News Tamil Nadu

DMK-Buttressing Journo Hypes Up DMK Coimbatore MP Candidate As Doctorate In Journalism, Ph.D Thesis Was On Jayalalithaa

April 12, 2024
The Commune

A few days ago, NDTV shared an interview with the DMK candidate from Coimbatore, Ganapathy Rajkumar on their social media (X) handle. 

Later, “journalist” and JNU alumnus, Arvind Gunasekar wrote a comment quoting this video. He described Ganapathy Rajkumar as, “Ganapathy Rajkumar is a calm and composed person, with proven administrative record. He was the fifth Mayor of Coimbatore. He also has a Doctorate in Journalism. Ground situation of Coimbatore is way different from what’s being projected by National Media.”

Netizens, surprised by the “PhD in Journalism” claim did some research on Ganapathy Rajkumar and the results were mind-blowing!

In reality, Mayor Rajkumar completed his doctoral thesis “Emergence of Jayalalithaa as a Mass Leader.” The study involved assessing Jayalalitha’s leadership traits through perception ratings in five cities, with a sample size of 510 responses. He was awarded the doctoral degree by Bharathiar University in 2015, with the viva voce conducted by Periyar University in Salem. Ganapathy Rajkumar’s project guide for this research was C Pichandy who was the Head of the Department of Communication at PSG College of Arts and Science.

Rajkumar’s research highlights Jayalalithaa’s “unique journey” in Tamil Nadu politics, emphasizing her determination and strategic prowess. He identifies her party, AIADMK, as a movement with significant potential, attributing its success to Jayalalithaa’s leadership and connection with the masses. Rajkumar’s study involved data collection from five district headquarters and villages, using questionnaires to gauge public perception of Jayalalithaa’s leadership qualities. The research, as reported by The New Indian Express, apparently concludes by drawing parallels between Jayalalithaa and other prominent female leaders like Ellen Johnson and Michelle Bachelet and Rajkumar expressed “admiration” for Jayalalithaa’s resilience and character throughout the research process.

It is said that Ganapathy Rajkumar performed a “Gaja puja” for Jayalalithaa, after he successfully defended his thesis, to become the state CM once more. 

Upon learning the topic of his Ph.D. thesis, netizens mocked the mindset of someone in politics to obtain a degree by singing praises of a political leader, bordering on sycophancy. 

 

Netizens also mocked Arvind Gunasekar for the endorsement.

 

 

 

It is hilarious to note that the person who obtained a PhD with a thesis on ADMK’s Jayalalithaa is now the DMK candidate in Coimbatore fighting the ADMK. 

Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.