Tamil Nadu Congress General Secretary Lakshmi Ramachandran today drew sharp criticism online after posting a video of her husband criticising his neighbours for celebrating the Pran-Prathishtha ceremony in Ayodhya.

Interestingly, she disclosed the person’s identity only when specifically asked by a netizen. Superficially, the video gives the impression that a common man gave the speech without any political agenda.

In the 4:47-minute video, Ramachandran’s husband, Swaminathan, addresses community members during a Republic Day celebration. He tells the Hindus who celebrated the Pran-Prathishtha of Lord Ram in Ayodhya’s temple on January 22, stating that they “really irked” and “bothered” him.

“There has to be something that stops us from celebrating divisive things, such as what happened on Jan 22,” Swaminathan says in the video. “I saw calls of Jai Sri Ram on Kolam designs that day. And I was not pleased.”

A speech delivered in our residential community's republic day celebrations!

Long live Secular Indian Republic! pic.twitter.com/6zlPlrLrQb

— Lakshmi Ramachandran (@laksr_tn) January 26, 2024

He also tells the Hindu residents not to pass on their “wrong values” to their children. “That’s why I am talking to children mainly. We want to look at the future and I hope our children do not take the wrong lessons from what we do. Even though we might do it to the best of intentions. I am not questioning intentions here. But there has to be something that stops us from celebrating divisive things, that is, such as what happened on Jan 22.”

While he asserts he has no issue celebrating festivals like Diwali, Eid, and Christmas, Swaminathan argues that “we should really think twice before celebrating something like that (Pran-Prathishtha)”. He claims to be speaking on behalf of “Muslim friends in the community, as well as a few minorities who are not happy with that event.”

Ramachandran shared the video on her social media with the caption, “A speech delivered in our residential community’s Republic Day celebrations! Long live Secular Indian Republic!”. The primary tweet does not mention her relationship with the speaker. An impressionable reader may be misled to believe that this speech reflects the opinions and sentiments of society.

When a netizen flatteringly asked Ramachandran, “Wow…who is he ? TV actor ?”, she introduced Swaminathan as “Tamil Medai nadaga nadigar” (meaning “actor on the Tamil stage”) and her husband of 20 years.

Swaminathan also justifies his stance by referencing his acting career and familiarity with religious texts. He says he played the roles of Manikavasagar, Ramanujan, and Aurangazeb on stage. He also talks about his knowledge of holy texts, claiming to know verses from the Quran, Thiruvasagam, and Diva Pramandam.

“There is beauty in celebrating events together,” Swaminathan says. “But not that event because many of the children may not know this. But some of us who were there in 1992 know very well how this all started. In what kind of divisive way this started. Some of you might want me to go back 400 years. Well, I don’t want to look at history like that.”

The video has sparked widespread condemnation online, with many criticising Swaminathan’s remarks as insensitive and divisive.

This video drew hundreds of comments in criticism. Some of them are as follows:

https://twitter.com/Bharath12450842/status/1750939593694978327

It’s new woke nonsense. Like he supports secularism, G block people had liberty to celebrate their joy too.

— SS Iyengar (@Isriramseshadri) January 27, 2024

An important message to all – pic.twitter.com/5pFFo3Pgvd

— Mr. GAJANAN (@Gajanan_from_MS) January 26, 2024

https://twitter.com/Bharath12450842/status/1750939593694978327?s=20

It’s new woke nonsense. Like he supports secularism, G block people had liberty to celebrate their joy too.

— SS Iyengar (@Isriramseshadri) January 27, 2024

An important message to all – pic.twitter.com/5pFFo3Pgvd

— Mr. GAJANAN (@Gajanan_from_MS) January 26, 2024

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The post “Not Pleased By Jai Shri Ram Kolams On Jan 22”: TN Cong Leader Posts Video Of Husband’s Rant On Ram Mandir Celebrations appeared first on The Commune.

At the Republic Day ceremony held at Armed Forces ground in Madurai, the kith and kin of freedom fighters were annoyed that they were not given due respect at the function. The video of the incident was making the rounds on social media platform X.

The freedom fighters and their descendants are miffed at the administration that they were not accorded their due respects during the Republic Day function! Shame pic.twitter.com/sBpHO5lfO7

— karthik gopinath (@karthikgnath) January 26, 2024

The video begins with the police trying to pacify some angry relatives of the freedom fighters who were attending the Republic Day function. The angry relatives were also seen having some heated arguments with others who were present in the place, who were also trying to pacify them.

