In an unfortunate turn of events, several DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) spokespersons participating in Tamil TV news debates have resorted to verbally abusing fellow panelists who expressed criticism against recently arrested DMK minister Senthil Balaji. Instead of providing arguments to support Senthil Balaji and the DMK, these spokespersons have engaged in personal attacks and disruptive behavior. Adding to the concern, some news anchors, who are expected to maintain decorum, have sided with the DMK spokespersons and prevented non-DMK panelists from expressing their viewpoints.
During a recent debate on News18 Tamil, moderated by Karthigaichelvan, advocate Tamil Mani was asked by Karthigaichelvan to explain why he believed Senthil Balaji was corrupt. Advocate Tamil Mani pointed out that it was Senthil Balaji himself who had admitted to receiving money for job placements in the Madras High Court. Instead of addressing the argument, Karthigaichelvan defended Senthil Balaji, stating that the case was still ongoing and it was premature to label him as corrupt.
In the midst of the debate, DMK spokesperson “Melting Point” Saravanan resorted to name-calling, referring to Tamil Mani as an “idiot.” In response, Advocate Tamil Mani remarked that it was only Stalin, the DMK leader, who was behaving like an idiot. An enraged Saravanan retorted, “Shut your mouth. Don’t speak too much. You do not have any standards?” Surprisingly, Karthigaichelvan, instead of controlling the DMK spokesperson who initiated the argument with the insult, attempted to silence Tamil Mani, stating that he would not allow unparliamentary language on air. However, it was Saravanan who had used such language by calling Tamil Mani an idiot. In an attempt portray himself as a neutral, Karthigaichelvan towards the end softly condemned the DMK man Saravanan as well.
A similar incident occurred during a debate on Sun News Tamil, a news channel owned by a DMK leader. DMK spokesperson Shahul Hameed, also known as ‘Manushiyaputran’, launched into a tirade against the AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) party, blaming former Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami for the deaths of security personnel at Kodanadu estate. It is important to note that the Kodanadu case had no relevance to the topic of discussion, which was Senthil Balaji’s arrest. Lacking arguments to defend their minister, the DMK spokesperson resorted to unrelated accusations. In this debate as well, the anchor Raja Tiruvenkadam, who had a clear affiliation with the DMK, failed to condemn the behavior of the DMK spokesperson.
In yet another incident, during a live debate on Puthiyathalaimurai, a DMK spokesperson and MLA named Ezhilarasan verbally abused ADMK leaders using derogatory terms such as “Yogiyavaan” (a derogatory term) and “person who is talking from one end of the mouth to another.” When the ADMK spokesperson Sasirekha interrupted DMK Ezhilarasan for using unparliamentary words, DMK MLA Ezhilarasan continued to hurl insults, resorting to foul language. He rudely exclaimed, “Shut your mouth. What ‘Vengayam’ (onion) are you speaking of? You cannot interrupt me during my time.” The anchor Tamilinian, who was responsible for maintaining order, chose to control the ADMK spokesperson instead of DMK Ezhilarasan, claiming that she was speaking during Ezhilarasan’s allocated time.
These incidents demonstrate the collusion between DMK supporters disguised as news anchors and DMK spokespersons, working together to silence critics during live debates on air.
எல்லா டிவி விவாதத்திலும் திமுக கொத்தடிமைகள் பயங்கரமா உச்சகட்ட கோபத்தில் செந்தில்பாலாஜிக்கு முட்டு குடுத்து கத்துவதை பார்க்கும் போது கூட ஒரு நியாயம் இருந்தது திமுககாரன் என
ஆனா ஒரே மாதிரி எல்லா நெறியாளர்களும் செந்தில் பாலாஜியை பற்றி பேசியதும் எவ்வளவு டென்ஷன் ஆகுறாங்க என பாருங்க 😂 pic.twitter.com/7QoIIW0ZR9
— இந்திராணி M.Sc.LLB (@IndiraniSudala1) June 15, 2023
Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.