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BJP Leader Ashvathaman Files Complaint Against Tenkasi DMK Functionary Who Called For PM Modi To “Be Finished Off”

By
The Commune
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BJP Leader Ashvathaman Files Complaint Against Tenkasi DMK Functionary Who Called For PM Modi To "Be Finished Off"

A political flashpoint has erupted in Tamil Nadu after BJP leader and State Secretary A Ashvathaman lodged a formal complaint with the Tamil Nadu Police against DMK Tenkasi District Secretary Jayabalan, accusing him of making anti-national and seditious remarks that allegedly amounted to a death threat against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Ashvathaman said he was forced to send the complaint via email after the Tamil Nadu Police’s online grievance portal “became non-functional,” which he described as symbolic of the state government’s administrative failure.

Complaint Alleges Direct Death Threat

In his complaint addressed to the Commissioner of Police, Chennai, Ashvathaman stated that Jayabalan’s speech at a recent public meeting in Tenkasi district posed a serious threat to national security, public order, and democratic integrity.

According to the complaint, Jayabalan allegedly said: “Only if we finish off Modi, this nation will be good,” and “Until that decision is fulfilled, Tamil Nadu will not see good days.”

Calling the statement “dangerous, anti-national, and seditious,” Ashvathaman said such comments from a public office-bearer cannot be ignored. He described the speech as a criminal act that “threatens not only one individual but the nation’s law and order and the mindset of the public.”

“Ignoring Threats Sets a Dangerous Precedent”

In the detailed petition, Ashvathaman argued that failure to take action would embolden similar threats in the future: “Ignoring a criminal threat can have major consequences. When such people, especially public servants, engage in seditious activity or issue death threats, ignoring these threats serves as a bad example.”

He added that if government employees do not act on such threats, it “creates an unsafe environment for the public.”

Citing multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) — including 152, 194, 197, 351(2), 352, 353, 356, and 223 — Ashvathaman urged the police to arrest Jayabalan and initiate criminal proceedings.

He wrote: “Making a death threat against the country’s Prime Minister is highly condemnable. When such threats are made by a public functionary, the consequences can be severe and long-lasting.”

The BJP leader emphasised that “immediate and strict action” was necessary to preserve social harmony and public safety.

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“Don’t Be Arrogant”: BJP Leader Tamilisai Soundararajan Hits Back After Dy CM Udhayanidhi Says Only “Wise” People Hold Knowledge Festivals

By
The Commune
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“Don’t Be Arrogant”: BJP Leader Tamilisai Hits Back After Dy CM Udhayanidhi Says Only “Wise” People Hold Knowledge Festivals

A political confrontation erupted in Tamil Nadu after Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s comments on a recently held “Knowledge Festival” drew a sharp rebuttal from BJP leader and former Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan. The exchange has quickly intensified into a public war of words, with both leaders accusing each other of arrogance and political insecurity.

What Udhayanidhi Said 

Speaking at an event, Udhayanidhi said, “A person with wisdom organizes a knowledge festival. During that knowledge festival, when we criticize them, they get angry, just like a thief fears the police… just hearing the word ‘knowledge’ shocks them.”

His comments were widely circulated on social media, drawing applause from DMK supporters but criticism from opponents.

Tamilisai Responds: “Don’t Be Arrogant”

Reacting to his statements, Tamilisai Soundararajan launched a direct attack on the Deputy Chief Minister’s political rise and credibility.

She said, “This morning I saw Udhayanidhi’s interview. He was speaking on TV, saying only knowledgeable people organize knowledge festivals, that those who lack knowledge need not worry about it. So, is Udhayanidhi claiming to be wise? Did you become the Deputy Chief Minister because you are wise? You became Deputy Chief Minister by inheritance. Don’t be arrogant!”

She further said, “Mr. Udhayanidhi, don’t be arrogant. You organized the knowledge festival, gave it a big name, and now you’re speaking as if you alone are knowledgeable, and others are not. Don’t be arrogant. Just intellect alone doesn’t make you Deputy Chief Minister.”

Countering Udhayanidhi’s ‘Thief and Police’ Analogy

Udhayanidhi’s analogy, linking critics of the festival to thieves who fear the police, also came under attack.

She added, “He had said only thieves fear the police—fear comes to a thief when he sees the police. That’s why, when they see us, they’re afraid.”

Tamilisai shot back: “I’ll turn that statement back: Why are you afraid of the SIR (Special Investigation Report/list)? You are afraid because you’re involved in vote theft. That’s why you fear the SIR.”

