tnm – The Commune https://thecommunemag.com Mainstreaming Alternate Sat, 13 Dec 2025 15:14:13 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.3 https://thecommunemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/cropped-TC_SF-1-32x32.jpg tnm – The Commune https://thecommunemag.com 32 32 SRM Dismisses Professor For Anti-India Comments On Operation Sindoor; The News Minute Shifts Focus From Conduct To Her ‘Dalit Christian’ Identity https://thecommunemag.com/srm-dismisses-professor-for-anti-india-comments-on-operation-sindoor-the-news-minute-shifts-focus-from-conduct-to-her-dalit-christian-identity/ Sat, 13 Dec 2025 08:08:16 +0000 https://thecommunemag.com/?p=135606 A week ago, the self-styled champion of the rights of the downtrodden, The News Minute, published its report on SRM University’s action against a staff member over her comments during Operation Sindoor. The university had first placed the staff member under suspension and, in December 2025, proceeded to dismiss her following an internal inquiry. But […]

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A week ago, the self-styled champion of the rights of the downtrodden, The News Minute, published its report on SRM University’s action against a staff member over her comments during Operation Sindoor.

The university had first placed the staff member under suspension and, in December 2025, proceeded to dismiss her following an internal inquiry. But the manner in which The News Minute chose to report this development is telling.

TNM headlined its story as “SRM Uni dismisses Dalit Christian professor targeted by right-wing for anti-war views”, framing the dismissal entirely as a case of caste- and religion-based persecution.

The headline itself suggests that the professor was removed because she was a Dalit Christian and because she expressed anti-war views, with the university portrayed as either complicit in, or cowed by, “right-wing” pressure.

Throughout the report, SRM University is presented largely as a reactive institution acting under external pressure, rather than as a private employer enforcing its own code of conduct following a formal disciplinary process.

What SRMIST Said And What TNM Acknowledged

According to the suspension order dated 8 May 2025, signed by SRMIST Registrar Dr S. Ponnusamy, Lora Santhakumar was placed under suspension “with immediate effect, pending enquiry” for “unethical activities.” The institute subsequently conducted an internal inquiry between 15 July 2025 and 26 September 2025 at its Kattankulathur campus.

TNM itself reported that the inquiry committee, headed by the Director of Student Affairs, with the Deputy Director of Student Affairs as presenting officer, found all five charges framed against her to be proved. These included allegations that her social media posts amounted to unethical remarks against India’s armed forces, actions against national interests, disruption of the institution’s environment, and involvement in what the committee characterised as antisocial and “criminal” activities.

The termination order accessed by TNM stated that she was “unfit to continue her job in the institution” and dismissed her from service with immediate effect, while also granting her the right to appeal to the Vice-Chancellor within 30 days.

Identity Versus Conduct

While TNM repeatedly highlighted Lora Santhakumar’s identity as a Dalit Christian, the report also makes clear, without reconciling the contradiction, that SRMIST had no hesitation in hiring her, retaining her for over 11 years, and placing her in a sensitive role at its Career Development Centre. The institution’s actions, as per the official records quoted, were tied to the content and nature of her posts during a live military operation, not to her caste or religion.

The charge memo and inquiry findings, as reported by TNM itself, did not cite identity as a factor. Instead, they focused on whether her statements, particularly those alleging civilian casualties and accusing the Indian military of “cowardice”, constituted conduct unbecoming of a faculty member and actions against the interests of the nation.

The WhatsApp Status and the Context

Screenshots of Lora’s WhatsApp status that circulated widely online included statements accusing India of killing a child in Pakistan and describing military action as driven by “bloodlust” and “election stunts.” These messages emerged in the immediate aftermath of Operation Sindoor, which the Government of India described as a targeted, precision strike against terrorist infrastructure.

Students and faculty reportedly complained that the posts were misleading, inflammatory, and insulting to the armed forces. It was following these internal complaints that SRMIST initiated disciplinary proceedings.

TNM’s Editorial Emphasis

TNM’s report framed the inquiry as an “eyewash” based largely on Lora Santhakumar’s rebuttals, while downplaying the fact that the inquiry committee accepted the charges as proved. It also foregrounded alleged right-wing targeting while giving comparatively limited weight to the institutional finding that her conduct amounted to major misconduct.

Notably, TNM did not contest that the university followed a formal inquiry process, issued a charge memo, conducted hearings over several weeks, and passed a reasoned order—facts that complicate the narrative of arbitrary dismissal.

A Selective Use of Sympathy

The report devotes considerable space to Santhakumar’s claims that the inquiry was an “eyewash”, that screenshots lacked timestamps, and that her targeting by online actors was not addressed by the committee. These are her assertions, reproduced extensively.

By contrast, the university’s perspective is largely reduced to excerpts from the termination order, without any attempt to contextualise why SRM might consider such conduct unacceptable or why it chose dismissal rather than a lesser penalty.

By leading with caste and religion, emphasising alleged “right-wing” targeting, and minimising the seriousness of the charges upheld by an internal inquiry, The News Minute’s report effectively shifts the debate from professional conduct to identity politics.

