News Tamil Nadu

Malini Parthasarathy Slams The Hindu For Trying To Bait FM Nirmala Sitharaman With Her Estranged Husband’s Remarks

April 13, 2024
The Commune

Yet another setback for the Hindu group as Malini Parthasarathy, former chairperson and one of the founding director of The Hindu Centre, has slammed the group for attempting to bait Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman with comments made by her estranged husband.

The Hindu published an article on Parakala Prabhakar, the husband of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman suggested that if the BJP triumphs in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is re-elected in 2024, it would lead to the abolishment of future elections in the country.

Over the years, The Hindu shifted towards becoming the official mouthpiece of the Congress party, evidenced by its endorsement of the party’s official X handle post of an interview. The newspaper subsequently transformed the suggestions outlined in the post/video into an article, indicating a troubling departure from its previously established reputation for unbiased journalism. It selectively highlighted statements from the interview shared by the Indian National Congress (INC) handle, such as Dr. Prabhakar’s assertion that Prime Minister Modi would deliver a divisive speech from the Red Fort, potentially leading to nationwide turmoil akin to the situations in Ladakh and Manipur. Prabhakar also alleged that a return to power for PM Modi and his Cabinet would result in drastic changes to the country’s Constitution and map. Additionally, he cited inflammatory remarks made by BJP leaders, warning that such hate speech would emanate openly from the Red Fort under Modi’s leadership. Prabhakar emphasized that these hate speeches would be overt and widespread, describing them as “Khula Khel” (open play). Furthermore, he predicted that the ethnic tensions witnessed in Manipur would become commonplace throughout India if Modi were to remain in power.

Malini Parthasarathy took to her social media X handle to express her disapproval of a troubling trend. She condemned the use of cheap tactics by certain members of the Hindu group, who repeatedly target Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman whenever Parakala Prabhakar shared his views. Malini described this behavior as a disgraceful tactic employed by both media outlets and spokespersons from opposition parties. She criticized it as a deliberate attempt to provoke Sitharaman, driven by malicious intent and a misogynistic mindset that refuses to acknowledge women’s capability to succeed independently. Malini emphasized the fact that Sitharaman and Prabhakar lead separate lives, highlighting the unfairness of targeting Sitharaman for comments unrelated to her. She called for an end to this unjust and unwarranted baiting of Sitharaman.

Malini Parthasarathy stated, “It’s a real low blow for media & Opposition party spokespersons to troll the Union Finance Minister @nsitharaman every time economist @parakala makes his own observations. It’s sheer malice & deliberate baiting of Ms Sitharaman by misogynist haters who can’t understand that women can be successful & lead their own lives. It’s known that @nsitharaman& @parakala lead separate lives. This baiting of Ms Sitharaman for remarks unconnected to her is unfair and has got to stop!”

Previously upon her resignation from The Hindu group, Malini Parthasarathy attributed her departure to the narrowing scope for her editorial viewpoints. She highlighted her continuous endeavor to liberate The Hindu’s narrative from entrenched ideological prejudices and expressed concerns about the diminishing avenues for her initiatives of late, ultimately prompting her difficult choice to step down.

Previous Instances Of Narratives Peddled By The Hindu Group For Congress And Its Allies

During the aftermath of Cyclone Michaung television reports extensively covered the significant damage in affected regions. In contrast, print media The Hindu overlooked the challenges faced by Chennai and published news about Parliament proceedings and an honor killing on the state of its front page covering the government’s mismanagement.

In another instance, The Hindu published an article titled “Not clear if Sengol was presented to Mountbatten, says Thiruvavaduthurai Adheenam head,” quoting the Adheenam pontiff questioning the significance of presenting the Sengol to Lord Mountbatten since he was leaving India and handing over powers. The article suggested a lack of evidence supporting Mountbatten and Rajaji’s involvement in the power transfer during the Sengol event. This information became fodder for the Congress to criticize the Modi Government for celebrating the Sengol. the Adheenam head’s agreement when it was pointed out that there was no evidence indicating the scepter as a symbol of the “transfer of power” and issued a statement after some time only when Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh claimed that the Sengol, symbolizing the transfer of power from the British to India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, the issue debunked.

Employees of The Hindu were observed spreading disparagement of Hindu deities, evident when Hindustan Times journalists’ tweet about Hindu God Krishna led to mocking remarks about Hindu Gods from journalists at The Wire and The Hindu. For instance, freelance journalist Suprakash Majumdar from The Wire tweeted implying that “Lord Hanuman had a gay crush on Lord Rama,” to which a journalist named Suchitra from The Hindu responded by mocking the sentiment and cautioning Majumdar against providing ammunition to Hindu claims of tolerance.

He has also faced criticism for allegedly pursuing a biased agenda in his reporting under the guise of journalism. Various individuals have called out the newspaper for engaging in partisan reporting, spreading misleading information, and using doctored images in coverage of the Rafale deal. The Hindu’s Frontline, published an “exclusive interview” with Moussa Abu Marzouk, the head of Hamas’ international relations office in Doha, Qatar, raising concerns about the outlet’s credibility.

Previously during COVID, The Hindu published an article with the headline “India’s COVID-19 scenario very very difficult, says Danish Prime Minister,” suggesting deep concern from Denmark regarding the COVID-19 situation in India. However, the Danish Prime Minister had merely acknowledged the challenges India faces in controlling the pandemic, stating, “The situation is very very difficult for you.” Denmark’s Ambassador to India, H. E. Freddy Svane, responded by calling out The Hindu’s news as twisted and untrue, clarifying the misrepresentation of the Danish Prime Minister’s statement.

The newspaper has earlier faced accusations of disseminating false information, anti-Hindu propaganda and left-leaning ideologies marking a departure from its once impartial journalistic reputation. Under its current directorship, it openly promotes a narrative opposing the principles of freedom of speech and expression.

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