She went further, alleging electoral malpractice: “How did you win before? You yourself admit that you won using fake voters.”

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Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas Proves What Tamil Nadu Could Achieve, If It Looked Beyond Dravidian Limits

By
Baskar
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Aravind Srinivas Proves What Tamil Nadu Could Achieve—If It Looked Beyond Dravidian Limits

Aravind Srinivas is the Co-founder, President and CEO of Perplexity, a $20B company  at the forefront of artificial intelligence. Founded in 2022 in San Francisco, Perplexity is recognized globally for products including:

  • Answer (Search) Engine
  • Perplexity Assistant
  • Comet AI Browser
  • Perplexity Pro (for deep research)
Perplexity’s Rise as a Top AI Startup
  • Global Rankings: Top 10 AI company, Top 7 in AI search market
  • Google Substitute: Competes as a next-gen search engine, delivering quick, clear, citation-based answers free of advertisements
  • Multi-Platform: Available via web, Android app, and browser extension
Recent Highlights

Aravind and Perplexity made headlines when his Company bid for Google Chrome while Google was facing antitrust scrutiny in US. He also debuted in the Hurun India rich list as India’s youngest billionaire.

Vision and Philosophy

Unlike some Dravidian Stock entrepreneurs who focus on entertainment and media, Aravind is committed to meaningful product creation:
He believes in products that democratize knowledge, promoting universal access to education and research.
Despises corporate hierarchy and avoids fostering addiction through his products.

  • Policy Engagement: Active presence in Delhi, engineering teams in Bangalore and Hyderabad
  • Startup Support: Planning the Perplexity Fund to back Indian ventures
  • Government Collaboration: Input to central/state policy, advocacy for sovereign AI investment and GPU clusters
  • Societal Impact: Discussed with PM Modi the importance of AI in local languages, cross-referencing ancient Indian knowledge, and focusing on curiosity-driven usage rather than making people lazy.

Journey to the Top

Personal Background

Born 1994, Chennai, to Lakshminarayanan (Accountant) and Jayanthi (Central Govt employee)

Schooling: DAV Gopalapuram and DAV Public School, Velachery

Early Achievements: National Mathematics Olympiad, KVPY scholar

“Every time we would go on a bus and pass by the IIT Madras campus, my mom would point to the campus and say, ‘This is where you’re going to study.’”

His father had instilled on him the culture of being scholarly with pursuits for educational excellence and research rather than just generating wealth

JEE/AIEEE Success: AIR 980 (JEE), fourth rank TN (AIEEE). Trained by Prof. KK Anand’s SMART academy between 2008-2011. His dedication and focus for IIT JEE was spotted in his school days with Aravind focusing on JEE preparation even during regular classes.

In the JEE results, he was ranked behind his classmate R Krishnan and his other buddy group. He couldn’t secure his preferred course of Computer Science and could only get Electrical Engineering in his B. Tech course at IIT Madras. He also fell marginally short of the required CGPA by 0.01 to switch his majors to Computer Science post the first semester.

This drove him to a phase of focused vengeance leading him to study Python, Machine learning on his own watching online videos of Andrew Ng’s Stanford lectures on machine learning. This was even as he was doing his EE course at IITM. As a result, he was the class topper at IITM in Machine learning in his 3rd year.

His IIT professor B Ravindran was his guide and mentor teaching him Deep learning, Reinforcement learning even before it was the hot thing.

Campus Contributions

During his recent visit to IITM, he offered free access of Perplexity Pro to its faculty and students. This cutting-edge search engine is designed to provide a more robust and versatile search experience, empowering users to conduct more thorough investigations into topics.

Offered free access to Perplexity Pro for IITM faculty & students, driving research empowerment.

Academic and Professional Excellence

Research Papers: During his time at IIT Madras, Aravind published in top tier AI conferences like International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR), AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence, and NeurIPS. Aravind collaborated with his professors and had a total of 9 papers published.

Internship: Srinivas was rewarded for his efforts when he got an internship with Canadian computer scientist and Turing Award winner Yoshua Bengio who recommended Srinivas for PhD in Computer Science and could get admissions from UC Berkeley. There he researched research spanning computer vision, reinforcement learning, transformers, and generative models.

PhD: At the University of California, Berkeley, Srinivas met research scientist John Schulman who was working with Open AI and who invented Chat GPT. He noticed his work and invited him to do an internship at Open AI where he worked on language and diffusion text models.

