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Monday, December 15, 2025
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GHMC polls: From 4 to 49, BJP puts up an impressive show in ‘Bhagyanagar’

By
The Commune
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The results of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections has given a jolt to not just Telangana but to the entire southern states with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) making solid in-roads into what was till now KCR’s fort.

Though the Telanaga Rashtra Samiti (TRS) has won 55 seats (43 seats less than what it had got last time), it has failed to touch the half-way mark. But it hopes to take the Mayor’s seat with the help of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMI).

On the other hand the BJP had has for emerged the second largest party, improving its share of seats and votes by nearly ten times. In the last elections to the GHMC in 2016, the BJP had won only 4 seats. In the seats that the BJP lost to TRS or AIMIM, it emerged second.

The Congress, in yet another humiliating defeat, ended up with just 2 seats.

Though a local body election, the BJP brought in star campaigners before the elections. Home Minister Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Bengaluru MP Tejasvi Surya had put in a charged campaign.

BJP National General Secretary (Org) B.L. Santhosh and Home Minister Amit Shah congratulated the BJP Telangana team for putting up a stellar performance.

Minister of Municipal Administration and Urban Development, KT Rama Rao, son of incumbent Chief Minsiter K. Chandrasekhara Rao said that the results were not as expected.

With this, the BJP has emerged as the reckoning force filling the vaccum left by Congress. The results of the GHMC elections signal that in the times to come, Telangana would have 2 main parties pitted against each other with the AIMIM being a party for the Muslims.

Cauvery Calling organizes tree plantation drive in Erode, calls for public participation

By
The Commune
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A plantation drive with public participation under ‘Nurturing the Desire to Plant a Tree’ initiative launched by Cauvery Calling, will be held in Erode on 6 December. Plantation activity will be undertaken on farmland belonging to Thiru. K.S. Rajeshwaran in Sivalingapuram village of Sulur Panchyat in Erode district.

Last month, Cauvery Calling launched a state-wide drive for the general public to participate in sapling plantation on private farmlands across the Cauvery river basin in Tamil Nadu through ‘Nurturing the Desire to Plant a Tree’. The platform offers eco enthusiasts who don’t own land and don’t know where and how to plant saplings, the opportunity to visit farms along with the Isha Agroforestry team and plant saplings. The first plantation drive was held at Thotiyapatti village in Karur district on 18 November 2020 and received an overwhelming response from tree lovers.

There are 30 Isha nurseries in Tamil Nadu that produce 100% naturally grown saplings. The saplings have been made available to farmers at a nominal cost.

Cauvery Calling is a movement launched by Founder of Isha Foundation Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev to revitalize river Cauvery. It promotes tree based agriculture on private farmlands in the Cauvery basin. Its 12-year mission is to enable over 50 lakh farmers to plant 242 crore trees on their own farmlands in the river basin for economic gain. This will substantially increase farmer income by 3 to 8 times, enrich soil in the basin, improve water tables and augment Cauvery’s source flow levels.

In the first planting season this year since the launch of Cauvery Calling last year, farmers in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have planted 86 lakh saplings on their farmlands in the river basin.

‘Nurturing the Desire to Plant a Tree’ is an ongoing initiative and will announce plantation drives for public participation at regular intervals.

The event is open for all by registration and will offer first-hand experience of planting saplings on a farmland. Public can register for participation by calling 86681 72967.

Top US intelligence officer accuses China of developing biologically enhanced soldiers

By
The Commune
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The Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, who is the number one intelligence official in the United States, has labelled China as the “biggest threat to democracy and freedom worldwide since World War Two”.

According to Ratcliffe, China is bent on global domination and in an essay written by him he said that Chinese authorities had “conducted human testing” on members of the Chinese army “in hopes of developing soldiers with biologically enhanced capabilities.”

In an opinion article on the Wall Street Journal website, Ratcliffe writes, “The intelligence is clear: Beijing intends to dominate the US and the rest of the planet economically, militarily and technologically,”. 