What is left unasked is whether a faculty member’s socio-religious background excuses behaviour that an employer—rightly or wrongly—has concluded to be “criminal” and “against the national interests”, using the university’s own disciplinary framework.

Institutional Autonomy and Precedent

As a private university, SRMIST retains the right to enforce codes of conduct for its faculty, particularly during periods of national security sensitivity. SRMIST’s decision, based on its inquiry findings, signals that the university was unwilling to tolerate what it concluded was gross misconduct, irrespective of the employee’s caste or religion – an aspect largely overshadowed in TNM’s coverage.

However, for The News Minute, facts don’t matter – it is always about the identity of the person “persecuted” according to their beliefs. Would they have reported in a similar manner had the person in question been from the so-called upper caste Hindu community? Well, it was a rhetorical question, we know what TNM would have done (or not) – just a passing report or not even that – because it is not newsworthy.

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DMK And Its Unofficial Mouthpiece TNM Tries To De-Hinduize Thirupparankundram Deepathoon As Mere ‘Survey Stone’ https://thecommunemag.com/dmk-and-its-unofficial-mouthpiece-tnm-tries-to-establish-thirupparankundram-deepathoon-as-survey-stone/ Mon, 08 Dec 2025 08:26:15 +0000 https://thecommunemag.com/?p=135189 As the Thirupparankundram Karthigai Deepam issue intensifies, the DMK government and its lackeys in the academia and media are attempting a remarkable narrative pivot: to redefine the historically recorded Deepathoon as nothing more than a colonial-era survey stone. The clearest example of this push appears in The News Minute’s (TNM) latest “ground report,” which repeatedly […]

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As the Thirupparankundram Karthigai Deepam issue intensifies, the DMK government and its lackeys in the academia and media are attempting a remarkable narrative pivot: to redefine the historically recorded Deepathoon as nothing more than a colonial-era survey stone. The clearest example of this push appears in The News Minute’s (TNM) latest “ground report,” which repeatedly amplifies claims that the Deepathoon is a mere theodolite marker, despite documentary proof published by the Tamil Nadu government itself in 1981 describing the Deepathoon as a sacred hilltop lamp-lighting site.

 

TNM Tries Hard To Buttress DMK Govt’s Claims

The TNM piece repeatedly stresses that the lamp was never lit there, that the Deepathoon is a theodolite stone, that courts previously ruled in favour of lighting only at Uchchipillaiyar Temple, that the judge’s order is ‘questionable’ and that ‘Hindu groups’ aim to provoke communal tension.

Each of these talking points tracks neatly with the DMK’s line in court, in press conferences, and in ministerial statements.

Yet conspicuously absent is:

  • The fact that HR&CE itself argued in earlier cases that Deepathoon existed and it is not a new structure
  • Local oral traditions across decades
  • References to Sangam-era literary mentions

The contradiction between the state’s earlier position and its stance now

By ignoring the practices of the people, TNM presents the “survey stone” claim as settled fact, when it is, at best, an unverified assertion contradicted by Tamil Nadu’s own documentation.

Selective Evidence: A Feature, Not A Bug

TNM’s framing relies almost entirely on residents who oppose lighting the hilltop Deepam, activists aligned with “secular organisations”, lawyers who have long been critical of Justice GR Swaminathan, and retired officials offering technical opinions about survey stones.

But when residents who support hilltop Deepam lighting are quoted, their statements are treated as anecdotal or politically influenced.

What is missing is the foundational principle of any balanced ground report – The state’s own historical record.

By excluding it, TNM constructs a narrative bubble in which the Deepathoon has no sacred past, no ritual continuity, and no cultural legitimacy.

Why The “Survey Stone” Narrative Matters To The DMK

If the Deepathoon is accepted as a sacred site that has historical continuity and also recognised by local residents, then the state’s refusal to implement High Court orders becomes far harder to justify.

By portraying the Deepathoon as a meaningless colonial marker, the state reframes the issue as one of “law and order,” not religious freedom, the government positions itself as protecting communal harmony, anyone demanding access appears extremist or politically motivated, and judicial orders enabling ritual access can be attacked as reckless.

In effect, the “survey stone” narrative is the foundation for the government’s entire defence.

TNM frames the Deepathoon movement as a “Sangh mobilisation ignoring historical evidence.”

But the only historical evidence ignored in this debate by TNM is the one produced by the Tamil Nadu government itself in 1981.

The attempt to recast Deepathoon as a trivial colonial marker rather than a sacred ritual site recognised by Tamil scholars and residents reveals a deeper political discomfort – the Deepathoon’s historical and cultural legitimacy undermines the DMK’s current narrative.

TNM’s reportage, which seems to be more out of editorial convenience, amplifies only one side of the historical argument, that which aligns with the ruling party’s immediate political needs.

To reduce Deepathoon to a mere “survey stone” is an attempt to erase Tamil Nadu’s own documented heritage in service of a contemporary political argument.