Industry internship: Srinivas worked with Deep Mind and Google, between 2019 and 2021, after the internship with Open AI before returning to Sam Altman’s company in 2021. His stints included OpenAI, DeepMind in London, and Google, where he contributed to models such as HaloNet, ResNet-RS, and OpenAI’s celebrated DALL·E 2.

Entrepreneurship: A year later, Srinivas decided to quit and became the co-founder CEO of Perplexity AI in August 2022. Srinivas co-founded Perplexity AI along with Denis Yarats and Andy Konwinski. The startup’s conversational search engine aims to offer fast, accurate, and trustworthy answers, positioning itself as an alternative to traditional search platform

Since 2023, Srinivas has also been active as an angel investor, backing AI ventures like ElevenLabs (text-to-speech) and Suno (text-to-music). His investments underline his broader bet on generative AI innovation.

Family: His parents are in Chennai while he stays in Bay Area with his wife.

Inspirations and Mentors

Aravind had been inspired by Sundar Pichai and though Perplexity is billed as Google Search’s key competitor, they share a good connect. He had infact changed his food habit to Lacto-ovo vegetarian after hearing Sundar’s diet in one of his videos and got permission for this change, from his mother as well.

His mentor includes Satya Nadella and calls him a phenomenal CEO and Coach. He calls Satya as a learning machine and keep speaking atleast once a month.

Views on Silicon Valley:

Aravind Srinivas views Silicon Valley as one of the few truly meritocratic places in the world, especially for outsiders. Despite challenges like immigration rules and H-1B visa fee hikes, Silicon Valley remains welcoming to those who think differently and execute relentlessly. He emphasized the critical importance of trusted mentors who can vouch for, invest in, and guide newcomers, even if they might compete with them later.

Views on India:

He wants Indian founders to create world class products rather than just managing existing firms. He works hard and has an intense work ethic. “Indians are not just meant for managing and climbing up the ladder to being CEOs… I want India to show the world that we can build companies.” Srinivas articulated pride in Indian-origin CEOs but also stressed the need to shift the mindset from managing other people’s companies to building the next Google or $1 trillion company founded by Indians, drawing parallel with the Indian cricketers who are now global icons

Tamil Nadu’s Tech Legacy

Aravind joins the ranks of Tamil Nadu-bred tech icons:

  • Sundar Pichai (Google)
  • Sridhar Vembu (Zoho)
  • N Chandrasekaran (now Chairman – Tata Group

All four of them share common culture and tradition steeped in scholarly professions and working to spread knowledge and uplifting people’s lives.

Their lineage reflects deep cultural influence of Tamil Brahmins in fostering education and enterprise, a legacy that continues to inspire new generations.

Irrespective of the controversial political ideologies in the State of Tamil Nadu, its people would continue to be inspired by these icons and focus on benefits of education and pursuit of excellence.

Baskar is a finance professional having keen interest in current affairs and Indian culture.

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Dravidian Model: Cooperative Officer Staggers Onto Stage Drunk At Official Event Attended by DMK Minister Govi Chezhian

By
The Commune
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Dravidian Model: Cooperative Officer Staggers Onto Stage Drunk At Official Event Attended by DMK Minister Govi Chezhian

A government function held in Kumbakonam as part of the 72nd All India Cooperative Week celebrations sparked controversy on Tuesday after a cooperative society officer allegedly appeared on stage in a drunken state. The event was presided over by Tamil Nadu Minister for Cooperation Govi Chezhian and attended by Kumbakonam MLA Anbalagan.

According to eyewitness accounts, the officer, identified as Selvarajan, staggered onto the stage while MLA Anbalagan was delivering his speech. Video clips circulating online show the officer appearing unstable and struggling to maintain balance. DMK members and other staff rushed to assist him, guiding him off the stage and taking him into a separate room. The incident caused visible commotion at the venue and has since drawn sharp public attention.

Political Reaction

The episode triggered criticism from opposition parties, who blamed the DMK government’s liquor policies for the incident. Reacting to the video, BJP Youth Wing President SG Suryah questioned the state’s administrative discipline and alleged that rising TASMAC revenue had encouraged widespread alcohol dependence.

In a post on X, he wrote, “At a government function in Thanjavur, attended by Minister Mr. Govichezhian, a cooperative society officer was seen staggering in a drunken state. Where is the administration of Tamil Nadu headed? When the DMK government came to power, TASMAC (state-run liquor) revenue was ₹30,000 crore. Today, it has crossed ₹50,000 crore. As if this isn’t enough, now they hold ‘Review Meetings’ to set targets for increasing sales even further. Liquor shops have been opened everywhere, and if you turn the people and officials into drunkards, this is what happens. Today, at a government event, an official was staggering drunk. If this continues, tomorrow people might even enter temples drunk. To make money, the DMK government is ready to compromise anything. It’s a disgrace.”

