Media Special Articles

Centre Introduces Bills To Revamp Colonial-Era Criminal Laws, TNM’s Dhanya Cries ‘Hindi Imposition’ Like DMK Stooge

August 11, 2023
The Commune

Union Home Minister Amit Shah presented 3 bills in the lower House of Parliament, the Lok Sabha, to revamp colonial-era criminal laws. He mentioned that the Indian Penal Code, CrPC, and the Indian Evidence Act will be repealed completely and replaced by:  

  1. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 
  2. The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023
  3. The Bharatiya Sakshya Bill, 2023

Like a typical DMK stooge, Dhanya Rajendran of The News Minute tweeted, “Why? And Hindi imposition.”

Netizens called out Dhanya’s hypocrisy and asked her why she did not raise her voice when English words were used for the same.

This is not the first time that Dhanya Rajendran and her outlet have peddled the DMK’s propaganda. Let’s see a few examples:

Crying foul For PIB Fact Checking Power vs Strong Silence For Social Media Monitoring Cell In TN

In April 2023, the Indian government extended additional powers to the Press Information Bureau (PIB), allowing them to validate information and demand the removal of content perceived as “fake, false, or misleading” regarding the Central government from social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Google. However, Dhanya Rajendran cried foul about this development. On The News Minute’s YouTube channel “No Filter With Dhanya Rajendran,” in a monologue, she said “The Indian government has a problem with any journalist or media organisation that reports critically on the government. After many covert and overt attempts to muzzle the media, the government is ready with its latest attempt.”

However, the same Dhanya Rajendran’s lips were sealed shut when the ruling DMK government announced a budget allocation for Social media monitoring. 

Buttressing Udhayanidhi Stalin

An article in the portal titled, “Udhayanidhi becomes Cabinet Minister: What Stalin’s son has been doing so far” provides an in-depth account of his ventures in the entertainment and political spheres, culminating in his appointment as a Minister in his father’s administration. However, the article notably overlooks his controversial history.

The article endeavours to depict Udhayanidhi Stalin’s promotion to the position of Minister in his father’s cabinet as something resulting from his personal achievements and qualifications. 

It exalts the cringeworthy incident of Udhayanidhi Stalin’s ‘AIIMS brick’ campaign ahead of the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections saying that the campaign “cemented Udhayanidhi Stalin’s win and his political career.”

It even makes a subtle attempt to place him on a pedestal akin to that of the late AIADMK founder-leader MG Ramachandran saying “While Udhayanidhi starred in romantic comedies where he played the carefree, boy next door, he began to take on more serious roles that revolved around social justice like Manithan, Nenjukku Needhi, and Kalaga Thalaivan.” while completely ignoring the fact that in various interviews he mentioned he had not an inkling ever to join politics, leave alone becoming a minister. He has stated this multiple times – more details here.

Biased Reporting On Goback Hashtags

The DMK and its IT cell, along with social media influencers, trend the hashtag #GoBackModi during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visits to Tamil Nadu. Mainstream Tamil news channels provide ample coverage, while the News Minute adds to the narrative. They published over 10 articles and at least 4 exclusive articles on the trending hashtag on Twitter. After MK Stalin became Chief Minister, the hashtag #GoBackStalin gained resistance. In November 2021, when CM Stalin visited Coimbatore, the hashtag trended at the national level to protest against the trend initiated during Modi’s visit. The News Minute claimed that Pakistan did not promote “Go Back Modi” hashtags when it was revealed that they were promoted by bots. The article did not mention the #GoBackStalin controversy, which occurred in October 2020 when MK Stalin allegedly insulted Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar by dusting off Vibudhi prasad at Thevar Temple.

Anti-Sterlite Propaganda

TNM published an article and video by Nityanand Jayaraman, responding to the Let’s Make Engineering Simple’s (LMES) video on the pollution crisis. In the article, Jayaraman defended his targeting of Vedanta, stating that people choose battles based on their interests. During the second wave of the pandemic, the Tamil Nadu government allowed Sterlite to produce oxygen from its Thoothukudi plant, and in the article, Jayaraman urged the DMK government to shut down the plant, focusing on the ‘bigger picture’. 

Other Pro-DMK Propaganda

In November 2021, when Chennai experienced heavy rains resulting in flooding across various regions, TNM decided to “back” the DMK government by publishing an extensive article that discussed how ‘broken radars and conflicting weather reports‘ contributed to the floods in Chennai. However, the actual situation was that neighborhoods such as T. Nagar, West Mambalam, Kodambakkam, K.K. Nagar, Saidapet, and other areas were submerged due to the reckless disposal of debris and trash into drainage canals by Corporation contractors, as well as the delayed completion of desilting work.

We can go on and on with our examples. The News Minute has a very visible ideological and political bias, but it becomes problematic when it pretends to be neutral. Their silence on certain matters signals their Dravidia-Nazi leanings very evidently.

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