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By Dravidian Stockists, For Dravidian Stockists: Why TNM Is The Unofficial Mouthpiece Of DMK

Vallavaraayan

The News Minute (TNM), an online digital news platform known for its coverage of south Indian states, claims itself to be anti-establishment ‘speaking truth to power’. However, its truth to power is directed towards one party and one section of the people.

To the politically unaware, this news outlet comes across like a ‘neutral’, ‘independent’ and ‘unbiased’ media outlet posing the tough questions to those in power. In fact, political observers and media watchers point out that TNM started off as apolitical media house. But today, even an ordinary person with no poltical affliation can see through the propaganda infused in their writings.

TNM is popularly perceived as a ‘leftist’ media portal today. However, the Dravidian Stockist in them shines through if one were to scan through its content and its people. In fact, it would be not be wrong to call TNM the unofficial mouthpiece of the DMK.

Let’s start with a simple example for analysis.

The DMK and its IT cell along with its social media influencers trends the hashtag #GoBackModi whenever Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Tamil Nadu. And each time the hashtag is trended, mainstream Tamil news channels give it ample coverage. The News Minute too has added to the narrative.

After DMK chief MK Stalin became Chief Minister, he too has been facing resistance with the hashtag #GoBackStalin. In November 2021, when CM Stalin visited Coimbatore, the hashtag #GoBackStalin was trending at the national level to protest against the CM’s visit to the region.

However, there was a deafening silence from media organizations masquerading as ‘neutral’ media which had jumped in to put a news item whenever #GoBackModi trended.

The News Minute which had covered more than 10 articles having reference to #GoBackModi had atleast 4 exclusive articles on the hashtag trending on Twitter.

 

The News Minute had even gone on to cover an article saying that “Go Back Modi” hashtags were not promoted by Pakistan despite that not being the case. It has been proved that ‘Go Back Modi’ hashtags were being promoted by bots in Pakistan.

However, it has not even put one article about #GoBackStalin which had also trended earlier in October 2020 when MK Stalin allegedly insulted Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar by dusting off the Vibudhi prasad at the Thevar Temple.

This is just to give a cursory analysis that exposes TNM’s bias. The Dravidian Stock rot is well entrenched in the organization.

Dravidian Stockists Masquerading As ‘Neutral’ Journos

Let’s take a look at the kind of people working at TNM.

Shabbir Ahmed

Formerly a Deputy News Editor with Times Now, Shabbir joined TNM as a ‘Senior News Editor’ in February 2022. He currently handles The News Minute Tamil YouTube channel where he anchors the show ‘Yen Endra Kevi’ in which he mostly comments on the politics of Tamil Nadu focusing on BJP Tamil Nadu President K. Annamalai’s ‘problematic politics’. Problematic for him, as he was once called out for his brazen bias by the man himself.

Shabbir Ahmed

Annamalai wasn’t the only politician to call out Shabbir. He was also put in his place by PMK leader Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss back in 2019 at the pressmeet organized by the party after it announced its alliance for the Lok Sabha polls. Shabbir tried to overwhelm the PMK leader with a volley of questions that tested his patience.

There have been many instances when the Dravidian Stockist in him had reared its head even when he was with Times Now. He was one of the many ‘journalists’ at the forefront who had taken sides and led the anti-Sterlite protests that rocked Thoothukudi. He pounced on Superstar Rajinikanth who had rightly pointed out that anti-social elements had infiltrated the protests.

In another attack on Rajinikanth, he had reported how Rajnikanth was accused of indulging in ‘publicity’ when the latter distributed relief during Cyclone Gaja. A Superstar who even a child can recognize is accused of indulging in ‘publicity’ by this wannabe ‘journalist’. Such is his desperation. He certainly seems to have a dislike towards the Superstar who is known for his nationalistic bent.

In another case, he was dejected that Prime Minister Narendra Modi didn’t invite DMK chief MK Stalin for the swearing-in in 2019.

He had taken a lot of effort to compile isolated incidents of crime to peddle a narrative that the law and order situation under the AIADMK regime had broken down. Shabbir has put no such threads compiling all the crimes that has happened under the DMK’s watch since May 2021.

So, when Shabbir announced that he was quitting Times Now it came as no surprise when he was accommodated in TNM.

Kavitha Muralidharan

This one article is enough to shed light on the Dravidian Stockist that she is who claims herself to be an ‘independent journalist’. She had penned a eulogy on MK Stalin after the DMK emerged victorious in the 2021 Assembly polls.