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100 Episodes Of ‘Let Me Explain’: Dissecting TNM’s Explainer Series That Doesn’t Explain But Peddles Propaganda https://thecommunemag.com/100-episodes-of-let-me-explain-dissecting-tnms-explainer-series-that-doesnt-explain-but-peddles-propaganda/ Sun, 07 Dec 2025 13:37:25 +0000 https://thecommunemag.com/?p=133937 The News Minute has been the face of leftist narrative peddling for quite some time. A while ago, they came up with an “explainer” series and put a woman as the face of it – to possibly counter the “misogynistic” mansplaining with Pooja Prasanna’s “Let Me Explain” (LME) series. There was another lady before her. […]

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The News Minute has been the face of leftist narrative peddling for quite some time. A while ago, they came up with an “explainer” series and put a woman as the face of it – to possibly counter the “misogynistic” mansplaining with Pooja Prasanna’s “Let Me Explain” (LME) series. There was another lady before her. Over approximately two years, they have built a playlist of 100 episodes (2023-2025) and claim to ‘break down complex issues’. Its official positioning promises to “cut through the media noise,” “keep it factual without raising the volume,” and “declutter” complex topics to start “important conversations.”

However, a close look at the entire series very quickly reveals what the series is all about. Far from being a neutral explanatory guide, “Let Me Explain” operates as a sophisticated vehicle for narrative setting/engineering, systematically advancing a woke radical leftist, anti-Hindu, sub-nationalist agenda.

In this article, we try to break down the tricks and themes that shape Let Me Explain.

I. The Thematic Architecture: A Quantitative Breakdown Of 100 Episodes

When you go through all the 100 episodes, a clear pattern is revealed.

Anti-Modi Narrative (35% – 35+ Episodes): This is the series’ central pillar. Episodes like “How India hid its COVID-19 death numbers | Modi,” “Why Modi won’t face the press & why it matters,” and “Amit Shah and his false data on Electoral Bonds” consistently frame the ruling government as authoritarian, deceptive, anti-democratic, and communal. The pattern is unrelenting: the Modi government is the primary antagonist in the LME narrative universe.

South vs. North Narrative (15% – 15+ Episodes): The series meticulously cultivates a victimhood narrative to feed Dravidianist separatism in Tamil Nadu. Episodes such as “Why south Indian states have started a tax movement,” “Stalin vs Modi: Union govt denying funds to best-performing states?” and “Tamil Nadu’s century long fight against Hindi imposition” position the Centre as a discriminatory force, with a special focus on favouritism towards Gujarat and the imposition of Hindi.

Democracy In Danger Narrative (12% – 12+ Episodes): LME systematically questions the integrity of India’s democratic processes. “Vote chori’: Inside India’s voter list scandals,” “Why Election Commission is called biased,” and multiple episodes on Electoral Bonds portray the BJP as the beneficiary of rigged systems and institutional capture, undermining electoral legitimacy. What it basically does is act as Congress’ mouthpiece, to create a democratic deficit by sowing distrust about the election process.

Hindutva Or Political Hinduism As Threat (12% – 12+ Episodes): Hindu nationalism is uniformly framed as a dangerous social poison. From “Beef politics: Rise of cow vigilantes” and “The Truth Behind ‘Love Jihad’: Exposing Myths” to “Ladakh’s fight for jobs, land and against Hindutva,” the series dismisses or pathologizes Hindu concerns while framing religious mobilization solely as a cynical BJP electoral strategy.

On the other hand, political Islam is given a pass.

Pro-Naxal Narratives (8% – 8 Episodes): This category serves as the social justice pillar, advocating for a caste census, framing activists like GN Saibaba as dissent martyrs, and portraying the UAPA as a draconian tool of state oppression. Figures like musician TM Krishna are celebrated as heroes.

Peddling Adani/Ambani Trope (8% – 8+ Episodes): The “Adani Trilogy” and episodes on wealth inequality construct a narrative of a corrupt corporate-government nexus. The Ambani wedding extravaganza is contrasted with the struggles of the middle class, advocating for wealth redistribution and state intervention.

Systemic Failures (10% – 10 Episodes): The remaining episodes on police encounters, stampedes, and exam failures are framed not as isolated tragedies but as evidence of systemic collapse and an accountability deficit under the current regime.

This breakdown makes the larger picture clear – the pattern is pretty hard to ignore. “Let Me Explain” is not a general interest explainer but a targeted ideological project.

II. The Narrative Engineering Toolkit: Techniques Of Persuasion And Bias

LME’s punch lies not just in what it covers, but how it frames its content. The series employs a repeatable set of propaganda setting techniques.

Title Construction: Pre-Judging The Conclusion

The bias is revealed right in the titles with their loaded language. They are designed to trigger an emotional response and pre-empt critical thinking.

Accusatory Language: “How India hid its COVID-19 death numbers,” “How CBFC is butchering movies,” “Electoral Bonds scheme or scam?”

Villain Identification: Direct naming of Modi, Amit Shah, Adani, and the RSS ensures the audience knows who to blame before the video even begins.

Victimhood Centering: “Why southern states are upset,” “Demonising dissent,” “Forced to bury bodies.”

Rhetorical Questions: “Why Modi won’t face the press & why it matters” frames a political choice as an inherent democratic crisis.