One of the participants, the wife of a freedom fighter, said, ‘They honoured four freedom fighters next of kin with shawls and left. For the rest of us, no shawls were offered. We are the wives of the freedom fighters. We sent them to fight for the country, and we were suffering back at home. Shouldn’t they pay the same level of respect to us as well? They didn’t do that, that’s why he is angry (referring to the elderly person at the beginning of the video). Only two rows of us are remaining, hundreds have left. Only 50 of us are remaining, if they can’t pay respect to us, then what does this mean?’

Another participant added, ‘I am from Paravai municipality. I am the son of a freedom fighter. I am the son of Sonaimuthu. My name is Subbiah. I am maintaining the Gandhi statue, I am offering my service from 2014 until now. We came to this armed forces ground to pay our respects to the district collector and the flag. But we didn’t get respect, so I am asking the district collector and CM Stalin to give us due respect. Jai Hind.’

He then continued to say, ‘Sahayam used to honour each and everyone of us without fail. He honoured us with shawls and paid respect. What we are asking the District Collector – they called the next of kin of freedom fighters for a meeting and about 24 of us participated. All we are asking now is to honour all of us next of kin with shawls and pay respect to us. Honouring ten people with shawls is not paying respect. How much time is it going to take? (The community) should know who the freedom fighters are and who their relatives are. This culture should not be destroyed. Future generations should know about the freedom fighters and what their relatives are doing now.’

While controversial people like Mohammed Zubair and Vairamuthu are being honoured by the Tamil Nadu government, it is sad to see that deserving people are being left out.

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The post Freedom Fighters’ Kith & Kin Ignored On Republic Day In TN; Kin Allege They Were Not Honoured Properly appeared first on The Commune.

In a historic move, the upcoming 75th Republic Day Parade at Kartavya Path on 26 January 2024, is set to be a spectacle of women empowerment, echoing the themes of ‘Viksit Bharat‘ and ‘Bharat – Loktantra ki Matruka.’ Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane, during a press conference in New Delhi on 19 January 2024, revealed that women would take center stage, forming the primary contingent in the parade.

Emphasizing the significance of the themes, Aramane highlighted that they align with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of India being the “Mother of democracy.” The parade aims to celebrate the country’s rich cultural diversity, unity, and progress through the participation of women marching contingents.

A groundbreaking aspect of this year’s Republic Day Parade is the introduction of an all-women Tri-Service contingent, marking a historic moment in the nation’s military history. Additionally, the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) contingents will also feature women personnel, presenting an unparalleled representation of women in the parade.

Setting a harmonious tone, the parade will commence with the melodious tunes of traditional Indian musical instruments played by a group of 100 women artists. Instruments like Sankh, Nadaswaram, and Nagada will resonate through the air, creating a unique and empowering atmosphere.

Adding a touch of artistic grandeur, the Ministry of Culture will showcase the ‘Anant Sutra – The Endless Thread’ textile installation at Kartavya Path. This visually-stunning tribute to the saree, a timeless Indian garment, will feature nearly 1,900 sarees and drapes from across the country. The installation will be mounted at a height with wooden frames along the Kartavya Path, creating a captivating display of India’s weaving and embroidery arts. QR codes attached to the installation will allow spectators to delve into the details of each saree, exploring the diverse craftsmanship that makes them unique.

Highlighting the cultural festivities, the third edition of the Vande Bharatam dance competition will be a captivating part of the Republic Day Celebrations 2024. Groups of women artists will showcase their talent at Kartavya Path, with around 200 performers dazzling the audience in front of the Saluting Dais.

The Republic Day Parade is scheduled to start at 10:30 AM and will run for approximately 90 minutes. The Kartavya Path, with a seating capacity of 77,000, will reserve 42,000 seats for the public, providing an opportunity for citizens to witness and celebrate this extraordinary showcase of women-centric patriotism and cultural richness. The 75th Republic Day Parade promises to be a landmark event, honoring the spirit of democracy and women’s empowerment in India.

(With inputs from PIB)

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The recognition of Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (Tasmac) officials for revenue-generating activities in Karur during the Republic Day celebrations on Thursday sparked a row. However, following social media backlash, the DMK government rescinded the certificate.