There has been no official response so far from the Cooperation Department or the DMK leadership regarding the officer’s conduct or whether disciplinary action will be taken.

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“Modi Is Another Narakasuran… Must Be Finished Off”, Says Tenkasi DMK Functionary Issues Death Threats To PM Modi Ahead Of TN Visit

By
The Commune
-
“Modi Is Another Narakasuran… Must Be Finished Off”, Says Tenkasi DMK Functionary Ahead Of TN Visit

A political firestorm has erupted in Tamil Nadu ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit, after a leader of the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) allegedly made remarks that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has condemned as a “death threat.”

The controversy stems from a video that went viral on social media, showing DMK South District Secretary Jaypalan making inflammatory statements during a protest in Tenkasi district.

The Controversial Remarks

In his speech, Jaypalan compared Prime Minister Modi to a demon king from Hindu mythology. “Don’t think we are shouting on the stage for you or ourselves. Modi is desperate to snatch your votes, he is another Narakasuran… Tamil Nadu can be benefited only by finishing him off (eliminating him) …We have to fight this battle unitedly and show victory,” Jaypalan is heard saying in the video.

The use of the phrase “finishing him off/eliminating him” has become the central point of the outrage, with the BJP interpreting it as a direct threat to the Prime Minister’s life.

BJP’s Sharp Reaction

The BJP reacted swiftly and sharply to the video. Tamil Nadu BJP President Nainar Nagendran shared the clip online and demanded immediate action.

He strongly condemned the speech, stating that “threatening a leader who holds one of the most important positions in the country, and is respected across the world, raises serious questions about law and order in the state.”

Nagendran also criticized Tenkasi MP Rani Srikumar and Sankarankoil MLA Raja, who were reportedly present during the event, for their silence. “Their silence reflected the violent nature of the party,” he said, and demanded that the “DMK government immediately arrest Jaipalan for making remarks that endangered the Prime Minister’s security.”

Context of the Visit

The incident casts a shadow over Prime Minister Modi’s planned one-day visit to Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. As per the official schedule, the Prime Minister will first visit the sacred pilgrimage site of Sri Sathya Sai Baba in Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh. He will then travel to Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu to inaugurate the Southern India Natural Farming Summit and release the 21st instalment of the PM Kisan scheme to farmers.

(Source: India TV)

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Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Protector Of Constitution’ Act Falls Apart As Karnataka High Court Slams Congress For Fundamental Rights Violations

By
The Commune
-
Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Protector Of Constitution’ Act Falls Apart As Karnataka High Court Slams Congress For Fundamental Rights Violations

In a stunning rebuke to the Congress-led Karnataka government, the state’s High Court has delivered a powerful defense of fundamental rights, exposing the glaring contradiction between the party’s public posturing and its authoritarian actions. While Rahul Gandhi theatrically carries a copy of the Constitution in his pocket during political campaigns, his own government in Karnataka has been caught systematically violating that very document.

The court, headed by Justice M Nagaprasanna, didn’t merely stay the government’s controversial order requiring prior permission for public gatherings – it delivered a lesson on the constitution that should embarrass the Congress leadership. The bench explicitly stated that the government’s order violates Article 19(1)(a) and 19(1)(b) of the Constitution, which guarantee freedom of speech and expression and the right to assemble peacefully.

The Anatomy of a Constitutional Violation

What makes the Karnataka government’s action particularly egregious is the court’s clear explanation: under Article 13(2), fundamental rights can only be restricted by a law passed by the legislature, not through a simple Government Order. This basic constitutional principle seems to have escaped the Congress government, which attempted to bypass legislative process and impose restrictions through executive fiat.

The court’s reasoning was unequivocal: If it violates Fundamental Rights, it becomes invalid for all, not just a few. This exposes the government’s desperate attempt to limit the stay’s application only to the petitioner as constitutionally illiterate.

The Political Agenda Behind the Constitutional Violation

The timing and context of this order reveal its true nature. The controversial directive emerged shortly after Minister Priyank Kharge wrote to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah urging a ban on RSS activities in public spaces. This wasn’t about public safety or maintaining order – it was a blatant political move disguised as administrative action.

