Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, turned 70 on 1 March 2023 with the DMK party cadres celebrating with great pomp and show.
He was greeted by senior leaders and elaborate arrangements were made at Arivalayam (party headquarter) in Chennai for cadres to meet and wish him. CM Stalin gave a sapling for all those who came to meet him.
In a hilarious but embarrassing moment for CM Stalin, a man walked in with a camel dressed in DMK’s flag and gifted it to him.
Zakir Shah, a DMK cadre from Tiruvannamalai had brought a 2 year old camel along with him to Chennai. The camel’s body was wrapped in DMK’s flag. As he entered through the hall, a few DMK cadres can be seen escorting Zakir Shah and the camel towards the CM. He was swiftly whisked down the stage.
#DMK party workers bring a "Camel" to the part headquarters as a gift for the 70th Birthday celebrations of Chief Minister #MKStalinpic.twitter.com/1PybnQgZoj
Apparently, Zakir Shah makes sure to gift a living animal to CM Stalin every year on the latter’s birthday.
Speaking to reporters, the DMK cadre said “It has been custom for me to gict my leader an animal every year on his birthday. First I gave a royal horse. Then we gave him a Jallikattu bull, goat, ‘Vastu’ fish, and pigeon. This time I am gifting something that nobody else in the world had given. I am giving this camel. It is 2 years old. All medical certificates have been obtained. There is no price for this animal.”
Aadhaar holders have carried out over 9029.28 crore authentication transactions so far including 199.62 crore in January 2023 alone, indicative of the growth of digital economy in the country.
While a majority of the authentications transaction numbers were carried out by using biometric fingerprint, it is followed by demographic and OTP authentications. In the month of January, 135.53 crore biometric fingerprint-based authentications were carried out, an indication of its usage and utility in the daily lives of residents.
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has already rolled out a new security mechanism for Aadhaar based fingerprint authentication. The artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) based security mechanism developed in-house is now using a combination of both finger minutiae and finger image to check the liveness of the fingerprint captured.
By the end of January, Aadhaar saturation among all age groups has climbed up to 94.65% and the saturation level among the adult population is now near universal. During the month of January, more than 1.37 crore Aadhaars were successfully updated following requests from the residents.
Aadhaar e-KYC service continues to play an important role for banking and non-banking financial services by providing transparent and improved customer experience and helping in ease of doing business. More than 29.52 crore eKYC transactions were carried out during January 2023.
170 entities including 105 banks are live on e-KYC. Adoption of e-KYC has also significantly reduced customer acquisition cost of entities like financial institutions, telecom service providers and others. By the end of January 2023, the cumulative number of Aadhaar e-KYC transactions so far has gone up-to 1412.25 crore.
Whether it is e-KYC for identity verification, Aadhaar enabled DBT for direct fund transfer, AePS for last mile banking, or authentications, Aadhaar, the digital infrastructure of good governance, has been playing a key role in supporting the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of Digital India, and enabling ease of living for residents.
The Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AePS) is enabling financial inclusion for those at the bottom of the income pyramid. By the end of January 2023, cumulatively, 1,629.98 crore of last mile banking transactions have been made possible through AePS and the network of micro-ATMs.
More than 1100 government schemes, programs and initiatives in the country run by both centre and states have been notified to use Aadhaar. The digital ID is helping various ministries and departments in the centre and at states in improving efficiency, transparency and delivery of welfare services to the targeted beneficiaries.
During the past decade, Aadhaar number has emerged as a proof of identity of residents in India and it is being used for availing several government schemes and services. Residents who had got their Aadhaar issued 10 years ago, and have never updated after that in these years, such Aadhaar number holders are encouraged to get their documents updated.
Ministry of Coal had launched the auctions of coal mines for commercial mining under 6th round and second attempt of 5th round on November 03, 2022. Forward auctions for these mines have been started on 27.02.2023 and on the 2nd day of the e-auction, 6 coal mines were put up for auction of which 3 coal mines were CMSP coal mines and 3 coal mines were MMDR coal mines. Further details of the coal mines are as under: –
5 coal mines are fully explored coal mines and 1 coal mine is partially explored coal mine.
The total geological reserves for these 6 coal mines are ~ 488 million Tonnes.