Collector T. Prabhushankar presented appreciation certificates to P. Shanmugavel, District Manager, Tasmac, Sivakumar and Arumugam, supervisors, and Krishnamurthy, salesman, on Thursday.

The Tasmac employees were recognised for their exemplary work in generating revenue for the State-owned Tasmac, which operates Indian-Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) outlets throughout the state, according to the certificates.

The appreciation certificates were widely shared on social media, primarily by those expressing their dissatisfaction with the State government setting targets for increasing revenue by selling liquor through Tasmac outlets.

Social activists and opposition parties claimed that it was inappropriate to honour TASMAC employees during the Republic Day celebration for increasing TASMAC sales. After receiving backlash, the DMK government withdrew the certificates of appreciation given to four TASMAC employees.

It has now been reported that the phrase “cretificate for generating more revenues for TASMAC” was replaced with “certificate of appreciation for excellent work in TASMAC administration” and the certificates have been returned to the four TASMAC employees.

(with inputs from DailyThanthi)

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The post Appreciation Certificate Issued To Karur TASMAC Officials Withdrawn, Text Changed And Returned appeared first on The Commune.

The official Twitter handle of Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board tweeted Independence day wishes on Republic day (January 26th).

However, the tweet was deleted after Chennai Metro water board was mocked by the social media users for its tweet. It should be noted that the Chennai Metro Water board misspelt Independence Day in the deleted tweet. They wrote ‘Indipendence Day’ instead of ‘Independence Day’.

Looks like @CHN_Metro_Water has deleted the tweet wishing everyone Happy "Indipendence" Day today. Here is the screenshot. pic.twitter.com/8JE1oUR0Fi

— Sumanth Raman (@sumanthraman) January 26, 2023

After the image of the tweet went viral, a number of people began disseminating an old video of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin in which he referred to January 15 as Independence Day and December 25 as Republic Day.

Social media users also stated that if Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin does not know the difference between Republic Day and Independence Day, it is unreasonable to expect the Chennai Metro Water Board, which is run by the DMK government, to tweet appropriate Republic Day greetings.

During a public meeting in Nellai when MK Stalin was the opposition leader, he stated, “We are not opposed to the Governor hoisting the national flag on December 25th, Republic Day. However, we are opposed to the Governor hoisting the national flag on January 15th, Independence Day.”

டிசம்பர் மாதம் 25-இல் சுதந்திர தினம் கொண்டாடும் ஜப்பான் துணை முதல்வர் அவர்களுக்கும் அவர்களின் கொத்தடிமைகளுக்கும் இனிய சுதந்திர தின நல்வாழ்த்துக்கள்
@vedan_LK @Bharath24041985 @eena_vengayam @Kumari_Jeyan @SanghiiDa @amgeminigal @Govindare1 @sivanis1999 @Aravi60789561 pic.twitter.com/fMj1bMB5DO

— ⁣꧁ குட்டிப்பையன் ꧂⁣ (@srinivasanvs7) December 25, 2022

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The post Chennai Metro Water Board Wishes “Indipendence” Day On Republic Day, Deletes Tweet Later appeared first on The Commune.

DMK MLA T.R.B. Raja who also recently took over as the head of the party’s IT wing, shared a picture of Karnataka’s tableau with an insulting innuendo.

In his tweet, he shared a picture of Hindu God Kamadhenu who is also highly revered in Karnataka, saying “which freedom fighter is this?”

Which #FreedomFighter is this !!!#RepublicDay pic.twitter.com/ImKJMEbbTH

— Dr. T R B Rajaa (@TRBRajaa) January 26, 2022

Recently, the DMK and its sympathizers in the media have been creating a fuss that Central government ‘rejected’ Tamil Nadu’s tableau from being part of the Republic Day Parade.

A clarification was issued by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh that tableaus are selected by an expert committee through a rigorous selection process and also pointed out that Tamil Nadu’s tableau was part of the parade in 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2021.

Despite the clarification, the DMK has been playing politics over the matter with CM Stalin announcing that the allegedly ‘rejected’ tableau would be part of the Republic Day celebration in Tamil Nadu.

In light of this, the DMK has also been taking a jibe at the tableau of other states especially those that portrays Hindu culture.

DMK MLA from Mannargudi T.R.B. Rajaa (son of DMK MP T.R. Baalu) posted the tweet with an insulting innuendo.