The Episode Structure: An Eight-Step Formula For Outrage

Across diverse topics, LME follows a precise, repeatable structure that transforms complex issues into emotionally charged narratives:

The Hook: A positive acknowledgment is immediately undermined by an ominous “but,” transforming a sacred pilgrimage site or a government scheme into a subject of suspicion within seconds.

Historical Pattern: Unconnected past incidents are presented as a deliberate pattern, establishing a narrative of victimhood or conspiracy without statistical context.

Present “Crisis”: A current allegation or data point is framed as the latest evidence of this pattern, with testimony elevated to fact and previous episodes cross-referenced to create an illusion of mounting proof.

Selective Data Dump: Raw numbers are presented for shock value (e.g., “Gujarat gets more funds than all southern states combined”) while omitting crucial context like per capita calculations or infrastructure requirements.

Emotional Manipulation: Hypothetical scenarios (“Imagine being a family member…”) and personal anecdotes bypass rational analysis, ensuring the viewer identifies with the framed victim.

Systematic Indictment: The issue is escalated from a specific case to a broad indictment of the system using rhetorical questions that shift the burden of proof onto the accused.

The Subscription Appeal: A funding request is embedded within the moral outrage, positioning subscription as a duty to support “truth-telling” against powerful interests.

Case Study: The Dharmasthala Episodes – How Speculation Was Labelled As Investigation

Episodes 82 and 85 on Dharmasthala exemplify the series’ most problematic tendencies. Using titles like “‘Forced to bury bodies’: Allegations by a sanitation worker” and “A history of deaths that haunt Dharmasthala,” LME employs:

Loaded Language: Emotionally charged words that imply guilt.

Privileging Allegation: Elevating unverified worker testimony to the level of fact.

Burden Shifting: Implying the institution must disprove the claims rather than the series proving them.

This technique launders conspiracy theories as investigative journalism, destroying reputations based on speculation.

III. The Ideological Universe Of LME: Villains, Heroes, and Worldview

The series paints everyone in black and white – only heroes and villans exist.

The Villain Roster:

Primary: Narendra Modi, the BJP, the RSS, and Amit Shah – portrayed as an authoritarian, communal, and corrupt nexus.

Secondary: Adani/Ambani (crony capitalists), the Election Commission and SEBI (compromised institutions), Gujarat (favouritism beneficiary).

Rotating: Yogi Adityanath, Narayana Murthy, and institutions like the CBFC and NCERT.

The Hero Framework:

Celebrated Figures: Opposition leaders (Stalin, Siddaramaiah), activists (GN Saibaba, Rohith Vemula), artists (Pa. Ranjith, TM Krishna), and basically anybody with a woke radical worldview.

The Pattern: Heroes are exclusively those who challenge not every established power but only the BJP, RSS is a threat whereas PFI, SDPI, Muslim League, Jamaat are democratic forces, represent aggressive proselytizing voices as the victims while ignoring the plight of Hindu voices.

The Core Ideology Peddled By The Series

Politically: The BJP is painted as an authoritarian monster dismantling democracy, while the entire opposition is portrayed as a helpless victim. Even figures like Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam—who openly incited unrest during the Delhi riots as part of a coordinated regime-change mobilisation—are projected as martyrs. Yet when the DMK government goes after critics in Tamil Nadu, or when someone like Ketaki Chitale is jailed simply for a social media post, the national outrage suddenly disappears.

Economically: Corporate wealth is illegitimate cronyism; welfare spending (“revdi”) is an unalloyed good.

Socially: Hindutva is an existential threat; enforcing caste identity and linguistic politics, leaving Hinduism are the primary vehicles for liberation.

Regionally: Indian Nationalism is bad, regionalism is good. South India is a victim of Northern exploitation; regional parties no matter how corrupt they’re protect the Constitution.

Opinions Laundered As Explanation

After taking a look at the 100 episodes, the conclusion is pretty straightforward.

“Let Me Explain” doesn’t explain, it indoctrinates.

Its primary function is not to educate but to indoctrinate; not to declutter but to inflame; not to inform but to reinforce. It is a storytelling machine to push one narrative:

  • Systematically demonizes one political party/group while romanticizing its opponents.
  • Cherry-picks data and manipulates language to pre-determine conclusions.
  • Exploits its subscription model to monetize audience outrage and confirmation bias.
  • Erodes nuance, critical thinking, and the possibility of political compromise by reducing India’s complex reality to a simplistic battle between good and evil.

The subscription-driven funding model of Let Me Explain incentivizes ideological reinforcement over journalism. Because subscribers pay to have their worldview affirmed, the series avoids heterodox views and relies on outrage, crisis framing, and constant villainization of the BJP to retain its base. Balanced reporting risks cancellations, so emotional, partisan narratives become the product. This creates a loyal “TNM community” – kind of like a radical woke leftist cult in which criticism feels personal. The result is money starts steering the coverage, not facts.

Criticizing the government is fine, we live in a democracy; it’s the way it pretends to be neutral while twisting facts. It disguises advocacy as neutrality and speculation as investigation. It creates an audience that is politically engaged yet poorly informed, armed with talking points yet incapable of understanding opposing arguments.

