“Not Pleased By Jai Shri Ram Kolams On Jan 22”: TN Cong Leader Posts Video Of Husband’s Rant On Ram Mandir Celebrations
Tamil Nadu Congress General Secretary Lakshmi Ramachandran today drew sharp criticism online after posting a video of her husband criticising his neighbours for celebrating the Pran-Prathishtha ceremony in Ayodhya.
Interestingly, she disclosed the person’s identity only when specifically asked by a netizen. Superficially, the video gives the impression that a common man gave the speech without any political agenda.
In the 4:47-minute video, Ramachandran’s husband, Swaminathan, addresses community members during a Republic Day celebration. He tells the Hindus who celebrated the Pran-Prathishtha of Lord Ram in Ayodhya’s temple on January 22, stating that they “really irked” and “bothered” him.
“There has to be something that stops us from celebrating divisive things, such as what happened on Jan 22,” Swaminathan says in the video. “I saw calls of Jai Sri Ram on Kolam designs that day. And I was not pleased.”
A speech delivered in our residential community's republic day celebrations!
Long live Secular Indian Republic! pic.twitter.com/6zlPlrLrQb
— Lakshmi Ramachandran (@laksr_tn) January 26, 2024
He also tells the Hindu residents not to pass on their “wrong values” to their children. “That’s why I am talking to children mainly. We want to look at the future and I hope our children do not take the wrong lessons from what we do. Even though we might do it to the best of intentions. I am not questioning intentions here. But there has to be something that stops us from celebrating divisive things, that is, such as what happened on Jan 22.”
While he asserts he has no issue celebrating festivals like Diwali, Eid, and Christmas, Swaminathan argues that “we should really think twice before celebrating something like that (Pran-Prathishtha)”. He claims to be speaking on behalf of “Muslim friends in the community, as well as a few minorities who are not happy with that event.”
Ramachandran shared the video on her social media with the caption, “A speech delivered in our residential community’s Republic Day celebrations! Long live Secular Indian Republic!”. The primary tweet does not mention her relationship with the speaker. An impressionable reader may be misled to believe that this speech reflects the opinions and sentiments of society.
When a netizen flatteringly asked Ramachandran, “Wow…who is he ? TV actor ?”, she introduced Swaminathan as “Tamil Medai nadaga nadigar” (meaning “actor on the Tamil stage”) and her husband of 20 years.
Swaminathan also justifies his stance by referencing his acting career and familiarity with religious texts. He says he played the roles of Manikavasagar, Ramanujan, and Aurangazeb on stage. He also talks about his knowledge of holy texts, claiming to know verses from the Quran, Thiruvasagam, and Diva Pramandam.
“There is beauty in celebrating events together,” Swaminathan says. “But not that event because many of the children may not know this. But some of us who were there in 1992 know very well how this all started. In what kind of divisive way this started. Some of you might want me to go back 400 years. Well, I don’t want to look at history like that.”
The video has sparked widespread condemnation online, with many criticising Swaminathan’s remarks as insensitive and divisive.
This video drew hundreds of comments in criticism. Some of them are as follows:
https://twitter.com/Bharath12450842/status/1750939593694978327
It’s new woke nonsense. Like he supports secularism, G block people had liberty to celebrate their joy too.
— SS Iyengar 🇮🇳 (@Isriramseshadri) January 27, 2024
An important message to all – pic.twitter.com/5pFFo3Pgvd
— Mr. GAJANAN (@Gajanan_from_MS) January 26, 2024
https://twitter.com/Bharath12450842/status/1750939593694978327?s=20
It’s new woke nonsense. Like he supports secularism, G block people had liberty to celebrate their joy too.
— SS Iyengar 🇮🇳 (@Isriramseshadri) January 27, 2024
An important message to all – pic.twitter.com/5pFFo3Pgvd
— Mr. GAJANAN (@Gajanan_from_MS) January 26, 2024
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Fmr Editor Of The Hindu, Malini Parthasarathy, Condemns The Publication For Their Stand On Annamalai
Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party Chief K Annamalai had criticised allegedly biased journalists while explaining layers of the DMK onion at a book release function in 2022. He accused the first layer of journalists of promoting the Dravidian model and criticised their response to civilised debates. Following his comments on News18 Tamil Editor Karthigaichelvan’s interview of DMK Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin earlier in January 2023, Annamalai refused to apologise for calling the interview ‘toothless.’ Journalists demanded an apology and planned a protest. Subsequently, Annamalai posted a video highlighting the alleged biases of certain journalists, emphasising his stand against biased reporting.
A protest meeting at Valluvar Kottam in Chennai, attended by senior journalists and journalist association office-bearers, strongly condemned the “inappropriate” comments made by TNBJP chief Annamalai against media persons.
N. Ram, Director of The Hindu Group Publishing Private Limited, emphasised that Annamalai’s remarks were not an isolated incident and suggested filing a criminal defamation case against him while advocating for limiting his publicity. Ram highlighted that even prominent BJP leaders like Vajpayee, Advani, and Modi refrained from making such derogatory comments. Ram also said, “.. they say we must starve them of oxygen. I am not saying he (Annamalai) is a terrorist but he is an extremist. He is behaving that way. So we must not give him that oxygen. We are not asking for his removal from the BJP, that is not our business. We condemn your offence, if you do not mend your ways, then we will think about it. He cannot just issue an apology for a formality and continue business as usual.”
Nakkheeran Editor R.R. Gopal announced a media boycott of the BJP leader, accusing him of employing a ‘divide and rule’ strategy.
Other senior journalists and media organisation representatives joined in condemning Annamalai’s “insensitive” remarks, highlighting the need for responsible discourse in political leadership and media relations.
Following this, Malini Parthasarathy, Director at Kasturi & Sons Ltd., former Chairperson of The Hindu Group, and former Editor at The Hindu, expressed her concerns on the issue on her X handle. She wrote that as a significant stakeholder in The Hindu, she felt compelled to address what she perceived as biased and prejudiced news reports on their pages. Malini criticised the journalists in Chennai for attacking the TN BJP chief, especially the call to blackout coverage, deeming it unacceptable for any reputable news organisation. She emphasised that it would be a violation of the right to freedom of expression if The Hindu complies with the boycott call. Malini pointed out the absence of condemnation by the same journalists for the Madurai police booking the editor and publisher of Dinamalar over their report on the prohibition of various celebrations across Tamil Nadu for Ram Mandir Pran Prathishta. She clarified that her comments were not a defence of freedom of expression as claimed by those who consider themselves guardians of a free press.
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