Kavitha Muralidharan

Even a layman in Tamil Nadu is well aware of the troubled relationship between DMK and biryani shops. In August 2018, Yuvraj, a DMK youth wing secretary and another party member named Dhivakar thrashed a hotel staff after he refused to give them free biryani. The incident gained national level coverage and DMK chief MK Stalin personally came to down to the hotel to apologize for his party men’s behaviour. However, this alleged ‘independent journalist’ had peddled fake news that the person who hit belonged to the BJP.

When the BJP in Tamil Nadu raised the issue of Kongu Naadu as a counter to the DMK referring to the Union government as “Ondriya Arasu” (a term which has separatist undertones), Kavitha Muralidharan got jittered and jumped into write a piece for TNM saying that the uproar over Kongu Nadu was a retaliation to DMK government’s “federal assertion” and that having a Kongu Nadu carved out isn’t feasible.

And ofcourse, she has been instrumental in peddling the anti-NEET rhetoric of DMK through article, speeches and so on.

There are many such instances where her love for DMK just reeks through her teeth.

Ragamalika

She may not come across as an outright Dravidian Stockist but her visceral hate towards one man, one faith, one party comes out unscathed in the TNM article titled 11 women in Modi Cabinet: Why this is far from feminism in which she says “when feminism is anti-fascist, how can a feminist cheer the fact that there are now more women in a fascist government?”.

Ragamalika

For the first time since independence, India has got the most inclusive and diverse cabinet with many women walking the corridors of power. There are 11 women ministers in PM Modi’s cabinet, the highest in 17 years. However, for Ragamalika, the Editor of ‘Special Projects and Experiments’ at the TNM, this is not empowerment.

Be that as it may. The ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu has just 2 women Ministers out of 34 Council of Ministers.

But no outrage or sermons came from the ultra-feminist on the scanty representation of women in DMK. None. Zilch.

Bharathy Singaravel

The most vile and rabid Dravidian Stockist of TNM who has no qualms in flaunting the vile rabid Dravidian Stockist that she is, is Bharathy Singaravel. There is a reason for stressing on the adjectives to describe this alleged ‘journalist’ because she is one of those unrepentant ‘Dravidia-Nazi’ known for frothing hate against one community.

Bharathy Singaravel

Here is a sample.

In the above tweet, Bharathy Singaravel uses the word “Paarpaan” – a derogatory and genocidal term used against Tamil Brahmins – to call out the Brahmin identity of a defence policy analyst.

In another tweet, she wrote that Tamil freedom fighter Vanchinathan who is a Brahmin and killed British Collector Robert Ashe disgusts her. It is a shame that this woman shares the name of the great freedom fighter Subramania Bharathi.

Ofcourse, she couldn’t stomach it when BJP leader Uma Anandan, a Brahmin, emerged as a winner in the urban local body elections and became the lone BJP councillor in the Chennai Corporation.

This journalist of the alleged ‘neutral’ TNM had openly campaigned and asked people to vote for the DMK alliance in the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.

And when the DMK won, she took to insulting the ‘Hindi belt’ for voting a genocidal, inept, self-absorbed bigot (referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi) to power.

In fact, when Shekhar Gupta had written that it would do good for MK Stalin to fix the fiscal deficit of the state by getting rid of freebies, Bharathy got so agitated that she started hurling expletives at him.

Given the precedents, the right place for this vile, abusive, casteist Dravidia-Nazi is not TNM but Murasoli or ‘Periyar’ Thidal.

Or may be, TNM is the English version of ‘Murasoli’ or ‘Viduthalai’.

TNM – A Frontal Media Organization By Dravidia-Nazis For Dravidia-Nazis

TNM has been an extraordinary ‘frontline warrior’ (fondly called Munkala Paniyalargal in Tamil or simply Munkalaps) in peddling rhetorics favourable to the Dravidia-Nazis.

For instance, the DK, DMK and its affiliates are known for delinking Tamil and Hindu culture by peddling that ‘Saivism’ (worship of Lord Shiva) is a separate religion and not part of Hinduism. Despite no takers for this non-sense, this false faultline is deliberately created to drive a wedge among Hindus pitting the non-Brahmin communities against the Brahmins, so that the socially and economically disadvantaged Hindus can be preyed on by Christian missionary forces.

But with the ascent of Hindutva, there is a growing Hindu consciousness among the Tamil population. The Adheenams (Saivite Mutts) who are custodians of large number of ancient temples and hold a significant command over different Hindu communites, have been instrumental in arresting the religious conversion menace. The Madurai Adheenam pontiff Sri La Sri Harihara Sri Gnanasambanda Desika Swamigal has been speaking his mind on the DK, DMK and followers of the anti-Hindu racist demagogue E.V. Ramaswamy Naicker (EVR). He has been vocal against the brazen nefarious interference of the ruling DMK government in temple affairs.