The court saw through this charade. By extending the interim stay to everyone, not just the petitioner, the judiciary prevented the government from selectively targeting organizations while claiming the order was neutral. The bench’s refusal to play along with the government’s request to confine the stay reveals how transparent the political motivation behind this order was.

Rahul Gandhi’s Constitutional Hypocrisy

The irony is thick enough to cut with a knife. Rahul Gandhi, who has made the Constitution his favorite political prop, whose social media team meticulously documents every occasion he’s seen holding the sacred document, presides over a party that doesn’t seem to understand its most basic provisions.

While Gandhi travels the country posing as the Constitution’s defender, his government in Karnataka was busy trampling on the very fundamental rights the document exists to protect. The court’s intervention raises an uncomfortable question: has Rahul Gandhi ever actually read the Constitution he so ostentatiously carries?

The High Court’s ruling exposes the Congress party’s constitutional commitment as selective and politically convenient. They’ll invoke the Constitution when it serves their political narrative but won’t hesitate to violate it when it suits their agenda of targeting ideological opponents.

The Bigger Pattern

This isn’t an isolated incident. It’s part of a pattern where the Congress, while positioning itself as a defender of democratic values, repeatedly demonstrates authoritarian tendencies when in power. The Karnataka episode reveals a party that understands the Constitution’s symbolic value but fails to grasp – or willfully ignores – its substantive protections.

As the matter heads for further hearing on 15 December 2025, with the interim stay continuing, the Karnataka High Court has done more than just check executive overreach. It has exposed the hollow nature of the Congress’s constitutional piety and given the nation a crucial reminder: carrying the Constitution matters far less than understanding and respecting it.

(Source: The News Minute)

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NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Father And Delhi Blast Suicide Bomber Umar Mohammad Speak The Same Language

By
The Commune
-

News channels and social media platforms were abuzz with a chilling video of the Delhi blast suicide bomber Umar Mohammad where he called suicide bombing as “martyrdom”.

A week after the November 10 car blast near Delhi’s Red Fort killed 13 people, an undated self-recorded video of the suspected bomber, Dr. Umar Mohammad alias Umar-un-Nabi, surfaced, offering investigators the first direct insight into his radicalisation.

In the video, Umar is heard discussing what he calls “martyrdom operations”, a term often used by terror groups to describe suicide attacks. Speaking in English with a noticeable accent, Umar says: “One of the very misunderstood concepts is the concept of what has been labelled as suicide bombing. It is a martyrdom operation… known in Islam. Now, there are multiple contradictions; there are multiple arguments that have been brought against it”. He further claims that a “martyrdom” operation is one in which a person assumes he will die at a particular time and place, and adds, “Don’t fear death.”

 Security officials say the video reflects deliberate ideological indoctrination and strengthens their assessment that the Delhi blast was a planned suicide mission carried out by a highly educated professional linked to a larger “white-collar” terror network.

But just rewind to a few days ago when the internet was discussing something similar.

This “rationale” was what was echoed in the writings of Mahmood Mamdani, a professor at Columbia University. These surfaced in the run-up to the NYC Mayoral polls where Mahmood Mamdani’s son Zohran Mamdani was elected.

In his 2004 book, Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: America, the Cold War, and the Roots of Terror, Mamdani argued for a similar reframing of suicide bombers in the post-9/11 world.

The excerpts, from his book Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: America, the Cold War, and the Roots of Terror, read, “Suicide bombing needs to be understood as a feature of modern political violence rather than stigmatized as a mark of barbarism. We need to recognize the suicide bomber, first and foremost, as a category of soldier.”

Mamdani wrote this book just three years after the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 Americans.

In interviews following the book’s release, Mamdani further argued that suicide bombers emerge from youth revolt and political conflict, particularly referencing the Palestinian Intifada.

Calling those views “too easy and too self-serving,” Mamdani presented his own analysis, stating, “The reality is more likely the opposite; the suicide bomber is more likely born of a youth revolt than of patriarchal authority. The suicide bomber comes out of the history of the Intifadah.”

He further justified his “soldier” classification by pointing to the prolonged Israeli occupation of Palestine, which he described as a “brutal reality.” He argued that the “failure of the older generation to find a humane alternative” led to the desperation of the young.

“Even then, we need to recognize that the term suicide bomber is a misnomer. The suicide bomber is a category of soldier whose objective is to kill – even if he or she must die to kill,” Mamdani said in the interview.

Investigators in India say Umar’s newly recovered video uses similar reasoning, blending religious framing with an attempt to legitimise suicide attacks. They believe Umar was part of a transnational module involving doctors, academics and students connected to Al-Falah University and allegedly linked to Pakistan-based terror groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind. Nearly 3,000 kg of explosives have been seized across multiple states in raids tied to the network.