Cumulative PRC for these coal mines is 9.4 MTPA (excluding Partially Explored Binja Coal Mine)
These coal mines upon operationalization will generate Annual Revenue of ~₹334 crores calculated at PRC of these coal mines (excluding Marwatola VI, Gare Palma Sector IV/2 and Gare Palma Sector IV/3 Coal Mines and Partially Explored Binja coal mine). These mines will attract capital investment of ~₹1,410 crores and will provide employment to ~12,709 people.
Kamal Haasan, president of Makkal Needhi Maiam, said on Tuesday that his friendship with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin goes beyond politics. Kamal stated that he and Stalin have been friends since the latter was introduced to him as M Karunanidhi’s son.
“We may not be close friends, but we have remained friends and demonstrated that our friendship extends beyond politics whenever the opportunity arose,” he stated.
In order to commemorate Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin’s 70th birthday, which falls on March 1, Kamal opened an exhibition titled “Engal Muthalvar, Engal Perumai” (our chief minister our pride) in Chennai’s Parry’s Corner. The display will be up until March 12.
Such events are crucial, according to Kamal, at a time when attempts are being made to distort history. He asserted that the joy of being the son of a great leader was matched by numerous difficulties. He continued by saying that MK Stalin overcame difficulties and developed gradually.
Kamal recalled how Stalin had progressed from being a DMK cadre to becoming the state’s chief minister. “Despite being by his father’s side his entire life, he had never sought anything for himself. This is history that must be preserved.” “Kamal stated.
In this situation, netizens are sharing old Kamal Haasan videos in which he questioned MK Stalin’s leadership abilities and questioned whether Kamal Haasan will change his stance like a Chameleon changing colors.
Kamal said in an old video that is recently going viral on social media, “People asked how I could insult Kalaignar Karunanidhi by mentioning his wheelchair. But I’m not that type of person. I don’t think it’s a shame to be in a wheelchair. If I ever wanted to offend Kalaignar, all I have to do is mention Stalin’s name.”
The Justice Arumughaswamy Commision’s report, which contained observations, remarks and recommendations to launch an investigation into the former Tamil Nadu Health Minister C Vijayabhaskar, was put on hold by the Madurai Bnech of Madras High Court on Tuesday (28 February 2023).
The order was issued by Justice G R Swaminathan during the hearing of a petition filed by former minister C Vijayabaskar. The Justice Arumughaswamy commission investigated the circumstances surrounding former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s death in 2016. The commission submitted its findings in August 2022.
The commission had charged VK Sasikala, her relative Dr. K S Sivakumar, Vijayabhaskar, and former health secretary J Radhakrishnan with a series of omissions, including failing to allow the former chief minister Jayalalithaa a “life-saving” angioplasty.
In his petition, Vijayabhaskar claimed that the commission had gone far beyond the scope of its mandate and had made disparaging remarks about him despite the fact that there was no evidence on record to implicate him.
The AIADMK leader was represented by his counsel Nithyaesh Natraj and with advocates Vaibhav Venkatesh and Anirudh Sriram on record.
As required by the terms of reference, the commission should have investigated the circumstances surrounding the death of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. According to him, the findings and observations in the report clearly indicate that the commission went off on an entirely different tangent and emphasized conspiracy theories with no basis at all.
The Arumughaswamy Commission that enquired into late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s demise in 2016, is a lesson on how a Commission must not function. The Commune has published a detailed analysis of the Arumughaswamy Commission’s bogus claims without facts, which can be found here.
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Ever since Wasim Rizvi embraced Hindu Dharma and became Jitendra Tyagi, he has faced constant harassment from Islamists and the secular state machinery. He has faced a barrage of issues from threats to cases.
The Prayagraj (Allahabad) High Court denied anticipatory bail to Jitendra Tyagi in a 2021 rape case filed by his former driver’s wife. The bench led by Justice Mohammad Faiz Alam turned down Jitendra’s appeal citing non-bailable warrants issued against him by Lucknow’s Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate and added that he found no grounds to grant him protection from arrest.
“Having regard to the various orders passed by the Magistrate directing the investigating officer to conclude the investigation at the earliest, primafacie there is substance in the apprehension of informant/victim. The State in its instructions has mentioned the long criminal history of the applicant comprising 35 cases starting from the year 1994 till 2022 and in the considered opinion of this Court, criminal antecedents and conduct of the accused is a relevant factor at the time of consideration of plea of anticipatory bail,” the Court observed.