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Let Me Peddle Propaganda: DMK’s Unofficial Mouthpiece TNM’s ‘Explainer’ On Coimbatore & Madurai Metro Pushes Half-Truths While Hiding The Real Story https://thecommunemag.com/let-me-peddle-propaganda-dmks-unofficial-mouthpiece-tnms-explainer-on-coimbatore-madurai-metro-pushes-half-truths-while-hiding-the-real-story/ Sun, 23 Nov 2025 16:18:35 +0000 https://thecommunemag.com/?p=134452 The News Minute’s six-minute video in the Let Me Explain series on the Coimbatore and Madurai Metro issue is not an explainer, it is curated political messaging wrapped in the tone of “analysis,” padded with a full one-minute emotional appeal for subscriptions. In a video supposedly “explaining” a major infrastructure dispute, TNM’s Pooja Prasanna spends […]

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The News Minute’s six-minute video in the Let Me Explain series on the Coimbatore and Madurai Metro issue is not an explainer, it is curated political messaging wrapped in the tone of “analysis,” padded with a full one-minute emotional appeal for subscriptions.

In a video supposedly “explaining” a major infrastructure dispute, TNM’s Pooja Prasanna spends nearly 20% of its runtime begging for money while spending 0% of its effort on verifying the most basic facts.

The result? A half-baked, rage-bait video that camouflages opinions as “facts”.

Let’s analyse the video point by point.

A Manufactured Crisis: Calling It a “Rejection” Without Reading the Letter

Pooja Prasanna’s entire video is constructed on one pillar: “The Centre rejected the metro proposals.”

Except, it didn’t.

The Centre returned the proposals for clarifications with a detailed, three-page list of technical objections, which TNM never even mentions. Why? Because it destroys their neat political storyline.

They amplify the ruling state government, the DMK’s talking points and tweets, but ignore the fact that the letter explicitly says the DPRs need revision, not rejection.

CMRL issued a clarification within 90 minutes, which TNM did not bother to incorporate or even acknowledge in the video.

MOHUA flagged severe issues in ridership projections, Right-of-Way dimensions, and physically impossible alignments – none of which appear anywhere in TNM’s video.

If this is an explainer video from a portal that asks for funding from viewers to support “independent journalism” for a “healthy democracy”, well, it is just shamelessly asking people to fund their lies and propaganda.

Population Criteria: The Convenient Half-Truth

TNM acts as if population was the only reason raised and even then, misrepresents the policy. They harp endlessly on 2011 census data but never disclose the fact that the policy criteria were one of several remarks, not the deciding factor.

Cities like Agra and Bhopal were also initially returned because of population and were later approved after corrective revisions.

The Tamil Nadu DPR inflated numbers beyond believable limits, including Coimbatore’s fantasy 6 lakh daily ridership – higher than Chennai’s actual ridership with 4× the population.

Population was barely a footnote. TNM turned it into the story’s hero.

The Most Damning Technical Failures Are Conveniently Hidden

TNM completely sidesteps the biggest, most embarrassing flaw in the Tamil Nadu DPR – 79% of Coimbatore’s proposed metro alignment has a Right-of-Way below the mandatory minimum.

What didn’t make it to the TNM video:

The central government’s letter points to specific corridors where construction is physically implausible:

  • On the Old Post Office Road (Coimbatore Junction to Ramakrishna Mills), the RoW is a mere 7 meters.
  • On Nawab Hakim Road, the RoW is between 10-12 meters.
  • On Big Bazaar Street and Oppanakara Street, the RoW varies from 12 to 22 meters.

The state government has proposed a metro line through streets that are too narrow to build it. The Centre has essentially asked, “How do you plan to construct an elevated metro in a space where there is physically no room for it?”

Metro pillars cannot be built on roads that can’t hold them. You cannot pass a multi-ton rail system through roads that physically cannot fit it.

But Pooja Prasanna mentions none of this. Because once you include these facts, the narrative collapses.

The Ridership Scandal: Silence, Because It’s Inconvenient

TNM loudly shouts “political vendetta” but quietly conceals the most farcical metric in the DPR:

Coimbatore Metro DPR claims 6,00,000 daily riders.

For context, we have Chennai Metro (approx 10 million people) having a ridership of 4,00,000 daily and Bengaluru Metro (approx 13 million people) having a ridership of 5,00,000 daily.

The Fairy Tale Timeline

The state government promised a three-year completion for a 34-km project, most of which requires complex land acquisition. Given Tamil Nadu’s own abysmal track record with land acquisition (see: Parandur Airport), this timeline is a fantasy. The Centre called out this delusion.

Yet TNM wants people to believe the Centre is “anti-Tamil” because it questioned a blatantly inflated fantasy number.

What we saw was stenography for propaganda.

The Hypocritical Plea for Funds Amidst Shoddy Work

TNM has the audacity to spend over one minute, a sixth of the video’s runtime, begging for subscriptions and funds. They preen about being “independent” and not taking money from governments yet are willing to become an unpaid propagandist for one.