However, the picture that the DMK MLA shared was that of 2013 when the DMK was part of the United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre. This year, Karnataka’s tableau had depicted the theme of ‘Karnataka: The cradle of traditional Handicrafts’ with 16 GI tagged traditional handicrafts of the state featured in the tableau and a large bust of the ‘Mother of Traditional Handicrafts in India‘ Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay placed at the rear of the tableau.

73 ನೇ ಗಣರಾಜ್ಯೋತ್ಸವ ದಿನಾಚರಣೆ ಅಂಗವಾಗಿ ನವದೆಹಲಿಯ ರಾಜಪಥದಲ್ಲಿ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ಪಾರಂಪರಿಕ ಕರಕುಶಲ ವಸ್ತುಗಳ ತೊಟ್ಟಿಲುʼ ವಿಷಯಾಧಾರಿತ ಸ್ತಬ್ಧ ಚಿತ್ರ.#RepublicDay2022 pic.twitter.com/zf0BbOhxYg

— Rajeev Chandrasekhar (@RajeevRC_X) January 26, 2022

The DMK MLA had also retweeted tweets that mocked Uttarakhand’s tableau which had model of Badrinath Temple along with a sadhu.

Also Mr.@TRBRajaa above tableau is of Karnataka Govt.’s 2013 Republic Day during UPA Govt. at the Center & your #DMK was part of the Central Govt. If your party is against such a tableau you should’ve spoken it then?? Oh wait, holding on to Ministries were important? Understood.

— Dr.SG Suryah (@SuryahSG) January 26, 2022

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The post DMK MLA and IT wing head insults K’taka R-Day Tableau, turns out it was of 2013 appeared first on The Commune.

The official website of Tamil Nadu government has mentioned both January 26 and August 15 as Independence Day.

The list of holidays for the year 2022 was published in the Tamil Nadu government website (www.tn.gov.in).

In the list, both January 26 and August 15 has been mentioned as Independence Day.

January 26 is Republic Day, the day when the Constitution of India came into force and the country became a democratic republic.

The word ‘Independence’ is also wrongly spelled in the website as ‘Independance’.

Netizens were quick to notice the mistake and have been taking jibes at the DMK and its Chief Minister MK Stalin.

An old video of MK Stalin getting confused over the dates of Independence Day and Republic Day is also being shared.

இதுல அய்யோ சொல்ல என்ன இருக்கு? தலைவன் எவ்வழி, ஆட்சி அவ்வழி.

தலைவருக்கே என்று சுதந்திர தினம் என்றே தெரியாதுhttps://t.co/Ui1xOvqYqs

— திராவிடத்தை வேரறுப்போம் (@toxic_tax) January 4, 2022

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On January 26, the agitations against the Centre’s Farm Laws devolved into an orgy of mindless violence, as protesting mobs went on a rampage in the nation’s capital. The Centre has been completely unable to quell the agitations, which have been going on for nearly two months, as protestors camped at Delhi’s borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh all these days.

It all began with a tractor rally that agitating farmers took on Republic Day. Despite there having been assigned a route for the rally by the Delhi police, protestors broke through several police barriers and ran amok, unleashing violence and damaging public property.

The rally, as seen from above.

Agitators, upon entering Delhi, gave up the planned route and destroyed several police barricades when Delhi Police refused to allow the protestors into certain areas of the city. The protests soon took an extremely violent turn.

Rioters found their way to the Red Fort and, removing the Indian tricolour, they hoisted Sikh and Khalistani flags instead. More than a 100 children and artists were trapped at the Red Fort as the rioters did their worst to the fort complex.

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The post In Pictures: The Riots that shook the Nation on Republic Day appeared first on The Commune.

As the nation marks the 71st Republic Day, honouring the coming into effect of the Indian Constitution, ‘farmers’ squatting on the roads leading to Delhi have now unleashed violence by breaking barricades, vandalizing public property and attacking security forces.

A mob that managed to come near ITO in central Delhi, broke the barricades, attacked the police personnel and vandalized a police vehicle. They also vandalized a DTC bus in the same ITO area.

