News Tamil Nadu

DMK Mouthpiece Sun News’ Narrative Busted For Peddling Fake Narrative On Electoral Bonds Beneficiaries

March 19, 2024
The Commune

The Sun News channel, owned by the ruling DMK’s first family, has recently been caught spreading a series of false narrative news cards. These narratives are purportedly set by certain so-called news channels to manipulate public opinion in favor of the DMK’s narrative of Anti-Modi in Tamil Nadu. However, they seem to have underestimated the discernment of today’s online youth. Unlike in the past, where people might accept their news at face value, today’s netizens are adept at verifying information and debunking falsehoods.

Sun News was attempting to weave a narrative connecting Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Income Tax (IT) raids by the central agencies to electoral bonds purchase by wrongdoers.

On 15 March 2024, the Election Commission of India officially released the first phase of electoral bonds on their website. Many were delighted by this development as it provided an opportunity to target the BJP, leading to the propagation of various narratives. Sun News channels were particularly active in associating the BJP with beneficiaries, and they released several lists (as below) to support their claims.

  1. Enforcement Directorate (ED) seized assets worth 409.92 crores from Future Gaming and Hotel Services Pvt Ltd on 2 April 2022. Subsequently, the company purchased Electoral Bonds on 7 April 2022.
  2. On 11 April 2022, the ED arrested an executive director of Aurobindo Company. Subsequently the company purchased Electoral Bonds on 15 April 2022.
  3. On 20 December 2023, Income Tax (IT) raided Shirdi Sai Electricals Ltd, which Subsequently purchased Electoral Bonds on 11 January 2024.
  4. Similarly, on 11 November 2023, IT raided Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories. Subsequently  the company too bought Electoral Bonds on 17 November 2023.
  5. IT raids were conducted on Kalpa Taru Real Estates on 4 August 2023, and the company immediately purchased Electoral Bonds on 10 October 2023.
  6. Micro Labs Synapse Ltd faced an IT raid on 14 July 2022 and subsequently purchased Electoral Bonds on 7 October 2022.
  7. On 21 March 2022, IT raided Hero MotoCorp, which then purchased Electoral Bonds on 7 October 2022.
  8. Similarly, Yasoda Hospitals underwent an IT raid on 26 December 2020, and purchased Electoral Bonds on 4 October 2021.
  9. Torrent Power purchased Electoral Bonds on 10 January 2024, and on 7 March 2024, it entered into a 1,540 crore agreement with the Maharashtra government to install solar panels under the PM-KUSUM scheme.
  10. On 10 January 2022, Apco Infratech Pvt Ltd purchased Electoral Bonds, and on 24 January 2022, the Maharashtra government awarded a 9,000 crore project for the Versova-Bandra Sea Link.

The narrative presented by Sun News has been refuted with data from the Electoral Commission of India, particularly concerning the purchase of electoral bonds. This refutation begins with Future Gaming and Hotel Services Pvt Ltd, which claimed to have been buying electoral bonds since 21 October 2020. However, the narrative propagated by the DMK news channel suggests that the company only purchased these bonds on 7 April 2022 after raids by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on 2 April 2022 favoring the BJP. Interestingly, the Sun News channel conveniently omitted to mention the proprietor’s name (DMK) which received ₹160 crores from the same company, Future Gaming and Hotel Services Pvt Ltd within 4 days.

(Picture Credit Savukku Media)

The second piece of information peddled was that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) apprehended an executive director of Aurobindo Company on 11 April 2022, right after it allegedly acquired electoral bonds. However, this claim was completely false. In reality, the executive director was arrested on 10 November 2022, in connection with a liquor scam. Moreover, the purported dates spanning from 10 April 2022, to 30 June 2022, were no purchase made by any company according to available data. Despite this, the DMK Sun News channel asserted that the company had indeed bought Electoral Bonds on 15 April 2022. Aurobindo Pharma Ltd has been acquiring bonds since 3 April 2021.

The third blatant lie circulated was regarding Shirdi Sai Electricals Ltd, which acquired Electoral Bonds on 11 January 2024. However, it wasn’t the BJP but the Telugu Desam Party, a state party that encashed those bonds.

The fourth falsehood spread by Sun News channel suggests that when the IT department raided Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, the company, in turn, purchased Electoral Bonds on 17 November 2023, implying a connection with the BJP , this claim is so ironic because its owner DMK’s ally Congress is the benefactor.

Claims made by the DMK mouthpiece Sun News channel, such as the assertion that Torrent Power and Apco Infratech Pvt Ltd procured Electoral Bonds and subsequently gained crores deal with the Maharashtra government , lack substantiation and appears baseless. These claims seem to be driven more by an agenda and sensationalism rather than increasing credibility.

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