Home News National DMK-Buttressing Two-Bit Dravidianist Journo’ Arvind Gunasekar Uses ‘RSS’ Name To Peddle Fake...

DMK-Buttressing Two-Bit Dravidianist Journo’ Arvind Gunasekar Uses ‘RSS’ Name To Peddle Fake Narrative Quoting Journalist Rahul Shivshankar, Chickens Out When Questioned

By
The Commune
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Unfounded claims about delimitation are being peddled by the Dravidianists, led by none other than Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin. Having received the cue, Dravidianists and DMK buttressers in the garb of “journalists” had to act. One such example is Arvind Gunasekar – known for his impeccable “bending over backwards” attitude to his DMK masters.

Rahul Shivshankar, Consulting Editor at Network 18 made a post on delimitation following Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s speech in Coimbatore a few days ago. Shivshankar wrote on his X handle,

“Here is an examination of the arguments being made by DMK on the delimitation debate. The more one looks into the specifics the more the inconsistencies in DMK’s stand which prompt some data-backed questions:

1. Tamil Nadu’s Declining Population Growth vs. Representation Demand:

• Tamil Nadu’s population growth rate (2011 Census): 15.6% (2001-2011), much lower than Bihar (25.4%) and Uttar Pradesh (20.2%).

• Despite this, Tamil Nadu still holds 39 Lok Sabha seats, while Bihar (with almost twice the population) has only 40 seats and UP 80 seats.

• Q: If DMK believes in proportional representation for caste-based reservations, why does it oppose fair seat allocation based on population growth? No Jitni abaadi utna haq?

2. DMK’s Contradiction on Social Justice vs. Delimitation:

• DMK demands caste-based reservations based on population (Tamil Nadu has 69% reservation).

• North Indian states have higher SC/ST/OBC populations. Bihar (63%), UP (60%), MP (68%), all have large backward-class populations.

• Q: If DMK supports representation for OBCs and Dalits based on population, why does it oppose North Indian states getting more parliamentary seats based on the same principle?

3. Freezing Delimitation Benefited Tamil Nadu at the Cost of UP/Bihar

• In 1971, Tamil Nadu’s population share was 6.6% of India; today, it is just 5.96%.

• Still, it holds 39 seats out of 543 (7.2%), meaning Tamil Nadu is overrepresented in Parliament compared to its population.

• In contrast, UP has 80 seats for 16.5% of India’s population—underrepresented.

• Q: If DMK truly believes in democracy, why does it oppose the correction of this historic imbalance?

4. Internal Hypocrisy: Unequal Representation Inside Tamil Nadu:

• Chennai has 3.5% of Tamil Nadu’s population but gets 5 out of 39 Lok Sabha seats (~13%).

• Rural areas like Ramanathapuram and Virudhunagar are underrepresented.

• Q: If DMK is truly against unfair seat allocation, why hasn’t it demanded internal seat redistribution within Tamil Nadu itself? Last, DMK must remember that TN’s economic prospects have also benefited from the labour of economic migrants from the North. So playing South against North is a self-defeating argument.”

Now to jump into the limelight, Gunasekar had to quote some big media person who is on the opposite side of the spectrum as him. So quoting Shivshankar, Gunasekar wrote, “RSS says “Tamil Nadu is overrepresented in Parliament compared to its population”, irony, because states like Tamil Nadu strictly implemented ‘National Population Policy’. Should States like Tamil Nadu be penalised for implementing National Population Policy ? Also to questions on what basis parties like DMK are opposing Delimitation exercise ? 1

. By tagging Delimitation exercise with Women Reservation Act, BJP Govt has ensured Delimitation (increasing number of seats) will not be frozen (Vajpayee Govt froze it in 2002).

2. Section 8(a) of the Delimitation Act says “on the basis of Census figures…”. The existing law of the land says Census figures will be the basis of Delimitation exercise. Not hearsay nor anyone made a phone call to TN CM.

3. As per Article 82 of the Constitution, data of the Census taken after the year 2026 will be basis for Delimitation exercise, and so, decadal Census has been delayed till date just to comply with Article 82 ?!

4. Are parties like DMK fear-mongering ?, not really, the country witnessed Delimitation exercise carried out by this Govt in Jammu and Kashmir between 2020-2022. On the basis of 2011 census, number of seats in Jammu increased by 6 (37 to 43) while just one seat increased in Kashmir (46 to 47).

5. Even after all these, if BJP now says Census figures alone will not be the basis of Delimitation, let them walk the talk, amend Delimitation Act 2002, enacted by Vajpayee Govt and assuage the fears of the Southern States.”

Instead of mentioning Shivshankar by his name, Gunasekar mentions him as “RSS“. He made this post on 26 February 2025 at 7.50 PM. Following the backlash, very slyly added a postscript (subsequent post in this context)

“*RSS – Rahul Shivshankar !”

