a beauty parlour from home. She was alone with her children at the time of the attack. Sajid (22), the accused, owned a salon opposite the beauty parlour. He closed his shop early and returned home. Around 7:30 PM, Sajid visited the residence of Vinod Singh, the father of the deceased children, and asked the victims’ mother to prepare tea.

While the mother was occupied with tea preparation, Sajid went upstairs where the children were playing. Suddenly, he attacked Vinod Singh’s three children with a shaving blade. Two of the children died instantly, while the third, Piyush (6), sustained injuries and was rushed to the hospital for treatment. The tragic incident occurred just a few meters away from Mandi Police Station under Civil Lines Police Lines.

Upon hearing the mother’s screams, locals swiftly dragged her out of the house and shut the door, though Sajid managed to flee. In a fit of rage, residents gathered in the vicinity and vandalized Sajid’s salon, setting it ablaze. Other adjacent shops fell victim to the furious crowd.

Despite attempts by the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) to pacify the crowd, tensions remained high as the communities belong to different faith, leading to the deployment of heavy police and paramilitary forces to quell any potential escalation. Reportedly, it was after this demonstration that Sajid was killed in an encounter. The SSP, Alok Priyadarshi, issued orders to close all markets in the city, causing traffic congestion on Majhiya road leading to the police station. Eventually, the crowd dispersed, though locals continued to demonstrate at the murder site.

SSP Priyadarshi assured that the situation is now under control, with no further issues in the city, and police are actively monitoring social media. A flag march was conducted by the police on 20 March 2024. Further inquiry revealed that Sajid frequented the victim’s residence as his salon was situated directly opposite.

OpIndia reported that police recovered a homemade 315 bore pistol, along with four spent cartridges and four live cartridges of the same caliber during an encounter on March 19th. Additionally, another suspect has been apprehended under Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 3/25/27 of the Arms Act. It’s noteworthy that while one suspect, Sajid, was fatally shot during the encounter on Tuesday, authorities are actively conducting searches to apprehend another suspect named Javed.

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“They Will Get Voting Rights. That’s How It Will Affect”, Says Sr Adv Indira Jaising Opposing CAA For Persecuted Hindus

By
The Commune
-

In a recent Supreme Court hearing on challenges to the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 (CAA), Senior Advocate Indira Jaising expressed concerns about granting citizenship to Hindus from Balochistan under the Act and its accompanying Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024. Her main apprehension centered on the implications of citizenship, particularly regarding voting rights.

Senior Advocate Ranjit Kumar, speaking on behalf of the Balochistan Hindu Panchayat, challenged Jaising’s concerns by emphasizing that granting citizenship to persecuted Hindus from Balochistan who arrived in India before December 2014 should not impinge on the rights of others. He queried, “How would it affect anyone else’s rights?”

Representing a petitioner in the case, Ms Jaising persisted in her argument, stating, “They will get the right to vote. That’s how it affects.”

During the proceedings, Jaising persistently urged the apex court to pause the process of granting citizenship until the final resolution of the case or to mandate that any citizenship awarded would depend on the outcome of the ongoing petitions contesting the CAA and its related regulations. She underscored the substantial consequences of citizenship once conferred, pointing out the lack of provisions for straightforward revocation within the current legal framework.

Nevertheless, despite her pleas and those of others, the court refused to issue any directives in response to the appeals. The Chief Justice of India, while acknowledging the concerns raised regarding the inadequate infrastructure, asserted that this could not be the sole criterion for adjudication in the case.

The Solicitor General, refraining from definitive statements, indicated that there would be no immediate declarations concerning the conferral of citizenship under the newly enacted regulations.

The advancement of the CAA’s implementation progressed significantly with the issuance of pertinent rules on 11 March 2024, streamlining the procedure for granting citizenship to non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who entered India before 31 December 2014.