As the investigation expands, one cannot but dismiss the parallel between Umar’s justification of suicide attacks and Mahmood Mamdani’s framing of suicide bombers as “soldiers” particularly given Zohran Mamdani’s own recent rise to political prominence in the United States.

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Islamo-Leftist NYC Mayor-Elect Mamdani Backs CAIR-Linked Palestinian Activist Aber Kawas For New York Assembly Seat Who Once Said 9/11 Was Done By “A Couple Of People”

By
The Commune
-

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is leveraging his new political capital in a heated local race, backing a candidate whose past remarks about the 9/11 attacks and a strategist’s pledge to confront the “Israeli lobby” have ignited immediate debate.

The endorsement of Aber Kawas for a Queens State Assembly seat, communicated at a private DSA meeting last week, represents Mamdani’s first significant political move since his election and sets up a contentious primary. It also exposes a rift within the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), as Kawas is challenging a candidate backed by the district’s current DSA incumbent.

A Clash of Candidates and Ideologies

The open 34th Assembly District seat, currently held by Assemblywoman Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, has become a battleground for the soul of the local left. Gonzalez-Rojas, who is running for state Senate, has thrown her support behind her chief of staff, Brian Romero, emphasizing his long-standing community ties and fluency in Spanish.

In a competing vision, Mamdani’s political team voiced his support for Kawas, a Palestinian activist and organizer. The case for her candidacy was framed in part as a direct challenge to pro-Israel lobbying groups. According to sources present, Kawas’s adviser, Joe Stanton, told the DSA’s Electoral Working Group that they needed to “draw the fire of the Israeli lobby, and we have to beat them.”

The group subsequently voted to endorse Kawas, a critical first step in the DSA’s formal process.

There are claims that Kawas moved to NYC only last year.

Resurfaced Remarks Fuel the Fire

The endorsement has drawn new attention to Kawas’s background and public statements. A resurfaced video shows her making controversial comments about the September 11th attacks – the video is from 8 years ago.

She goes on to criticize the expectation for an apology “for a terror attack that a couple of people did” without what she described as equivalent apologies for historical atrocities like slavery.

In the clip, she says, “…the system of capitalism and racism and white supremacy and Islamophobia have all been used to colonize land, to take resources from other people and so this is like a long trajectory and we’re just seeing the manifestations of that continuation right with 9/11 and so a lot of times when people are asking us to respond about the attack, when if we look back historically, a lot of us come from lands that were colonized, lands where wars are being waged, a lot of times because of US policy or the policies in Europe and so I find that we can connect over that but then also that the idea that we have to apologize for a terror attack that a couple people did and then there is no apologies or reparations for genocides and for slavery etc is something that I kind of find reprehensive..”

These remarks, along with her work with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and her recent completion of a master’s degree in Islamic Liberation Theology from a South African university, have become focal points in the early stages of the race.

Kawas – she is alleged to be listed as a speaker with CAIR. A 2017 post on the CAIR website lists Kawas as a speaker.

It is noteworthy that CAIR has built a sophisticated, multi-layered political influence network in the U.S., using tax-exempt institutions, lobbying arms, and a Super PAC to shape elections and public policy. Its 501(c)(3) infrastructure focuses on community mobilization and legal activism, while its 501(c)(4) arm conducts lobbying with anonymous, potentially foreign-backed donations.

The Unity & Justice Fund Super PAC can spend unlimited money to boost preferred candidates, including Zohran Mamdani. CAIR leaders openly describe using mosques as organizing hubs and promoting long-term political recruitment to place thousands of journalists, lawyers, and officeholders in key institutions forming a generational strategy to expand ideological and political influence nationwide.

A Test of Mamdani’s Influence

Romero, in response to the DSA’s preliminary backing of his opponent, stated he would continue his campaign regardless, grounding his pitch in local representation. “As a queer Latino and democratic socialist, I believe that at this time when Trump and ICE are attacking our Latino, immigrant and queer and trans communities I can best represent my neighbors,” he said as reported in NY Daily News.

The intra-party conflict offers an early glimpse into Mayor-elect Mamdani’s strategy to shape the next generation of New York progressives. His involvement in this Queens race contrasts with reported efforts to discourage a primary challenge against U.S. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, suggesting a nuanced approach to consolidating power.

The outcome will serve as a key indicator of Mamdani’s sway and the priorities of the city’s socialist movement as it transitions from an insurgent force to one holding the levers of City Hall.

