“You have a stable state, the state of Tamil Nadu”, said Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud while hearing the plea of Bihar YouTuber Manish Kashyap, who was accused of circulating fake videos of migrant laborers being attacked in Tamil Nadu.
This comes right after the MK Stalin-led DMK government stopped the screening of ‘The Kerala Story’ in Tamil Nadu a movie which has been approved by the censor board and the Kerala High Court. The ban came after Islamist organizations and fringe groups like Naam Tamilar Katchi painted an illusionary storyline to the movie and threatened to create ruckus at theatres screening the movie.
“Why should a stable state ban a movie after all?” is a very natural question that comes to our minds. For those keenly observing the sequence of political events and the health of affairs prevailing in the DMK-led state, “stable state” may seem the most paradoxical statement ever.
Let’s take the very case that led to Manish Kashyap’s arrest. A deeper look would reveal the real offender and perpetrator in peddling anti-Hindi and separatist slogans is the DMK government. Since its inception, its anti-Hindi rhetoric remains its primary source of survival. From DMK MLA’s TRB Rajaa ‘vadakkan’ slurs to other hate-inciting phrases like ‘paani poori vaayan’ and ‘paanprak vaayan’ propagated by the top brass of DMK, they have always thrived on the separatist and linguistic agenda. DMK chief MK Stalin himself was leading the separatist efforts as he said, “They’re conspiring to place Hindi-speaking youngsters in jobs in Tamil Nadu and grow BJP through that here” addressing an election gathering in 2021.
Go throw the below thread to know how hate north Indians them have been mainstreamed by DMK, Naam Tamilar Katchi, and popular YouTube channels.
If you approach this case without prejudice and preconceived notions, you won’t hesitate to agree that the real offenders in the migrant laborer’s issue are the DMK leaders themselves. You can hardly recall the last time you saw a DMK leader talk about development and progress. The party’s intention and manifesto have never been about “stability and unity”.
Even before gaining power in the state, the DMK party led the mob attack in Thoothukudi and made it a war zone when protests against the Sterlite Copper Plant went beyond control. They conveniently masked the fact that the Sterlite plant started its operation in 1996 after approval from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board under the Chief Ministership of DMK leader M. Karunanidhi. Geetha Jeevan, the then-DMK MLA, led the protests from Thoothukudi in 2018 along with dubious foreign funded NGOs and Church organizations. Her father, N. Periyasamy, with his political influence, ensured that the plant operated seamlessly in 1996. No wonder their thoughts and political agenda are paradoxical to none but themselves. Peace and stability have never remained a concern for DMK.
Here are few instances that shows Tamil Nadu is no “stable state” as the Hon’ble Chief Justice claims.
Kallakurichi Incident
In July 2022, violence broke out on the premises of a private school in Kallakurichi over the death of a Class 12 girl inside the campus. The threat of a violent protest was imminent as days after her death, a huge social media campaign was done to mobilize protestors. The state police intelligence failed to take decisive action and the government delayed action against the school in its business of taking sides and aligning with anti-social elements. The situation slipped out of control, and the protesting mob set the school premises on fire.
Coimbatore Car Bomb Blast
In October 2022, on the wee hours of a day before Deebavali, Coimbatore, escaped a ghastly suicide attack by a thin line. A car laden with gas cylinder blasted outside the Kottai Eswaran temple sending shockwaves across the nation. Jamesa Mubin, who allegedly blew himself up in the vehicle laden with gas cylinders was a radicalised man and was reportedly preparing for an attack similar to the 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombing.
One of the suspects, Mohammed Dhalka, who was detained for giving a car to the main accused Jamesa Mubin, who died in the blast, is the son of an accused involved in the 1998 Coimbatore serial blasts case.
With NIA investigations pointing it to be a terror act, DMK leaders have been downplaying and trivializing the serious security threat. The Industries Minister Thangam Thennarasu even recently termed the ghastly act as an “accidental gas cylinder blast”
Just a day after CJI Chandrachud called Tamil Nadu a “peaceful and stable” state, the NIA detained five persons in Tamil Nadu on charges of supporting banned terror outfits.
Sand Mafia
Sand mafia has been having a field day with lorries of sand being excavated illegally. A Village Administrative Officer (VAO) was hacked to death in broad daylight inside his office allegedly by the sand mafia in Murapanadu in Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu on 25 April 2023. He was killed reportedly for opposing illegal transportation of sand from the locality.
Attack On Tamil Nadu Governor
In what can be termed as a security breach, Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi’s convoy was attacked by hooligans belonging to DMK’s allies when he was on his way to Mayiladuthirai.
When the Governor’s convoy was passing near Mannampanthal, goons belonging to Dravidar Kazhagam, DVK, VCK, CPI, CPM, MMK, SDPI and movements like Thamizhar Thanurimai Iyakkam, and Makkal Athikaram waived black flags and attacked the convoy with stones, bottles and flag poles.
Law & Order In Shambles
With the DMK’s ascension to power, law and order in the state has gone to shambles with incidents of crime and violence getting reported across the state.
In October 20221, a restaurant owner in Madurai was attacked with a billhook by a gang of four men.
Balachandar (30), the head of BJP’s SC/ST wing for Central Chennai was hacked to death at the heart of the city on May 24, 2022.
A 24-year-old man was hacked to death near the Combined Court Complex in Gopalapuram on 13 February 2023 morning, a day after a person accused in a murder case was hacked and shot to death in Coimbatore.
Goons are roaming around in streets with machetes in their hand indulging in burglary.
A massive fake passport scam has been unearthed threatening the national security of India with the State police itself being allegedly complicit.
Crackdown On Critics
The DMK government has gone after its critics ever since it came to power.
In December 2022, Tamil Nadu Police arrested an AMMK functionary for a meme targeting Chief Minister’s son Udhayanidhi Stalin’s Sports Ministry. Just recently, the Tamil Nadu police went all the way to Gujarat to arrest a BJP cadre who had made satirical social media posts on Chief Minister MK Stalin and his father late Karunanidhi.
Immediately after the DMK came to power, political commentator Kishore K Swamy was arrested on June 14, 2021, for allegedly ‘defaming’ DMK leaders MK Stalin, Karunanidhi and Annadurai. The arrest was made based on a complaint by a Kanchipuram DMK functionary. In another similar case, Kalyanaraman of BJP Tamil Nadu was arrested for allegedly derogating Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and his late father Karunanidhi.
BJP IT wing office-bearer Saravana Kumar from Dindigul was arrested for allegedly criticizing the DMK government.
Dakshinamurthy alias Seethaiyin Mainthan, a YouTuber and a Tamil nationalist ideologue was arrested on October 15, 2021 for releasing a documentary that exposed the lesser known and hidden facts about E.V. Ramasamy Naicker also known as ‘Periyar’ by his followers.
An FIR was filed against Tamil magazine Vikatan, YouTuber Maridhas and political commentator ‘Savukku’ Shankar for speaking against G Square Realtors, a real estate company reportedly close to the DMK family.
From freedom of expression, Hindi imposition, and secularism to peace and stability, the DMK party has always maintained double standards. Let aside their failure to maintain law and order in the state. Whether in power or the opposition, the DMK party is majorly responsible for disrupting peace and stability in the state through protests, violence, and propagation of separatist agenda.
What Is “Stable” According To CJI?
On what basis did CJI come to a conclusion about Tamil Nadu being a “stable state”? Does Milord have empirical evidence about stability of state governments? Or does Milord not catch updates on what is happening below the Vindhya?
Milord should stick to just the legal aspects of the case instead of sermonizing and passing abstract commentaries irrelevant to the case.
Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.