(with inputs from LawBeat)

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I.N.D.I. Ally DMK Gives MP Ticket To Dayanidhi Maran Who Called ‘North Indians’ As ‘Toilet Cleaners’ And DMK MP A. Raja Who Made Anti-Hindu And Anti-India Remarks

By
The Commune
-

On 20 March 2024, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham (DMK) revealed its first list of candidates contesting for various constituencies in Tamil Nadu along with electoral manifesto for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The announcement took place at the party’s headquarters, Arivalayam, in Chennai, with the party president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, MK Stalin, presiding over the event. The 2024 Lok Sabha elections for Tamil Nadu are slated for 19 April 2024.

  1. Kalanidhi Veerasami – North Chennai
  2. Tamilachi Thangapandian – South Chennai
  3. Dayanidhi Maran – Central Chennai
  4. T R Balu – Sriperumbatur
  5. Kanimozhi – Thoothukudi
  6. S Jagathrachahan –  Arakonam
  7. Kadhir Anand – Vellore
  8. C N Annadurai – Thiruvanamalai
  9. Taranivedan – Aarani
  10. T M Selva ganapathi – Selam
  11. K E Prakash- Erode
  12. A Raja – Niligiri
  13. Arun Nehru – Perambalur
  14. Murasoli – Tanjavur
  15. Thanga Tamil Selvam – Theni
  16. Rani Sreekumar – Thenkasi
  17. A Mani – Dharmapuri
  18. Ganapathi P Rajkumar – Coimbatore
  19. K Selvam – Kanchipuram
  20. D Malayarasan – Kallakurichi
  21. K Ishwarasamy – Pollachi

The proposed list of contestants raised eyebrows as DMK has given an LS ticket once again to the likes of Dayanidhi Maran and A Raja. Maran had previously made derogatory remarks about North Indians, labeling them as ‘toilet cleaners’, and also made casteist comments against Scheduled Castes. Nilgiris DMK MP A Raja is known for his controversial anti-Hindu and anti-India statements. Despite the DMK’s 2024 Election Manifesto stating that it would implement the 33% reservations for women in both education and employment sectors, it was surprising that this commitment was not reflected in the allocation of MP tickets, with only a mere 15% being reserved for women candidates.

Dayanidhi Maran

Dayanidhi Maran, a prominent figure within the DMK family, is the son of former Union Minister Murasoli Maran and the grandnephew of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi. He is also the founder and chairman of the Sun Group. Concerning his candidacy for the MP ticket in 2024, aside from the familial connections within the nepotistic DMK, two notable incidents are to be noted. First instance, he made disparaging remarks about Hindi speakers, implying that they are only fit for menial jobs such as construction work and toilet cleaning. In another instance, he made casteist remarks by expressing a sense of entitlement akin to a ruling class, stating, “They treated us like third-class people. What are we? Depressed class people?” Additionally, he also made derogatory comments about the profession of barbers.

Remarks On Hindi Speakers

Dayanidhi Maran was seen making derogatory remarks about Hindi speakers on DMK stage. He implied that those who learn Hindi end up as construction workers or toilet cleaners in Tamil Nadu, contrasting them with Tamilians who hold high-level positions in the IT sector without knowing Hindi. 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.”

In another instance, he referred to north Indians and Hindi speakers as ‘idiots’ who would vote for the BJP.

Maran’s comments sparked widespread condemnation, including from Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, who criticized the disparaging remarks and stressed the importance of respecting people from different parts of the country. Former Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also challenged Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar over Maran’s statement, calling for an end to disrespect towards Bihar’s people.

Feudal Mindset

When DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran along with TR Baalu,  Tamizhachi Thangapandian and Kalanidhi Veerasamy, met with the Chief Secretary to submit petitions gathered under the DMK’s campaign “Ondrinaivom Vaa.” Immediately there were commotions as the MPs claimed that the Chief Secretary did not receive them properly and had insulted them.

For that Dayanidhi Maran expressed their dissatisfaction, stating, “They treated us like third-class people. What are we? Depressed class people?” This remark drew strong criticism from political parties, citizens, and activists in Tamil Nadu. Consequently, prompted the National Commission for Scheduled Caste to take Suo-Moto Cognizance notice of Dayanidhi Maran’s statement.