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Kerala Communist Model: Pilgrims Faint, One Dead, Water Runs Out And Crowds Spiral Out Of Control At Sabarimala

By
The Commune
-

The two-month Mandala–Makaravilakku pilgrimage season at Sabarimala opened on a turbulent note, with widespread complaints of breakdowns in basic amenities, unsafe infrastructure and severe crowd mismanagement.

Ground reports from the Sannidhanam paint a grim picture of the situation, with pilgrims, including the elderly and children, forced to wait for 10 to 15 hours for a fleeting darshan of the deity. The crisis has prompted severe criticism from political opponents and forced the newly appointed Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president to admit to catastrophic failures in preparedness.

“Alarming” Situation and Collapsing Pilgrims

The Leader of the Opposition, V.D. Satheesan, stated that the TDB and the state government had completely failed to arrange basic facilities for the pilgrims. He described a chaotic scene where most pilgrims had to stand in queue for over 12 hours, with many returning disappointed and others unable to climb the sacred 18 steps after the gruelling wait. He further reported that with no crowd control system in place, devotees who had finished their darshan were stranded at the nadapandal, unable to move out.

Image Source: X

The newly appointed TDB President, K. Jayakumar, admitted that the arrangements had not been sufficient and characterised the situation as “alarming.” He confessed, “I have never seen such a massive and dangerous crowd on the temple grounds till now. It appears some people cut the lines to jump in front. Even I am scared seeing the large crowd here.”

A 58-year-old woman from Koyilandy in Kozhikode district collapsed and died on Tuesday, 18 November 2025, while standing in the queue for darshan at the Lord Ayyappa shrine in Sabarimala, according to district administration sources.

Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president K. Jayakumar said the Board would arrange for her body to be taken to her native place in an ambulance at its expense. Officials confirmed her identity and said the incident occurred while she was waiting in the pilgrim line.

The human cost of this mismanagement was starkly visible, with reports of pilgrims, including children and elderly women, fainting after hours of standing in congested corridors without water or shade.

Breakdown of Basic Amenities and Infrastructure

Multiple sources confirmed a critical shortage of drinking water points for the lakhs of devotees. In response, Jayakumar stated that 200 additional personnel had been assigned to personally provide water to those stranded in the serpentine queues. He explained that devotees were avoiding the designated queue complexes for fear of losing their place, making it harder to distribute essentials.

Cleanliness has also been a major casualty. Visuals from the pilgrimage sites showed filth accumulating everywhere, with bio-toilets being poorly maintained. Jayakumar announced that around 200 cleaning personnel were being brought from Tamil Nadu to address the sanitation crisis. Furthermore, pilgrims reported live electric cables lying on the floor and KSEB maintenance work being conducted right in the middle of the pilgrim movement, creating significant safety hazards.

Systemic Failures in Crowd Management

The crisis is rooted in a massive failure of crowd management systems. Authorities had set a daily darshan threshold of 90,000 pilgrims under the virtual queue system, but daily arrivals have consistently exceeded one lakh since the season began. The flow of pilgrims at the 18 sacred steps, which should be at least 90 per minute for smooth regulation, has fallen to nearly half, causing queues to stretch from the Sannidhanam to the covered walkway.

The transit hub at Nilakkal has also seen a breakdown, with a lack of barricades and insufficient KSRTC shuttle services causing jostling and confusion. Jayakumar said he had issued directions to restrict the flow of devotees at Nilakkal itself, setting up seven additional spot booking counters there to reduce the crowd pressure at Pamba and Sannidhanam.

Despite over 18,000 police personnel being allocated for the season, only around 3,500 have been deployed on the ground. The absence of central forces like the NDRF and RAF, traditionally deployed for crowd control, has further strained the limited police presence.

Political Blame Game Erupts

The opposition has launched a scathing attack on the ruling Left government. VD Satheesan dismissed the government’s excuse of the model code of conduct which came into effect a week ago for the failure, stating that all necessary preparations should have been completed months in advance. He alleged that the “devious minds” who organised the Global Ayyappa Sangamam for political aims were responsible for the current mess.

Echoing this sentiment, AICC general secretary KC Venugopal stated that the scary situation was a direct result of the government’s inefficiency and its preoccupation with covering up the recent Sabarimala gold pilferage case. “The scary situation created in Sabarimala is a direct result of the inefficiency of the government, which, along with the Devaswom Board, was busy covering up the gold pilferage and saving the skin of vested interests in Sabarimala,” Venugopal said.