He made this second post on 27 February 2025 at 9.33 AM.

Many people believed RSS, the organisation had actually made this statement. He neither apologised nor deleted/edited his tweet for the correction – no one would probably look at his second tweet for that matter and misinformation would continue to be spread.

Netizens called out his wanton mischief.

Later RSS ideologue Ratan Sharda called out his “wafer-thin defence” that RSS did not mean the organisation but the journalist Rahul Shivshankar.

Gunasekar continued to justify he did nothing wrong. He replied to Sharda saying, “Still you have not read Rahul ShivShankar’s tweet I have quoted. I quoted Rahul ShivShankar’s tweet and questioned his statement “Tamil Nadu is overrepresented in Parliament compared to its population” (See Pic 2 – Point 3 (2)). It’s his statement that I have questioned. If you have a problem with that statement, you too have to question him.”

Sharda continued to call out his mistake and Gunasekar would not relent. He kept repeating that RSS was “obviously” referring to Shivshankar and not the organisation. He said, “Because I have quoted Rahul ShivShankar’s tweet and questioned his statement just below my tweet, it’s obvious RSS here refers to Rahul Shivshankar and I have put his statement within (“” – double quotes). People like you aren’t reading his tweet just below my tweet. It’s common sense that here RSS refers to Rahul Shivshankar and it’s in double quotes.”

This is not the first time Gunasekar has peddled fake news and buttressed the DMK.

The Dravidianist Face Of Arvind Gunasekar

Pretending to be an unbiased journalist, Arvind Gunasekar has time and again exposed his Dravidianist leanings over the years.

In August 2024, when the Kolkata rape and murder was hitting the headlines, Gunasekar downplayed the brutal rape and murder of the trainee doctor, despite substantial evidence pointing to the crime. While autopsy reports confirmed sexual assault and violent death, Gunasekar used the term “alleged” to describe the incident, casting doubt over its severity. It is noteworthy that Tamil news media did not bother to report this incident on their news channels, nor did they talk about any of the other rape incidents that occurred in the state.

He also posted a misleading post on his handle regarding the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill passed in Uttarakhand. He shared an image of Schedule I from the UCC, highlighting prohibited relationships, and stated that marriages with an “Aunt/Uncle’s Daughter” would be restricted, implying this was a nationwide rule. However, in reality, many listed relationships are already prohibited under the Hindu Marriage Act and he forgot to mention the fact that the UCC applies only to Uttarakhand.

Like a typical Dravidianist, he also wanted to proclaim 30 January as “Gandhi Hatya Diwas”!

He even defended a Times of India article by Julie Mariappan, which claimed that the central government was discriminating against Tamil Nadu in allocating National Disaster Response Funds (NDRF). The article suggested that funds were being directed only to BJP-ruled states, despite Tamil Nadu’s requests for assistance. Arvind attempted to justify the claims by citing a Press Information Bureau (PIB) release. However, a PIB release indicated that additional assistance was allocated for natural disasters occurring between May and October 2021, while Tamil Nadu’s heavy rains occurred in November and December, making the article’s claims misleading.

During the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year, he even endorsed DMK candidate Ganapathy Rajkumar, describing him as a “calm and composed person” with a “proven administrative record” and a “Doctorate in Journalism”. However, Rajkumar’s Ph.D. was actually on the topic of “Emergence of Jayalalithaa as a Mass Leader,” not journalism. The doctoral thesis focused on assessing the leadership qualities of Jayalalithaa, a former AIADMK leader, through surveys in Tamil Nadu. Arvind’s endorsement faced criticism and mockery for inaccurately portraying the nature of Rajkumar’s degree and for endorsing a candidate with apparent political bias.

He also weighed in on the controversy surrounding AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi’s “Jai Palestine” slogan during his Lok Sabha oath. In a post (that was also shared by alleged fact-checker Mohammed Zubair), Gunasekar claimed that members of the opposition alliance, I.N.D.I.A, had opposed a BJP member’s “Jai Hindu Rashtra” remark during the oath-taking, suggesting it went against the principles of the Indian Constitution. His post appeared to shift the narrative towards criticizing the BJP while subtly defending Owaisi’s statement.

In January 2025, he criticized Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi’s walkout from the Assembly over the omission of the National Anthem at the beginning of the session. He argued that the Speaker, not the Governor, controls Assembly proceedings and that both the Tamil Thai Vaazhthu and National Anthem were sung, as per Tamil Nadu’s practice. Gunasekar accused the Governor of using the controversy to avoid delivering the customary address. His comments dismissed the Governor’s constitutional role, downplayed the violation of protocol, and framed the issue as an attack on Tamil identity rather than a matter of national respect.


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