A rape case was filed by Jitendra’s former driver stating that her husband’s employer had raped her repeatedly in 2021 by threatening to harm her children. The victim states that she informed her husband of Tyagi’s ‘misdeeds’ and subsequently the victim’s family vacated the residence provided by Jitendra.
In his defence, Jitendra highlighted that Islamist fundamentalists were against him and were instrumental in getting the false rape case filed against him. He said that the Islamists were against his ideology and the petitions filed by him in the Supreme Court.
Interestingly, the rape allegations were made just a few months after he filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking the removal of 26 verses from the Quran stating that these verses were “violent by nature and not part of the original Quran and were added after the death of Prophet Mohammad”. Since then, Jitendra (then Rizvi) has faced a barrage of threats from Islamists.
Atif Rasheed, the chairperson of the national commission for minorities (NCW) termed Rizvi’s move a conspiracy to disturb the communal harmony of the country and added that the petition hurts the sentiments of a religious minority community. NCW Joint Secretary, Daniel Richards asked him to withdraw his comments and seek an unconditional apology within 21 days or face legal action.
“Rizvi is neither a Hindu nor a Muslim but is the devil and whoever brings me the decapitated head of this devil, will be paid 11 lakhs as prize money. If the amount falls short I will sell my children to settle (the amount). Had this happened under Islamic law, Rizvi, by now would have been stoned to death”, announced former district bar association president Amirul Hasan.
Other forms of hatred towards Waseem Rizvi were also reported from various Sunni and Shia organizations. This included the burning of his effigy, demands for his execution, the demolition of his mother’s grave, and the ‘cancellation’ of a grave that was purportedly reserved by Rizvi. It must be highlighted that Rizvi had written to PM Narendra Modi and UP CM Yogi Adityanath asking them to shut down madrassas as they produce terrorists in 2018.
The apex court subsequently threw out Rizvi’s petition and slapped a fine of fifty thousand terming the petition ‘frivolous’. In December 2021, Rizvi renounced Islam and reverted to Hindu Dharma assuming the name Jitendra Tyagi. Telangana Congress leader Rashed Khan offered a bounty on Jitendra for converting to Hindu Dharma.
In January last year, the Uttarakhand police arrested Jitendra Tyagi for his ‘hate speech’ at the three-day-long Haridwar Dharm Sansad held in December 2021. They filed a case against him under IPC section 153A for promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion.
(This article was originally published in Hindu Post and has been republished here with permission.)
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Why is the current DMK government in Tamil Nadu taking a proposed Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) state-wide march so seriously that it’s knocking on the Supreme Court’s doors? The DMK plans to appeal against the Madras High Court permitting RSS march rally in several districts of the state. What is scaring the DMK party all the way to New Delhi?
The saga of the proposed statewide RSS march in Tamil Nadu began in the second half of 2022. The RSS had planned a statewide road show-cum-meeting schedule at various locations in the state and sought the required permissions for the same from the state authorities. The state police under the influence of the ruling DMK party came up with ways to deny permission for the RSS march, citing “law and order issues” including the possibility of communal tensions.
A single- judge order of the state High Court passed a disappointing verdict in favour of the ruling party back in November 2022- the judgement permitted the proposed RSS march but with unreasonable conditions like permission to march only through certain areas and routes instead of all the previously requested areas and holding meetings along the permitted routes within indoor spaces or ‘compounded’ spaces such as a ground or stadium which would restrict numbers, while further cautioning the RSS against remarks and comments that could be construed as ‘communal’.
While the RSS was hoping for a massive statewide road show, as all political rallies would naturally hope for, the permitted 2022 RSS march was imposed with restrictions that clearly would not serve the ideological and political interests of the rally. Many among TN’s prominent Hindu voices found the single-judge verdict to be unfair, unreasonable and biased in favour of the state government. The RSS wisely decided to call off a rather restrictive rally, appeal to the High Court against the judgement and bide its time.
On 10 February 2023, a two judge bench reversed the previous November 4, 2022 order on the proposed rally and removed the previously imposed restrictions, citing a citizen’s /party’s basic right to hold meetings, reach out to the public and express their ideological, political views. Furthermore, the court stated that it was the duty of the state and the police department to tackle any unforseen, unpredictable Law and Order issues that may arise. Stating that “it is the duty of the state to maintain law and order”, the HC said “it is also the bounden duty of the state to provide adequate security to a lawful claim”.