This information comes after a CNN news report that exposed China’s mishandling of the early stages of Covid-19 and how it deliberately failed to inform of the severity of the virus to the global community. 

Ratcliffe’s Wall Street Journal essay is in sync with President Donald Trump tough-on-China legacy which many believe Biden might slowly strip away. However, before Trump leaves office he could limit the incoming Biden administration’s room for manoeuvre in dealing with Beijing.

He said, “China poses the greatest threat to America today, and the greatest threat to democracy and freedom worldwide since World War Two.”

As the director of National Intelligence, Ratcliffe had shifted resources within the $85 billion annual federal budget allocated to intelligence to increase the focus on China.

According to Ratcliffe, China’s economic espionage approach was threefold: “Rob, Replicate and Replace.” Chins as per the contents of the essay want to steal American companies’ intellectual property, copy it and then supplant US companies in the global market place.

China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying called these US accusations of technology theft were “ludicrous.”

On Wednesday ( December 2), the U.S. House of Representatives passed a law “The Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act” to kick any Chinese companies off US stock exchanges if they do not fully comply with the country’s auditing rules.

China in its response to the letter, called it a ‘concoction of lies’. The Chinese Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Hua Chunying said that the article was just a ‘sensational headline’ which did not show any real evidence. “He just continued and repeated what is I think another concoction of lies”, she said at a press briefing. 

The spokesperson had told Reuters that Ratcliff’s comments were ‘fact-distorting’ showing cold war mindset of and ideological prejudices of some people on the US side.

“We hope American politicians will respect the facts, stop making and selling fake news, stop fabricating and spreading political viruses and lies and stop damaging Sino-US relations, otherwise it will only further damage the credibility of the United States”, Hua Chunying said in the briefing. 

 

Tata Sons plans to set up $1.5 billion cellphone manufacturing plant in Tamil Nadu

By
The Commune
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Tata Sons have chosen Tamil Nadu as its base and are seeking up to $1 billion through overseas loans to set up a mobile phone and component manufacturing plant to make Iphone parts, The Economic Times has reported.

The partnership with Apple Inc. will be part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make In India push.

This move is an initiative by the group chairman N Chandrasekaran who wants mobile makers such as Apple to have alternative production sites in India as they try to leave China.

The Tata Group will avail the benefits made available under the PLI (Production-Linked Incentive) scheme launched by the Modi government aimed at turning India to a global electronics manufacturing powerhouse.

According to the ET report, Tata Sons plan a capital expenditure of $1.5 billion for building manufacturing capacity in this area and is trying to secure $750 million to $ 1 billion in external commercial borrowings and the remaining through internal accruals.

The new production unit is expected to fulfil Apple’s sourcing needs and may eventually scale to meet the requirements of other original equipment manufacturers from South Korea and Japan.

Last month it was reported that Tata Group is investing ₹5,000 crores to set up a phone component manufacturing plant at the industrial complex in Hosur, Tamil Nadu that also happens to border with IT hub Bangalore.

The new company, Tata Electronics, has been allotted 500 acres by Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) and will be manufacture components for Apple, which is looking to diversify its sourcing base from China.

Titan Co Ltd’s precision engineering division, Titan Engineering and Automation Ltd (TEAL) will provide the expertise for this project with a staff strength of 18,000 by October 2021 and 90 per cent of it will be women.

Tamil Nadu government recently unveiled the Tamil Nadu Electronics Hardware Manufacturing Policy 2020 and has a target to increase electronics industry output to $100 billion by 2025 aiming to contribute 25% of India’s total electronic exports.

Persecution Relief shuts website and makes webinar video private after getting exposed

By
The Commune
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Following the expose story done by The Commune on ‘Persecution Relief’ based on the investigations done by Legal Rights Protection Forum (LRPF), the NGO has shut down its website saying “We will be back soon”.

Taking to Twitter, LRPF took a dig at Persecution Relief’s reaction quoting Irish dramatist Thomas Southerne’s quote on ‘guilt’.