On another instance  when he was participating at an event distributing relief measures for people affected in Michuang cyclone in his constituency, one of reporters asked him “Old videos of important DMK leaders are being trended. Even one of your videos is trending” to which the DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran replied “There is a saying –  Jobless barbers catch hold of cats to shave its furs. Likewise they want to create some ruckus.”

A Raja

Andimuthu Raja, a member of Parliament representing the DMK and serving as the deputy general secretary for the party, gained notoriety in the 2G spectrum scandal where he was a co-accused alongside two other DMK members, Dayanidhi Maran and Kanimozhi. It was surprising to witness Raja being awarded an MP ticket considering his involvement in corruption case audio tapes was released, as well as his history of making inflammatory remarks against Hinduism and promoting separatist and anti-India sentiments.

Hinduphobic Remarks

Recently during a public gathering on 3 March 2024, at Coimbatore A Raja, delivered a speech characterized by abusive language and controversial statements targeted at Hindu beliefs. A Raja stated “If this is your Jai Sri Ram, if this is your Bharat Mata Ki Jai, we will never accept that Jai Sri Ram and Bharat Mata. Tamil Nadu won’t accept. You go and tell, we’re enemies of Ram.“ Later, he recounted the tale Kamba Ramayana and affirmed that “I don’t have faith on Ramayana, and Lord Ram“.

During another occasion in September 2022, while addressing a gathering convened to honor the six-decade association of Dravida Kazhagam head K. Veeramani with Viduthalai, A. Raja remarked, “You’re a Shudra till you remain a Hindu. You’re a son of the prostitute till you remain a Shudra. You’re a Panchaman (Dalit) till you remain a Hindu. You’re an untouchable till you remain a Hindu. How many of you wish to stay as children of prostitutes? How many of you wish to remain untouchable? Only if we’re vocal about these questions, it will become elemental in breaking Santhana (Sanatana Dharma).”

https://twitter.com/Fallssuruli1/status/1568999925408739328

On September 2023 speaking at a protest organized by the rabid anti-Hindu outfit Dravidar Kazhagam against the Centre’s Viswakarma Scheme. A Raja spoke “I am oddly surprised that Udhayanidhi Stalin had only spoken about it only softly saying (Sanatana Dharma) has to be eradicated like malaria and dengue. Malaria and dengue doesn’t have social stigma. The society won’t look at them disgustingly. If we have to call it something disgusting, there was leprosy, there is HIV today. For us, just like leprosy and HIV, we’ve to see it (Sanathana Dharma) as a social stigma.” supporting Udhayanidhi stalin calling Hindu Dharma as Dengue and Malaria it should be eradicated.

During the commemoration and film premiere event for Aanimuthu, affiliated with the Periyar Organization, DMK’s A Raja remarked, “At that point, when I used to step out, my mother would ask me to smear Muruga’s Vibuthi and I would smear it. Then I listened to Periyar’s final speech and continued reading all of his books. After that, I threw away the Vibuthi. Not only that, I also placed a elephant cracker below your Ganesha idol and it exploded. That was a time in my life. The reason behind this change in me is Periyar’s final speech.”

Separatist And Anti-India Remarks

During a gathering in Coimbatore on 3 February 2024, DMK MP A Raja incited separatist sentiments as “India is not a nation. Understand this well. India is never a nation. One nation means one language, one tradition and one culture. Then only it is one nation. India is not a nation but a subcontinent. What’s the reason? Here, Tamil is one nation and one country. Malayalam is one language, one nation and one country. Oriya is a nation, a language and a country. All these nations make up India. So, India is not country it is a subcontinent.”

During DMK Youth Wing Conference on January 2024, A Raja spoke India is an artificially constructed nation against the Britishers, “Periyar did not accept this (Indian) nationalism. He said that Indian nationalism was a fiction. He called the Indian flag as a loincloth. He burnt the national flag. He burnt the portraits of Gandhi. The reason for that was Tamil nationalism and Tamilians should survive.”

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Should Highway Tolls Be Abolished?