In its latest verdict favoring the RSS’s right to hold their road show as much as the rights of other ideological/political parties, the HC bench of Justices R Mahadevan and Mohammed Shaffiq said that “even though the state has the right to impose restrictions, it cannot prohibit them totally, but only impose reasonable restrictions”. The judges clearly stated “since the organisation has the right to conduct peaceful procession and meetings in public places, the state under the guise of new intelligence input, cannot seek to impose any condition which has the effect of perpetually infringing the fundamental rights of the organisation citing law and order problem, after the order passed in the writ petitions, which attained finality”.
Within a few days of the new judgement granting the required permission to the RSS for their proposed state-wide rally, the DMK’s legal wing came up with plans in scuttling the RSS march. What’s the DMK’s rush? What’s worrying the DMK even before the RSS have announced their dates and routes for the proposed rally? Is this a sign that the DMK and other secular parties are beginning to sense a coming-together of the larger Hindu community across caste divisions? The state BJP unit has found the right type of leader in Annamalai – a young, intelligent, proud Tamilian IPS officer of a humble farmer’s background with a distinguished job record, who is proudly Hindu with cultural and spiritual knowledge that is hard to match!
Has the DMK sensed some sort of Hindu awakening or resurgence in the state after several decades of an impassioned but weak BJP presence in Tamil Nasu? Or is the meteoric rise of a young, proud, charismatic, already accomplished BJP leader like Mr. Annamalai threatening the very ideological existence of the DMK? In other words, does a staunchly pseudo “secular” party like the DMK fear the rise of a large and unified Hindu votebank or the rise of a dynamic Tamil leader Annamalai, who appears to have an educated, intelligent answer to almost every ‘secular’ presumption?
Either way, it’s a late but effective wakeup call for all Tamil Hindus (regardless of class, caste, gender) who have hopefully realized that the DMK’s divide-and-rule-by-caste-and-religion policy has negatively impacted the Hindu community as a whole while simultaneously benefitting the minority Christian and Muslim communities.
The DMK like other Indian “secular” parties has proven itself to be beneficial to the minority religions at the expense of Hinduism and Tamilian Hindus. In addition to its pseudo-secular credentials, the party derives its core beliefs and tenets from the Dravidian Movement which spews venom against religious beliefs, local traditions and customs by specifically targeting Hinduism while going soft on the beliefs and customs of the Minority religions. Has the Hindu community in Tamil Nadu, across caste lines, finally realized and acknowledged this open, blatant discrimination against their beliefs, their temples and their customs, their history and their accomplishments?
Tamil Hindus across caste lines have been eagerly waiting for a man like Annamalai to lead them out of an uncomfortable, cultural and political space for over half-a-century dominated by a highly biased pseudo-secular culture that relegated them to the status of second class citizens in the land of their ancestors. Have the Hindus of the state finally realized – United we stand, Divided we lose?
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the newly-built Shivamogga Airport in Karnataka and took a walk-through of the facilities.
The new airport is developed at a cost of around ₹450 crore. The passenger terminal building of the airport is spread over 4340 sq. meters and can handle 300 passengers per hour. The Prime Minister’s focus on enhancing air transportation throughout the country will receive further reinforcement with the opening of the Shivamogga Airport.
Remarking on the splendid beauty and construction of the airport, the Prime Minister highlighted the amalgamation of the traditions and technology of Karnataka. He remarked that it is not just an airport but a campaign where the dreams of the younger generations can take off.
“The new airport is going to open doors of development for Shivamogga, the land of nature, culture, and agriculture”, the Prime Minister said. The Prime Minister elaborated upon the policies of the government that have led to an unprecedented expansion of the aviation sector. The Prime Minister also mentioned the UDAN scheme for affordable air travel to realize his vision that Hawai Chappal-wearing common citizens should be able to travel in Hawai Jahaj.
”The lotus like new airport is developed at a cost of ₹450 crore. The Passenger Terminal Building of the airport can handle 300 Passengers per hour. Night landing facility is also available at this airport which will start operating soon” said Union Civil Aviation Minister Scindia.