Perseuction Relief had also posted a video on its Facebook page with the title “Urgent Prayer Request By Persecution Relief” in which its founder Shibu Thomas asks for ‘prayers’ from his followers.

In the video, Shibu says “I request your valuable prayers for this entire episode which has been unfolded since yesterday. Your prayers has helped us thus far to swim against the tide. And we believe strongly that the Lord has called us for this ministry and the Lord will take care of everything what has to be done. But I need the valuable prayer of the Church in India to stand with us in a time like this where we are being branded as anti-nationals. So, with this I request prayers and thanking you for your continuous support over the last 5 years. God bless you!”

Apart from Persecution Relief going on the defensive, the Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations of North America (FIACONA) which recently hosted the webinar titled ‘Hate Crimes against Christians in India’ has made the video of the webinar private on YouTube.

In the video they members of FIACONA and Persecution Relief expressed their satisfaction at getting India included in the top 14 countries, moving from 28 in 2015 but regretted that they couldn’t get sanctions imposed on India by US Govt. The video of this webinar is no more available for public to see.

The actions of Persecution Relief comes in the light of the exclusive expose article carried by The Commune based on the LRPF’s complaint to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Click here to read the story.

The story had created a storm on Twitter with several prominent people sharing it. Thuglak Editor S. Gurumurthy put a tweet that every interested Indian should read the expose.

Nehemiah Christie, Co-Chair at Global Christian Ministers Federation, who in a tweet said “Conversion is my privacy and the law of the land gives that freedom” also put out a series of tweets condemning The Commune, LRPF and others who came in support of the article.

Author and columnist Sanjukta Basu known for being a Congress sympathizer called for slapping a defamation case against The Commune and LRPF.

Amman idols stolen from temple in Chennai

By
The Commune
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The idols of Chamundi, Durga and Brahmaki at the Gengayamman temple in Thiruporur near Chennai has been stolen by unidentified persons yesterday. Police have registered a case in this regard and are investigating.

The temple priest who had come to open the temple located on the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) in Thiruporur  road next to Chennai yesterday morning, found that the statues of the Gengayamman temple were missing.

The three different idols about one and a half feet high placed in three different shrines have been looted. The temple priest said that these idols are the idols of the deities Chamundi, Durga and Brahmaki.

Following this, the temple priest immediately informed the local police. Police rushed to the spot and went to the temple to inquire about the missing idols. Police, who later registered a case, are searching for the mysterious person who looted the idols.

The incident comes in the light of the High Court hearing a PIL filed alleging that there are no security guards at the temple. Devotees have demanded the appointment of temple guards and the installation of CCTV cameras in all temples.

The humble Rasam is now saving people from the Wuhan virus in USA

By
The Commune
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One of the worst hit countries by the Wuhan virus pandemic is the USA. But a man from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu is helping people conquer the virus.

Chef Arun Rajadurai, a native of Meensurutti near Jayankondam in Ariyalur district, moved to New Jersey after completing his hotel management studies at a college in Trichy. He has been working at the Anjappar hotel in Princeton.

When the pandemic hit the United States, he used to give the rasam made with turmeric, ginger and garlic to a corona patient who was being treated at a hospital in the area and the patient’s condition improved. Since then, rasam has become an essential menu in the restaurant there.

The rasam menu has now been introduced at the New York, New Jersey and Canada branches of Anjappar. Currently about 500 to 600 cups of rasam are sold per day.

“We never thought it would be a success.” Arun Rajathurai was quoted saying in a Tamil media report.

Arun Rajathurai was awarded the Best South East Asian Chef of the Year 2018. The world hopes the United States will bring a medical miracle to deal with corona. At the same time it is noteworthy that residents of New York, New Jersey and Princeton support South Indian food to beat the corona.