And so when he came hammer and tongs on the DMK government at a conference organized by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in Madurai, the vile and rabid Hindu-hater Bharathy Singaravel shot off an article like a true Munkalaps. In the article, she claimed that the Adheenams are ‘Saivite sects that have traditionally been dedicated to Tamil forms of worship and are part of the state’s non-Vedic culture defying Brahmin hold, north Indian worship which was brought into the land by the then Tamil kings’ while dissing Madurai Adheenam pontiff as part of Sangh’s Hindutva agenda.

This is a recent incident. The Dravidian Stockists at the TNM have for long been peddling the rhetorics favourable to the DK, DMK and ilk.

Be it on NEET, anti-Sterlite protests, selective coverage of custodial deaths, or whipping up sentiments against the erstwhile Edappadi K. Palaniswami AIADMK regime the TNM has gone out of its way in buttressing the DMK.

Anti-NEET Propaganda

In this video, Kavitha Muralidharan subtly infuses anti-NEET rhetoric by mentioning the late Anitha who was made a poster-girl by the DMK ilk for their agitations against the all-India medical entrance exam.

And then there are scores of articles against NEET making a case for doing away with the exam.

And like vultures, TNM pounce on the dead. They don’t leave a chance to report on the unfortunate death of students who weren’t able to crack NEET. The eagerness and enthusiasm that this outlet shows on reporting NEET suicides is missing in when students take their lives for scoring poor in other exams.

NEET has been turned into this demon by the Dravidian Stockists media in Tamil Nadu as if there exists no other exam in the world. There has been a string of suicides every year following the declaration of Class 12 public exam results. But those lives don’t matter to TNM because they don’t fit the DMK’s narrative.

In essence, the Dravidian Stockists at TNM enabled DMK’s anti-NEET propaganda by selectively reporting on NEET suicides.

 

Anti-Sterlite Propaganda

During the anti-Sterlite protests, TNM carried an article and a video of Nityanand Jayaraman giving a response to a video by Let’s Make Engineering Simple (LMES) that sought to give a bigger picture of the pollution crisis. LMES had questioned the motivation of Nityanand Jayaraman in targeting Vedanta to which he conveniently replied “People choose and pick their battles based on what they think is deserving of their attention”. During the second wave of the pandemic, the Tamil Nadu government allowed Sterlite to produce oxygen from its Thoothukudi plant to meet the rising demand for oxygen. TNM carried an article written by Nityanand Jayaraman advocating the DMK government to shut it down keeping in view of the ‘bigger picture’.

Miscellaneous Pro-DMK Propaganda

TNM had run (or still runs) a separate segment called the “Cooperative Federalism Project”, an editorial campaign that seeks to put the state’s perspective. In its description of the project, India is defined as “a sum of its various states and cultures.”, parroting the idea of India mouthed by Rahul Gadhi and the DMK.

The campaign against GST, centralized tests and Governor are straight out of DMK’s political playbook.

When rains lashed Chennai causing flooding in many areas, TNM took it upon itself to buttress the DMK government by publishing a detailed article about how ‘broken radars and conflicting weather reports‘ led to Chennai floods. The fact of the matter localities such as T. Nagar, West Mambalam, Kodambakkam, K.K. Nagar, Saidapet and other areas were inundated due to the indiscriminate dumping of debris and garbage in the drainage canals by Corporation contractors and not completing desiltation work on time.

Not just in covering political news, the Dravidian Stockist propaganda is infused in even movie reviews. Bharathy Singaravel is an expert on that while Sowmya Rajendran adds a dash of her secular wisdom. The outlet suffered a meltdown when film director Mohan G’s Draupadhi and Rudra Thandavam who had the courage to speak the unspoken truths hidden in plain sight in the society.

TNM – The Unofficial Mouthpiece Of DMK

TNM is considered as the authority over south news and views. However it does come with a certain ideological and political bias. Nothing wrong in that. But it is problematic when it tries to shove its opinion under the garb of being ‘neutral’.

More than what is spoken and published, it is their silence on certain matters that gives away its Dravidia-Nazi leanings. Ofcourse, they resort to ‘token reporting’ every now and then to come across as ‘non-partisan’. Like they did in the case of custodial death of Vignesh.

But the facts mentioned above only makes it clear that the news outlet apart from being a leftist can also be considered as the unofficial mouthpiece of the DMK.

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