If they want people to fund their “independent journalism,” perhaps they should start practicing it. Independence means chasing down the full story, not just parroting the talking points of a state government. It means reading the Central Government’s three-page letter instead of just the Chief Minister’s inflammatory tweet. The video was a perfect example of how to launder political propaganda under the guise of “news and explanations”.

Not an Explanation, An Exploitation.

The News Minute did not “explain” anything. They exploited the public’s legitimate desire for development to fuel a partisan fire. They took a legitimate process of technical scrutiny; a process applied to metro projects in BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh (Agra) and Karnataka (Bengaluru) and twisted it into a saga of discrimination.

The real story was never about a rigid population rule. It was about a state government submitting a shoddy, unworkable DPR, and a media ecosystem rushing to defend that incompetence with cries of victimhood.

TNM just pushes propaganda. And in doing so, they fail their viewers, every single time, and also fail the very principles of journalism they claim to uphold.

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Secular Sanitizing Of Crimes, The News Minute Way: Cattle Smuggler Ibrahim Who Shot Down Gau Rakshak Becomes ‘Cattle Transporter’, Cow Protector Becomes ‘Vigilante’ https://thecommunemag.com/sanitising-crimes-the-news-minute-way-how-a-cattle-transporter-ibrahim-shot-a-cow-vigilante-not-cow-protector/ Fri, 24 Oct 2025 06:13:17 +0000 https://thecommunemag.com/?p=132128 A recent report by The News Minute (TNM) on the shooting of a cow protector near Hyderabad has drawn sharp criticism for its choice of language and apparent bias in framing the incident. The article, shared on X by TNM’s editor Dhanya Rajendran with the caption, “Cattle transporter shoots cow vigilante near Hyderabad, arrested,” has […]

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A recent report by The News Minute (TNM) on the shooting of a cow protector near Hyderabad has drawn sharp criticism for its choice of language and apparent bias in framing the incident. The article, shared on X by TNM’s editor Dhanya Rajendran with the caption, “Cattle transporter shoots cow vigilante near Hyderabad, arrested,” has been called out for portraying the accused and the victim in questionable terms that seem to invert the moral framing of the case.

The incident took place in Pocharam, near Hyderabad, on 22 October 2025, when Prashant, also known as Sonu Singh, a member of the Gau Raksha Dal, was shot and injured by Ibrahim, a man allegedly involved in illegal cattle transport.

Their article reads, “According to the Rachakonda Commissioner, Prashant had been in contact with Ibrahim since July 26. He said that Ibrahim had been booked for alleged illegal cattle transports six different times based on complaints from Prashant. “Prashant had notified Ibrahim on many occasions that he was tracking his vehicles transporting cattle from various locations in Andhra Pradesh and other places. But he didn’t file complaints on all of these occasions,” the Commissioner said. “

Yes you read that right – Ibrahim has been booked 6 different times for illegal transport of cattle and yet, TNM’s report and its headline described Prashant as a “cow vigilante” while referring to Ibrahim as a “cattle transporter.”

The article also completely avoided pressing any questions about how a “cattle transporter” had access to a firearm or why an individual with multiple cattle transport cases against him was still operating freely.

Critics argue that this language subtly sanitises the accused while criminalising the victim. The word “vigilante” carries strong pejorative overtones, often associated with mob violence or lawlessness, whereas “cow protector” or “Gau Rakshak” better reflect Prashant’s affiliation with a registered cow protection group. Conversely, the neutral term “cattle transporter” masks the alleged criminality of Ibrahim’s activities, including the six times he was booked for illegal cattle movement – as per their own report.

The police narrative, quoted by TNM, even hinted at a potential extortion angle, saying there was an “unholy understanding” between Ibrahim and Prashant. But nowhere does the article examine the larger issue of how and why Ibrahim was in possession of a gun or whether illegal cattle trade networks are operating with political protection.

Instead, TNM’s visual framing showed BJP leaders visiting the injured Prashant in hospital, followed by emphasis on the Commissioner’s statement that “we also respect cows, but we have to handle the case professionally.” 

The report wants to paint “saffron” all over the issue and give a clean chit to the perpetrator.

This pattern where alleged smugglers or attackers are portrayed as neutral “transporters” while cow protectors are dismissed as “vigilantes” has become increasingly common in certain sections of media reporting. It reflects a mega ideological bias that downplays the growing problem of illegal cattle transport and violence against those who attempt to stop it.

It is noteworthy that the same Dhanya Rajendran has been nominated for Reporters Sans Frontières’ (RSF) “Impact Award” this year – one wonders whether this is the kind of impact her reporting is meant to reflect.

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RSF Nominates Leftist-Dravidianist Narrative Peddler Dhanya Rajendran For “Impact Prize 2025” https://thecommunemag.com/rsf-nominates-leftist-dravidianist-narrative-peddler-dhanya-rajendran-for-impact-prize-2025/ Thu, 23 Oct 2025 09:26:14 +0000 https://thecommunemag.com/?p=132081 Dhanya Rajendran, Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of The News Minute (TNM), has been nominated for the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Impact Prize of the Year 2025 from India. TNM Editor-in-Chief @dhanyarajendran nominated for RSF’s global press freedom awardhttps://t.co/kkSapS0YBA — TheNewsMinute (@thenewsminute) October 22, 2025 The RSF nomination recognizes Rajendran for her “full-blown fight for press freedom […]

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Dhanya Rajendran, Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of The News Minute (TNM), has been nominated for the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Impact Prize of the Year 2025 from India.