By
G Saimukundhan
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Image Source: DTNext

With the election season around, we have started seeing lots of “Election Promises” floating around, which in the guise of impressing upon voters of the policy changes being planned by the contesting political parties, essentially seek to build and create a false hope at best, and exposes the daftness of the political leaders. This article seeks to bust certain myths about one such electoral promise, which has been announced by the DMK, the ruling Government in Tamil Nadu, which has, in the past, made all such ideas, without an iota of economic sensibility. 

And this, coming from a party that set up a council of eminent economists across the world, if you can digest that “eminent tag” to a certain ex-RBI Governor and engaging a certain author who “demonstrated that the current dispensation” as among the most corrupt and biggest beneficiary of sand mafia, as a member/chairperson of State Planning Commission. With such a profile, it was only expected that the ruling dispensation would come out with proposals that are not just out of the world, but out of any reasonable logic. They have proposed that they will abolish the system of collection “Toll” (or the more proper nomenclature being “User Fee”) in all the National Highways in the State of Tamil Nadu.

Not just DMK, we have had multiple politicians set out on a war against the User Fee, and we even had one of DMK’s alliance partners, break the User Fee Plaza, after having asked to pay the toll charges. Why this anger against toll? Is it even justified? Ignoring the political noise around the levy and collection of tolls, let’s evaluate from a socio-economic standpoint and understand its necessity, and the alternative, and take a meaningful call on whether we need tolls or not.

To give a context, we need to be aware of and understand two sets of information – one, a fact about income tax rates; and two, a constant complaint about an imaginary misallocation of taxes being collected. Let’s discuss the latter point first.

A common refrain has been “Why my taxes should be used for constructing a bridge or a road in UP?”. This comes from the basic (mis)understanding (intentionally, I believe) that there is a direct nexus between the taxes contributed by, say the residents of Tamil Nadu, and its utilisation, say in the State of Uttar Pradesh. To support their argument, they also say that what’s the use of that road, which I will never use. 

Fair point. We’ll revisit this after we get to know the first point.

Let’s now understand the facts about income tax rates. The total value of collections is not a fair basis for comparison of tax rates across longer time periods, and to this limited extent, I am using only the tax rates, as summarised in the table below: 

A casual reader can comprehend that the tax rates in India have gone down significantly over the past 3 decades. In fact, it has gone down by more than 1/3rd of the rate. If we stretch it even further to the 1980s, the reduction in tax rates is even more dramatic! I’ll let the readers google and get to be shocked at the tax rates in those periods. And I am ignoring the long periods of income tax exemptions for various sectors (infrastructure/hospitals/information technology exporters etc.) over this period.

This reduction in tax rates has been counterintuitive. Conventional wisdom suggests that a reduction in tax rate would mean a reduction in tax collection. However, it resulted in the exact opposite. The tax collection started growing at a pace quicker than the economy itself. The reasons are many, but let’s not digress.

In substance, today, the common man has been paying less proportion of his income as taxes as against what he would have been paying three decades back. But, he has also seen much better general infrastructure around him. From my personal experience, a journey from Trichy to Kumbakonam of around 100 km by road used to take more than 3 hours in the 1990s. Today people clock that distance in less than 2 hours. Thanks to much-improved roads, more number of bridges and roundabouts. This one hour may look like nothing, but once you multiply this by the number of people whose time on the road has gone down, you are looking at centuries of man-hours saved for productive utilisation.

And as a person using those roads, with a much lower tax-to-income ratio at a personal level, shouldn’t I be paying for the tolls? The answer is an absolute yes. 

Let’s approach this from another side. Today, the roads are essentially funded/financed by the person who actually uses them, and not necessarily by the category who goes by the description “taxpayer”. The cost of constructing the highways is entirely on the company building those roads, and their compensation is the user fee that you and I pay for it. What this means is that I am paying for the roads that I use (by way of tolls), and I am not paying for the roads that I don’t use (either as a toll or as an income tax). This represents a shift in the fundamentals of tax policy! The change in economic approach to taxing the actual user, as against using a common pool to fund the roads, is not just sensible, but patently fair.