In a series of tweets, theMinister of Civil Aviation Shri Jyotiraditya M Scindia said,“Today, Shri Narendra Modi ji has inaugurated Shivamogga Airport and has given a new height to civil aviation in the country and has opened new doors of prosperity in Karnataka. It is a unique gift for Shivamogga and the entire region on the birthday of the former Chief Minister of the state Shri BS Yeddyurappa ji.It is a matter of pride for the entire country that where there were only 74 airports in the country until 2014, today, after the inauguration of the Shivamogga airport, the number of airports has doubled. Now the total number is 148, which means there has been a 100% increase in the number of airports in the last 9 years.”
The Minister further said, “The Shivamogga Airport is designed like a lotus flower, and it is built at a cost of ₹450 crore. It is suitable for A-320-type aircraft. This airport is spread across 758 acres of land. The night landing facility is also available at this airport which will start after some time.”
The Prime Minister also laid the foundation for two railway projects, the Shivamogga – Shikaripura – Ranebennur new Railway line and Koteganguru Railway coaching depot, and several road development projects totalling over ₹215 crore. The Prime Minister also unveiled multi-village schemes worth over ₹950 crore under the Jal Jeevan Mission and inaugurated 44 Smart City Projects worth over ₹895 crore in Shivamogga city.
On Saturday (25 February 2023) morning, there was a commotion in several districts due to a delay in the conducting of Group II and Group II-A exam. The delay had occurred due to the incorrect distribution of question papers and answer sheets by the examiners.
On May 21, 2022, the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) held the Group 2, 2A preliminary examination for 5,529 vacancies. While 11,78,000 people applied for the exam, 1,83,285 did not take it. Approximately 9,94,878 people, or 84.44%, took the exam in Tamil.Though the TNPSC Group 2, 2A prelims results were scheduled to be released in June 2022, the results were not released until November 2022, for reasons known only to the Tamil Nadu government. 55,071 examinees passed the exam.
The TNPSC held the mains examination for the interview and non-interview posts in Group 2 on 25 February 2023. The exam which was conducted in 186 centres spread across 20 districts ended up in a fiasco with several candidates lamenting about their future. The exam was delayed due to some confusion in the distribution of question papers.
According to reports, after the examiners realized that the question paper and answer sheets were incorrectly distributed, the candidates were instructed to write the exam on an already written answer sheet, which was written by the person who received it during the previous incorrect distribution.
Furthermore, when the candidatess inquired about the incorrect register number on the OMR sheets, the invigilators misled them by claiming that those were dummy numbers.
TNPSC officials took back the question papers and answer sheets from the examinees and sent them out of the hall after realizing that the question papers and OMR sheets had been distributed incorrectly.
Some of the examinees who had phones outside the exam hall used them to look up answers to questions they remembered from the incorrectly distributed paper. It should be noted that only the question arrangements will differ from one examinee to another. The confusion and the resulting chaos caused outrage among students.
In this situation, TNPSC admitted to the confusion in the distribution of question papers and OMR sheets. TNPSC stated in a press release, “Due to a difference in the sequence of arrangement in attendance sheet order and question booklet order, there was a delay in the distribution of question booklets to the candidates.”
However, according to the department, the problem was quickly resolved, and examinations began in the centers shortly thereafter. Furthermore, the department instructed the respective districts to give the candidates extra time due to the delay in starting the exam in the morning session. Subsequently, the afternoon session examination was scheduled from 2.30 to 5.30 pm, added the press note. However, not all candidates in all centre’s were given the extra time.
Some students complained that some of the answers on the OMR sheets had already been filled in. They claimed that they could not correct answers on OMR sheets because the scan machine that corrects the OMR sheet would not allow it.
Many candidates who had spent more than a year preparing for the exam now face uncertainty. A video of a girl breaking down and lamenting about her future was covered by local media.
It is to be noted that this kind of blunder and mismanagement has never happened in the 9 decade history of TNPSC. By this episode, the DMK government has failed to provide equal opportunity in public employment according to Article 16 of the Indian Constitution.
Political leaders such as Tamil Nadu opposition leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami and PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss chastised the DMK government for the lackasaidal attitude and in ensuring a fair conducting of exam.
“I strongly condemn this incompetent DMK government for failing to properly handle important exams such as the TNPSC exam, and I urge the ‘Vidiyaa DMK government’ (the DMK government that never dawned) to cancel the exam on conducted 25.02.23 and conduct a re-examination on another day in a proper manner,” Edappadi K. Palaniswami said on Twitter.