#WATCH Protesters break barricade, attack police personnel and vandalise police vehicle at ITO in central Delhi pic.twitter.com/1ARRUX6I8E

— ANI (@ANI) January 26, 2021

#WATCH Delhi: Protesting farmers vandalise a DTC bus in ITO area of the national capital. pic.twitter.com/5yUiHQ4aZm

— ANI (@ANI) January 26, 2021

Disturbing visuals of ‘farmer’ mobs drawing swords and attacking policemen have also surfaced.

Nihang Circus pic.twitter.com/lgaslmgQUi

— Facts (@BefittingFacts) January 26, 2021

https://twitter.com/ARanganathan72/status/1353952373547253762

The same section of journalists who were instrumental in fomenting the Delhi riots are once again at it celebrating the anarchy on the streets.

Putting the ‘public’ back into the “Republic”. #RepublicDay2021 #FarmersProtests #HappyRepublicDay #26January pic.twitter.com/FXm1UOQ51j

— Sagarika Ghose (@sagarikaghose) January 26, 2021

Communist elements have also infiltrated these protests instigating the ‘farmer’ mobs to resort to violence. Communist and Maoist sympathizer, Kavita Krishnan, a member of the CPI-ML Polit Bureau can be seen jumping with joy and called the mobs unleashing anarchy a ‘celebration’.

A brief report from Singhu Border by @kavita_krishnan who is with the farmers in the March #26JanDelhiTractorParade pic.twitter.com/jYebvppwqe

— CPIML Liberation (@cpimlliberation) January 26, 2021

Self-proclaimed activist Yogendra Yadav also took to the ground in the name of reporting from the site of protest.

शाहजहांपुर बॉर्डर पर 'किसान गणतंत्र परेड' #HistoricTractorMarch #FarmersProtest https://t.co/PPoXmNNAOw

— Yogendra Yadav (@_YogendraYadav) January 26, 2021

Many have pointed out that opposition parties especially the Congress, Communists and AAP are behind the violent acts of the ‘farmer’ mobs.

News portals like Newslaundry, The Wire, The Quint, Scroll who have for long been glorifying the squatting of these farmer mobs have now pounced on to instigate them.

From the borders of Delhi, thousands of tractors are ready to finally enter the capital, for the Republic Day tractor march organised by farmers’ unions.

Watch The Wire's coverage from Tikri, Singhu and Ghazipur borders.#FarmersProtests #RepublicDayhttps://t.co/gsPIWqDtEG pic.twitter.com/Huz2qSebaY

— The Wire (@thewire_in) January 26, 2021

Indian farmers were welcomed with flowers on the #SinghuBorder route, as they continued their #TractorRally against Centre's #FarmLaws on #RepublicDay.
Read more here: https://t.co/78uE058NP9 pic.twitter.com/Fji5uU8qeY

— The Quint (@TheQuint) January 26, 2021

If you want to watch the R-Day parade, there's DD. If you want to watch news from farmer's tractor rally, there's @newslaundry. Follow our reporters live commentary on @newslaundry and @nlhindi. https://t.co/w9DfGybuvi

— Manisha Pande (@MnshaP) January 26, 2021

The post Watch: ‘Farmers’ mob unleash Shaheenbagh 2.0 at Delhi on Republic Day: Police forces attacked with swords, public property vandalized appeared first on The Commune.

Colonel Santhosh Babu, who was martyred along with several other soldiers in the Galwan valley clash between India and China at the shared border, is to be posthumously conferred the Mahavir Chakra. The Mahavir Chakra is India’s second-highest military award for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy.

“Colonel Bikumalla Santosh Babu, Commanding Officer of 16 Bihar deployed in Galwan Valley (Eastern Ladakh) during Operation Snow Leopard, was tasked to establish an observation post in face of the enemy. Organising and briefing his troops about the situation with a sound plan, he successfully executed the task. While holding the position his column faced stiff resistance from the adversary who attacked using lethal and sharp weapons along with heavy stone pelting from adjoining heights,” his citation for the award read.

Following his demise, he was laid down with state honours, and his wife was felicitated on the Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) Foundation Day. She was also appointed as the deputy collector in Telangana and was granted a house by the Telangana government.

“The state government has appointed Ms Santoshi, wife of Col Santosh Babu who was martyred in the recent clashes on the Indo-China Border, as Deputy Collector. Honourable Chief Minister Sri K Chandrashekhar Rao on Wednesday at Pragathi Bhavan handed over the appointment letter to Ms Santoshi,” an official release had said.

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