With the footfall expected to rise sharply on weekends and peak festival days, the situation calls for urgent and comprehensive intervention to prevent a repeat of the 2023 crisis and to ensure the safety and dignity of the millions undertaking the sacred pilgrimage.

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Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar Trailer Shows Pakistan ISI’s Wrongdoings, Dhruv Rathee Gets Triggered

By
The Commune
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The much-anticipated trailer for Dhurandhar, the latest adrenaline-pumping thriller from director Aditya Dhar, dropped like a precision strike on 18 November 2025.

Starring Ranveer Singh as a covert operative diving into Pakistan’s terror underworld, the trailer pays tribute to India’s unsung intelligence heroes who operate in the shadows, risking everything to keep the country safe.

But while the public embraced this unapologetic depiction of India’s silent warriors, one man could not handle it.

Dhruv Rathee got triggered.
Badly.

The Pro-Congress, Pro-AAP, Leftist Propaganda YouTuber erupted on social media, comparing the trailer’s violence to “ISIS beheadings,” blaming the filmmaker’s “lust for money,” and warning that Aditya Dhar was “poisoning young minds.” The performance was less film critique and more melodramatic meltdown.

But why did this film, out of all the violent content Rathee has consumed, praised, and even promoted, send him into such hysterics?

Simple:
Dhurandhar shows Pakistan’s ISI exactly as it is — and Rathee cannot digest it.

A Brief Scene Exposes ISI Brutality — And Dhruv Rathee Panics

A short sequence in the trailer shows an Indian asset being tortured by an ISI handler. It’s disturbing, yes. Because it should be. Because this is the reality of Pakistan’s deep-state black sites. Because dozens of Indian operatives have endured unspeakable brutality in enemy territory.

Yet Dhruv Rathee behaves as though Aditya Dhar invented this cruelty for shock value.

This is the same man who happily accepted money from Netflix India to promote Gangs of Wasseypur, a gore-drenched epic filled with cleaver attacks, bullet-ridden bodies, rape threats, chopped limbs, and graphic revenge killings. He called it “essential viewing.”

Image

But now suddenly, a few seconds of violence in Dhurandhar are “ISIS-level”?
Now suddenly he wants censorship?
Now suddenly he cares about “young minds”?

No.
He cares about something else entirely: who the villain is.

When violence exposes the ISI—Rathee’s selective conscience wakes up.

Dhurandhar Shows the ISI’s True Face And Glorifies India’s Intelligence Agents

For years, Dhruv Rathee’s content has followed a predictable pattern: downplay Pakistan’s role in cross-border terrorism, amplify “nuance,” and shift responsibility onto India’s “aggressive nationalism.” Every terror incident becomes a moral lecture about diplomacy, politics, and “both sides.”

Dhurandhar demolishes that façade in two minutes.

It shows:

The ISI as a terror-enabling deep state.

Pakistan’s soil as a breeding ground for jihadist networks.

Indian agents as patriots who infiltrate and disrupt these networks.

Intelligence operations as the backbone of India’s defence—not propaganda.

For Rathee, whose digital brand thrives on obscuring Pakistan’s complicity and magnifying India’s faults, this is a narrative nightmare.

An Ajit Doval-inspired character played by R. Madhavan could only intensify his discomfort.

No wonder he’s triggered.

Outrage Is Also About His Pakistani Fan Base

Here’s a factor rarely discussed, but impossible to ignore:

Dhruv Rathee enjoys a massive following in Pakistan.

His videos routinely trend on Pakistani YouTube.
Pakistani influencers frequently amplify his content.
Pakistani Twitter circles treat him as a credible counter-narrative to Indian media.

And why wouldn’t they?
Rathee’s commentary has consistently framed India as the villain and Pakistan as the misunderstood neighbour.

So when Dhurandhar openly showcases Pakistan’s ISI as the architect of terror, Rathee is not just reacting for himself — he is reacting for an entire foreign audience that sees him as their ideological spokesman.

A film that exposes the ISI hurts the very demographic that forms a significant chunk of his international viewership.

Of course he’s uncomfortable.
Of course he’s triggered.
He can’t risk upsetting the ecosystem that treats him like a hero for bashing India and whitewashing Pakistan.

His meltdown has nothing to do with gore.
It has everything to do with:

~a film that unmasks Pakistan’s deep state,

~a trailer that disrupts his ideological narrative,

~a portrayal of Indian strength he cannot reconcile with,

~and a Pakistani audience he cannot afford to disappoint.

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TheCommune
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