The RSF nomination recognizes Rajendran for her “full-blown fight for press freedom in India” and notes that “under her leadership, The News Minute has established itself as a benchmark for quality journalism.” However, this characterization stands in stark contrast to TNM’s handling of the most recent Dharmasthala story, which many media watchdogs have criticized as activist journalism masquerading as objective reporting.

This ‘award’ comes even as serious questions persist about her outlet’s controversial coverage of the Dharmasthala “mass burial” case that collapsed due to lack of evidence.

And it was not just that, Dhanya and her TNM unit have almost always peddled the leftist-Dravidianist narrative showing their loyalty to their paymasters.

Let’s just take a look at the most recent ‘reportage’ or rather the ‘pièce de résistance’ of Dhanya Rajendran – The Dharmasthala Lie

The Dharmasthala Debacle: A Case Study in Questionable Journalism

TNM’s coverage of the Dharmasthala allegations exposed fundamental flaws in the outlet’s editorial approach. The portal treated the extraordinary claims of a single “masked man”, who alleged he had buried hundreds of murder victims over two decades, as established fact rather than allegations requiring rigorous verification.

Throughout July and August 2025, TNM ran over two dozen stories, videos, and podcasts amplifying the unproven allegations. Reporter Pooja Prasanna’s “explainer” videos systematically shifted the discussion from “if” the mass burials occurred to “how” they happened, presupposing the temple management’s guilt while ignoring basic journalistic questions about the logistical impossibility of such crimes occurring undetected in one of Karnataka’s busiest pilgrimage centers.

The portal’s methodology consistently favored speculation over evidence. TNM strategically linked the unproven allegations to decades-old, unrelated tragedies, creating a false pattern through guilt by association. During interviews with local officials, reporters badgered the Gram Panchayat Vice President for documents he didn’t possess while failing to apply similar scrutiny to the masked man’s ever-changing story.

The Narrative Collapses

The entire narrative unraveled when forensic evidence revealed that the skeletal remains, which TNM had triumphantly declared as the “soil speaking up” belonged to men who had died decades before the alleged crimes. The masked man later confessed to being coached by a gang in Chennai, while key “witnesses” admitted to lying. Throughout this unravelling, TNM maintained conspicuous silence about their role in amplifying a fabricated story that damaged the reputation of a revered religious institution.

Award Nomination Raises Eyebrows

The RSF nomination has sparked criticism from media observers who question the timing and message of honoring an editor whose outlet recently promoted what proved to be a completely baseless story. Critics argue that the Dharmasthala coverage demonstrates how activist journalism can harm public discourse and damage innocent institutions.

RSF’s recognition comes despite TNM’s failure to issue corrections or acknowledge their flawed reporting methodology in the Dharmasthala case. The organization noted that Rajendran “and her team have been repeatedly subjected to lawsuits and are harassed online because of their work,” but made no mention of the legitimate criticism regarding their factual inaccuracies.

The Press Freedom Awards ceremony will be held on 15 November 2025, in Paris, where Rajendran will be considered alongside nominees from Palestine, Chile, Syria, and Vietnam. So one wonders whether Dhanya is being considered for the ‘award’ for the narrative setting and ‘impact’ it created rather than actual truthful journalism.

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TNM’s Bigot-In-Chief Sudipto Mondal Spews Nazi-Grade Venom Saying “RSS Is Bunch Of Not Very Fit Men, Mostly Brahmins” https://thecommunemag.com/tnms-bigot-in-chief-sudipto-mondal-spews-nazi-grade-venom-saying-rss-is-bunch-of-not-very-fit-men-mostly-brahmins/ Tue, 21 Oct 2025 14:40:59 +0000 https://thecommunemag.com/?p=131752 A recent episode of The News Minute’s “South Central” podcast, which positioned itself as a nuanced discussion on Hindutva, instead revealed a deep-seated bias and a troubling reliance on stereotypes from its panelists. The conversation, featuring academic V Geeta and ‘journalists’ Dhanya Rajendran, Anisha Sheth, and Sudipto Mondal, was less an analysis and more an […]

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A recent episode of The News Minute’s “South Central” podcast, which positioned itself as a nuanced discussion on Hindutva, instead revealed a deep-seated bias and a troubling reliance on stereotypes from its panelists. The conversation, featuring academic V Geeta and ‘journalists’ Dhanya Rajendran, Anisha Sheth, and Sudipto Mondal, was less an analysis and more an exhibition of the very intellectual laziness and prejudice they claim to oppose.

