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Serial fake news peddler from Puthiya Thalaimurai fans North-South divide, makes unverified claims on evacuation mission

March 5, 2022
The Commune

Alleged ‘journalist’ from Tamil mainstream news channel Puthiya Thalaimurai, who has been caught peddling fake news several times, has once again made unverified claims fanning north-south divide saying that ‘South Indian’ students are allegedly being discriminated in the evacuation operation.

Claiming to have spoken to a parent of a student who had returned from Ukraine, Niranjan Kumar who is Puthiya Thalaimurai’s correspondent based in New Delhi posted a tweet in which he said that there was differential treatment being meted out to ‘South Indians’ and ‘North Indians’.

“North Indian students are wanting to go first and allegedly threatening South Indians to come later.”, he said citing his unnamed source.

The alleged ‘journalist claimed that the parent, whose son had been stuck in Poland border for two days, apparently told him that his son’s friends are undergoing this suffering and that those who had come later to the border than his son had already landed in India.

“Flight has been arranged for them only this afternoon.”, the alleged journalist from Puthiya Thalaimurai  wrote adding that such an incident was truly a sad one.

However, there has been no such credible reports of discrimination either by Indian officials or students. The tweet by the person who claims himself to be a ‘journalist’ prima-facie seems to be based on hear-say and not on facts.

This is not the first time that this alleged journalist had peddled fake news inciting regional chauvinism. He had peddled fake news that the Modi Government at the Centre had ‘rejected’ Tamil Nadu’s tableau for the Republic Day Parade for not having ‘prominent freedom fighters’ while the fact is that each year only limited number of tableaus from states are selected based on the recommendations of an expert committee appointed by the Ministry of Defence.

Tamil Nadu’s tableaus were selected in 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2021, far more than many other states.

Just recently, the alleged ‘journalist had peddled fake news against BJP candidate of Ward No. 134.Uma Anandan, saying that she had lost by securing just 8 votes while she emerged as a winner with 5635 votes.

In January 2021, he was called out by the Office of Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for peddling fake news saying that the Minister had refused to meet Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami citing budget consultation work.

The Finance Minister’s Office clarified that no such request was placed on behalf of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and called out the Puthiya Thalaimurai’s journalist tweet as false.

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