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DMK Propaganda Journo Peddles Half-Truths About RTI On Katchatheevu Issue; DMK MP Wilson, Congress Supporter Sumanth Raman Amplifies

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The recent activity on social media has been ignited by the actions of a self-proclaimed journalist, Aravindakshan B R. Since 7 May 2024, he has been utilizing his official social media platform, X, to propagate a series of tweets purporting to expose the truth behind a previous allegation involving the DMK’s involvement in ceding the Kachchatheevu island to Sri Lanka. In these tweets, he claimed to shed light on the alleged collaboration between Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar in this matter.

This so-called exposé by the journalist aimed to discredit the previous narrative but ended up being riddled with contradictions. As a result, all the constructed narratives fell apart, causing embarrassment to those who initially believed in the authenticity of the claims. Dravidian journalists, activists, and ministers who had endorsed the allegations faced public scrutiny and subsequently deleted their posts upon realizing the falsity of the narratives.

On 7 May 2024, self-proclaimed journalist Aravindakshan, associated with Sathiyam TV, made a statement on his official X account. He announced a big breaking, as Sathyam news will soon expose with evidence of the fraud of the ‘Katchatheevu island’ political drama orchestrated by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs and Tamil Nadu BJP President Annamalai K to sway the parliamentary elections in Tamil Nadu.

Later in a series of threaded posts, Aravindakshan launched into a tirade, leveling numerous baseless and unsubstantiated allegations against the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the minister, and the RTI process, displaying a lack of understanding of common RTI procedures.  Aravindakshan claimed, “Before the Tamil Nadu election polling, MEA India, the BJP, and Times of India conspired against the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government and Congress to propagate slander and false news for the benefit of the Tamil Nadu BJP. Complementing the BJP’s electoral strategy, the Ministry of External Affairs of India was involved. It’s a part of BJP’s efforts to instigate trouble in opposition-led states for political gain.”

He pointed to an article published by Times of India on 31 March 2024, authored by Diwakar and Akhilesh Singh, allegedly revealing sensitive information obtained through an RTI query made by Tamil Nadu BJP President Annamalai to the MEA. Aravindakshan questioned the timing of the release of the RTI response and its subsequent publication by Times of India on the same day, implying collusion between the newspaper and the ministry. He suggested that the responses were leaked to the press before the petitioner received them, likening it to a breach of legal protocol. Aravindakshan also criticized Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for allegedly participating in the dissemination of these documents for electoral gain, calling it an “illegal act” and a “disgraceful act.” He further accused the MEA of fraudulent behavior, citing discrepancies in the official names listed on the ministry’s website and those mentioned in the RTI response. Aravindakshan concluded by condemning the alleged actions of the MEA, calling it “the stupidest thing any ministry in India has ever done” and suggesting that the ministry should feel ashamed of its actions.

Aravindakshan, a Dravidian journo, focused his contention on the identity of Ajay Jain, asserting that Jain was not affiliated with the Ministry of External Affairs, thus branding the entire scheme as fraudulent.

Soon after the propagation of unsubstantiated claims, Congress supporter and ‘All-in-All’ commentator Sumanth Raman, along with DMK MP P Wilson, swiftly shared this propaganda on their official social media platforms. However, as netizens quickly began debunking these claims, citing Ajay Jain’s designation as the CPIO under the Ministry of External Affairs with sourced data, the DMK MP was compelled to remove his post.

In another attempt to promote his agenda, Aravindakshan straightforwardly shared a copy of an RTI response, stating that, “The list of holding charge as the Under Secretary in CNV & I division of Ministry of External Affairs is a s follows:

  1. Smt. Monika Aggarwal, Under Secretary (Vigilance-I) &CPIO
  2. Shri Sheelmani, Under Secretary (Vigilance-II)”

This assertion is highly debatable since the CPIO’s authority is limited to responding to specific inquiries. As there are possibility that the inquiry was about the current CPIO of the CNV & I Division, to which the MEA provided information, hence its debatable and there’s no indication of any inquiry about Ajay Jain or any response from the MEA regarding him. This appears to be a clear case of propagandist misinformation from the alleged journalist. However, the journalist is cleverly framing propaganda in his X post instead of filing an RTI request.

Example, Aravindakshan in his X post states, “India’s External Affairs Ministry @MEAIndia says no one named Ajay Jain has worked as Under Secretary in the CNV &I Division of MEA. If so, Mr. Jaishankar, who is Ajay Jain who provided documents related to “Kachchatheevu island” to @annamalai_k‘s RTI application? @DrSJaishankar Did you order the External Affairs Ministry to fraudulently and illegally issue documents in the name of a fake person?”

Did the RTI response received by the purveyor of false narrative RTI activist, Aravindakshan, indicate that there is no individual named Ajay Jain employed at the Ministry of External Affairs? No!

In conclusion, Aravindakshan’s attempt to promote narratives favoring both the DMK and Congress regarding the Kachchatheevu island issue backfired. While his narrative initially appeared successful, with endorsement from a DMK MP, it eventually unraveled. Later, when all else failed, he resorted to openly pleading for support from Congress officials, highlighting the stark contrast in reactions of the Congress. He lamented out that if a Congress functionary were to express an incorrect opinion in an interview, it would be swiftly seized upon by BJP leaders, key figures, and supporters, including the Prime Minister, making it a major issue.

However, Congress and all its administrators, including the chief, remained conspicuously silent, seemingly unable to voice any opposition. Similarly, He dragged Tamil Nadu Congress as a quiet observation from Tamil Nadu Congress functionaries even after a leader’s interview, as noted by Selvaperunthagai. This disparity led him to suggest, metaphorically, that it seemed as if the mouths of state-level officials were sealed shut, urging them to practice speaking out against such injustices.

 

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