TNPSC தேர்வு போன்ற முக்கிய தேர்வுகளையே முறையாக கையாளத் தெரியாத இந்த நிர்வாகத் திறனற்ற திமுக அரசை வன்மையாக கண்டிப்பதுடன்,உடனடியாக 25.02.23 நடைப்பெற்ற தேர்வை ரத்துசெய்து, வேறு ஒருநாளில், உரிய முறையில் மறுதேர்வினை நடத்திட வேண்டும் என இந்த விடியா திமுக அரசை வலியுறுத்துகிறேன்.2/2
— Edappadi K Palaniswami-SayYEStoWomenSafety&AIADMK (@EPSTamilNadu) February 27, 2023
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The Tamil Nadu police, which has not arrested DMK functionary Shivaji Krishnamoorthy who had abused and threatened to shoot down Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi with terrorists, 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. No Action Against Man Who Abused & Threatened To Kill TN Guv
Since assuming power, the DMK has been going after its critics and other individuals who criticize the party and its leaders on social media.
The Tamil Nadu police arrested John Ravindranath alias John Ravi, son of Soundrarajan, after he tweeted taking jibes at DMK leaders MK Stalin and Karunanidhi.
John Ravi’s Tweets
On 21 February 2023, John Ravi had posted s picture of MK Stalin sitting on the steps of Tiruvarur Temple tank with the caption “Who had said that the ladies are coming here to bathe at night?”
In another post, he had shared a picture where DMK Minister Duraimurugan can be seen holding Karunanidhi by the jaw with the satirical caption conveying a fictional conversation between the leaders.
Duraimurugan says “Thalaivare, you could’ve gone to second show cinema instead of giving birth to a nincompoop and burdening on our heads”, to which Karunanidhi replies “I had indeed gone to the cinemas”.
Tamil Nadu Police Or DMK’s Mercenary?
The privately run Twitter handle ‘ITW Reports’, run by the DMK IT Wing, filed a complaint against BJP cadre John Ravi. Following the filing of the FIR, John Ravi was apprehended by Tamil Nadu police, from Gujarat’s Veraval.
It is reported that the Tamil Nadu Police did not follow due process of law in filing of the FIR and during the arrest. Many noted that the police did not follow the Supreme Court’s Arnesh Kumar guidelines, which states that arrests should be made only when the punishment is more than seven years in prison.
It is said that the Tamil Nadu police allegedly broke into John Ravi’s offices in Thoothukudi, Kanyakumari, and Chennai without lawful authorization.
It is also claimed that 15 police officers knocked on the door of John Ravi’s house in Chennai when his daughter was alone late at night before arresting him. Tamil Nadu Police also asked John Ravi’s daughter, who had nothing to do with the case, to report to the Tharamani Police station in order to harass his family. However, after intervention by the BJP Lawyer wing led by Asuvathaman, the police backed off.
It is also claimed that the Tamil Nadu police did not notify John Ravi’s family about the cases filed against him and where he was being held.
In this situation, Hindu Munnani slammed the DMK government for arresting BJP cadre for a Twitter post but not arresting YouTubers like U2Brutus who abused Hindu gods and DMK leaders like Saidai Sadiq who had made obscene remarks against BJP leader Khushbu. No action has been taken against Shivaji Krishnamoorthy who had abused abused PM Modi, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi and Annamalai despite complaint being filed by Raj Bhavan.
DMK’s Crackdown On Critics
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.
Kishore K Swamy in his tweet had just quoted parts of a writing by Tamil poet Bharathidasan who had written about Annadurai saying that Annadurai took his niece to a wealthy man’s house to earn money.
Kishore K Swamy had also made several posts criticizing MK Stalin and his father M. Karunanidhi.
For this ‘heinous’ crime of criticizing DMK leaders, he was incarcerated and slapped with the Goondas Act languishing in prison for around 6 months.
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.
Kalyanaraman had in a tweet posted a picture of a page from a book which talks about V. Anaimuthu’s comments on EVR’S wife Maniammai quoting from another book titled “Periyar Kolgaiku Kuzhithondiya Dravidar Kazhagam” (Dravidar Kazhagam, the one which buried Periyar’s principles).
He had responded to a DMK executive on social media who had made derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for which he was arrested and later released on bail following a protest by BJP cadres.
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.
Karthik Gopinath, a prominent Tamil YouTuber who runs the Ilaya Bharatham YouTube channel, was arrested by the Tamil Nadu police on Monday (May 30, 2022).
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