Salem Police Station gets featured in the top 10 police stations of the country

By
The Commune
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Salem’s Sooramangalam All Women’s Police Station in Tamil Nadu has been ranked 2nd among the top 10 police stations in the country. At a police conference in Kutch, Gujarat in 2015, Prime Minister Modi announced that the best performing police stations at the national level would be selected and honored every year.

Accordingly, 16,671 police stations have been inspected this year and 10 best police stations have been selected. Details of them have been released by the Union Home Ministry. The announcement was made at the 55th DGP, IGP Police Conference attended by Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

According to the report, the Nagbok Shekmai police station in Manipur’s Daupal district has taken the top spot. Sooramangalam All Women Police Station in Salem is ranked 2nd. Various guidelines have been issued on behalf of the Union Home Ministry to select these best police stations, on the basis of which this study was conducted.

These 10 police stations were selected on the basis of statistics on police stations, direct surveillance and public opinion. In particular, the rankings were based on how crimes related to property, crimes against women, crimes against the disabled, disappearances, and unidentified bodies were handled.

Police stations had been graded on the basis of 19 types of criteria on how police stations serve the people and how they make the most use of technology to detect crime.

In the first place in that category was given to the Nagbok Shekmai police station in the Daupal district in the state of Manipur. The 2nd place was given to Sooramangalam All Women Police Station in Salem, Tamil Nadu. The 3rd place was given to Karsang BS Police Station in Sanglang, Arunachal Pradesh. It is a matter of pride that the Salem Suramangalam Women’s Police Station in Tamil Nadu has been ranked 2nd for best performance at the national level.

“Now you see it, now you don’t”: Monolith that appeared in Utah disappears

By
The Commune
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The mystery of how a metal monolith appeared in the Utah desert remains, but the riddle of its removal seems to have been solved. Similar ones had later disappeared and reappeared in Romania, and California.

“The three-sided obelisk appeared to be made of stainless steel, 10-feet tall and 18 inches wide. The object was welded together at each corner, with rivets attaching the side panels to a likely steel frame inside,” the Atascadero News reported.

The reflective material used for the latest monolith gives the obelisk a mesmerising shine in the sun as picturesque Santa Lucia Mountain range is visible on its side, making it popular among locals who are now rushing to get photos and videos.

The monolith, after appearing in Utah caused a storm on social media. However, a few days after the pictures and videos circulated of the monolith, the Bureau of Land Management in Utah was informed that the monolith had disappeared. Images emerged Tuesday of four men working in the dead of night to remove the strange, triangular pillar that has garnered global attention from its remote resting place in the western United States desert. This effectively put an end to plethora of conspiracy theories that arose around the monolith, ranging from alien invasions to art installations. Many even compared it to the monolith from Stanley Kubrick’s classic sci-fi film “2001: A Space Odyssey.”

Yogi to scrap 44 years old interfaith marriages incentive in UP

By
The Commune
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The Yogi Adityanath government in Utter Pradesh has set plans in motion to withdraw a scheme that has encouraged interfaith marriages for almost 44 years.

After bringing in the anti-conversion law to check forced religious conversions and counter the growing menace of love jihad, the UP CM now plans to do away with the Inter-caste and Interfaith Marriage Incentive Scheme which was introduced in 1976 and was initiated by the national integration department in Uttar Pradesh.

“In UP, 11 interfaith couples were beneficiaries of the scheme last year and got Rs 50,000 each,” said a government spokesman.

“The scheme will be reconsidered after the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion ordinance. In any case both work at cross purposes,” the spokesman added.

The ordinance, signed by Governor Anandiben Patel on Saturday, makes way for punishment for the forced conversions, including those by marriage.

In 2017, when Yogi became CM of UP, the BJP added a caveat to the scheme wherein interfaith couple could not convert after they got married, or they would lose the incentive.

Uttarakhand, another state ruled by the BJP plans to withdraw the same.

Uttar Pradesh Minister Shrikant Sharma said, “The scheme does exist for now. I cannot comment on its continuation. The ordinance means to stop forced conversion and punish those who hide their identity to cheat their partners.”

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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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