Now, assume for a moment, you don’t have to pay tolls, and the Government waives them all, how do you think you’d be getting good roads and essential public infrastructure? Using Government spending, obviously. And how do you think the Government will fund such public infrastructure? Either by borrowing (in true DMK Style) or by raising taxes (in true Congress Style). Either way, you lose. But you do win the opportunity to ask “that” question again – Why should my taxes be used for the development of some other State? 

And I am not even discussing the adverse economic impact on your day-to-day life. That’s for another day.

G Saimukundhan is a Chartered Accountant.

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DMK Releases Manifesto With Items That Are Not Even In State Govt Control

By
The Commune
-

The Lok Sabha election dates for Tamil Nadu have been announced for 19 April 2024. The DMK has finalized its alliance and unveiled its candidates across different constituencies along with its electoral manifesto.

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) unveiled its election manifesto on 20 March 2024, at the party headquarters, Arivalayam, in Chennai, by the party’s president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, MK Stalin. The Election Manifesto Committee, led by MP Kanimozhi, presented the manifesto to MK Stalin, who addressed the gathering at the event.

What caught attention in the current election manifesto was the significant commitments made by the state party, which involve functions delegated to the central government according to Schedule Seven of the Indian Constitution. It’s important to note that a state party cannot alter these functions without constitutional amendments being passed in Parliament.

Key points from the DMK’s manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections:

  1. The constitution will be amended so that the states get real autonomy.
  2. Until the office of the Governor is abolished, the appointment of a State Governor should be made in consultation with the Chief Minister of the State.
  3. Amendment of Article 361, which grants immunity from criminal proceedings to Governors.
  4. Opposing the implementation of the National Education Policy and NEET in Tamil Nadu.
  5. Rejecting the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act and Uniform Civil Code.
  6. Sri Lankan Tamils who have returned to India will be granted Indian citizenship.
  7. A division of the Supreme Court will be established in Chennai.
  8. Puducherry is slated to be elevated to the status of a state.
  9. One country one election scheme will be abandoned

The Seventh Schedule of the Indian Constitution distinctly delineates the roles and responsibilities between the state and central governments. Despite being a federal structure with unitary characteristics, the Constitution grants substantial authority to the central government to ensure uniform administration across the nation. This also prevents states from making unreasonable promises, such as distributing freebies, solely for electoral gains, thus safeguarding national integrity.

DMK opposes the national education policy solely in their election manifesto but quietly entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Education for PM-SHRI schemes, which advocates for the implementation of the national education policy in all schools, it raises another point of contention. Furthermore, Article 11 of the Constitution explicitly states that Parliament has the authority to regulate citizenship rights through legislation, including provisions regarding the acquisition and termination of citizenship, as well as other citizenship-related matters. However, the DMK, in its manifesto, claims to abolish these provisions and also promises to grant citizenship to Sri Lankan Tamils. Interestingly, previously, Congress MP P. Chidambaram, an ally of the DMK, refrained from considering granting citizenship to Sri Lankan Tamils when he served as the Home Minister in the central government.

Above all, while reading out the manifesto by DMK leader MK Stalin, a slip of the tongue occurred when he confirmed the party’s intention to implement a Uniform Civil Code, sparking ridicule on social media platforms.

He was corrected by his party members later though.

Other declarations were made without taking into account their financial implications, which could impact the government’s ability to generate revenue and potentially strain the treasury. Ultimately, it will be the citizens who bear the brunt of these decisions.

  1. Women across India will receive a monthly stipend of ₹1000.
  2. Toll booths on national highways will be removed.
  3. Prices for LPG will be set at ₹500, while petrol will be priced at ₹75 and diesel at ₹65 per unit.
  4. The National Rural Employment Scheme will extend its working days to 150, with wages raised to ₹400.
  5. A minimum support price for farmers’ produce will be established.
  6. Measures will be implemented to waive students’ education loans, and interest-free education loans up to ₹4 lakh will be provided to students.

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TheCommune
The Commune is a news and views portal focusing on social and political issues of the southern part of India with a focus on Tamil Nadu.
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