Sudipto’s Bigotry: “A Bunch Of Not Very Fit Men, Mostly Brahmins”

The most jarring moment came from Sudipto, who dismissively referred to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as “a bunch of not very fit men who are not storm troopers. They are mostly the Brahmins.” This statement is not analysis; it is pure, unadulterated bigotry. What Sudipto does is –

Casteist Stereotyping: To reduce a vast, 100-year-old organization with millions of members from every stratum of Indian society to a “mostly Brahmin” club is factually false and intellectually dishonest. It resurrects a tired, divisive trope designed to delegitimize a group by framing it as a sectarian project of a single community. Would similar generalizations about the caste composition of any other community or organization be tolerated on a mainstream platform?

Ad Hominem Attacks: Instead of engaging with the RSS’s ideology or activities, Sudipto resorts to mocking the physical fitness of its members. This is the lowest form of argument, an ad hominem attack that reveals a complete lack of substantive critique. It is a tactic used when one has run out of logical points to make.

The Silambam Anecdote: An Unwitting Testimonial For RSS’s Peaceful Nature

Sudipto’s story about carrying a Silambam stick onto the Bangalore metro is perhaps the most profound example of the panel’s lack of self-awareness. He boasts about pretending to be a Sangh Karyakarta to bypass security, implying this shows a “common fear” of the RSS.

Let’s hold this story up to the mirror: What does it actually prove? A man carrying a potential weapon (a stick) was allowed to proceed because he claimed affiliation with an organization known for its discipline and non-violent conduct. The metro security’s assumption was clearly that an RSS volunteer would not misuse the lathi. This anecdote, intended to scare, actually serves as a public testimonial to the RSS’s reputation for peace and order. There are no daily headlines about RSS Swayamsevaks using their lathis as weapons in public unrest. The security’s reaction was based on this observed, historical conduct.

If the commentators on “South Central” wish to be taken seriously as critical voices, they must first hold a mirror to their own prejudices and inconsistent logic. The first step out of their “circular banality” is to abandon bigotry and apply their scrutiny equally, rather than weaponizing it only against their political opponents. The public deserves better than venom; it deserves honest, principled debate.

Previous Instances Of Sudipto Mondal’s Hate Speech

In what can be considered as a Nazi-level hatemongering, Sudipto Mondal made a disturbing remark targeting supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Prime Minister Modi had shared a video of the grand roadshow heled in Bengaluru on his social media platforms. Reacting to this, Sudipto Mondal posted an offensive comment, suggesting that BJP and Modi supporters do not belong to a civilized society and should be subjected to a “re-education programme” once they are “forgiven” — a statement that many found deeply derogatory and reminiscent of extremist rhetoric.

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Let Me Peddle Propaganda: TNM Spins Madhya Pradesh Cough Syrup Deaths Tragedy To Shield DMK Govt’s Failure And Pin Blame On PM Modi And BJP https://thecommunemag.com/let-me-peddle-propaganda-tnm-spins-madhya-pradesh-cough-syrup-deaths-tragedy-to-shield-dmk-govt-and-pin-blame-on-pm-modi-and-bjp/ Tue, 14 Oct 2025 16:37:55 +0000 https://thecommunemag.com/?p=131437 In the wake of yet another tragic cough syrup scandal that claimed the lives of children in India, platforms like The News Minute and its “journalists” like Pooja Prasanna have positioned themselves as fearless crusaders against a failed system. Their narrative, however, is not one of impartial investigation but of a carefully curated, politically convenient […]

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In the wake of yet another tragic cough syrup scandal that claimed the lives of children in India, platforms like The News Minute and its “journalists” like Pooja Prasanna have positioned themselves as fearless crusaders against a failed system. Their narrative, however, is not one of impartial investigation but of a carefully curated, politically convenient hit job. While rightly slamming systemic failures, they perform all kinds of acrobatics to shield their political master – the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government in Tamil Nadu from the very scrutiny they demand of others.

While she proudly claims that “the truth in the Madhya Pradesh case came out only after the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Drugs Control tested the samples and found them containing nearly 50% Diethylene Glycol (DEG),” she conveniently pushes the blame squarely on the Central and Madhya Pradesh government – lucky for her both are BJP! She said, “But the Madhya Pradesh FDA cleared Coldrif claiming it was free of contamination. The Union Health Ministry repeated the scheme without conducting its own tests.”

Well, the TN Directorate did the tests only after the children died because the origin of the cough syrup was a manufacturer in TN!

The manufacturer of the deadly ‘Coldrif’ syrup, Sresan Pharmaceuticals, operated out of Tamil Nadu. The license to manufacture drugs, a sacred trust to protect human life, was granted to this company by the Tamil Nadu drug regulatory authorities, which operate under the TN government’s Health Department – now the ruling government is the DMK.

Before a drug can kill children in Madhya Pradesh, it must first be produced unsafely in its home state. The primary, most fundamental layer of regulation rests with the state licensing authority.

Under India’s Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and its rules, the manufacturer (production unit) is legally required to test all raw materials, intermediates, and finished formulations.

Each batch must pass quality control (QC) before release.

The company’s in-house or approved lab conducts these tests for purity, potency, identity, and contamination.

Only after satisfactory results and batch release certificates can the product be marketed or transported to other states.

The Tamil Nadu drug control department, under the DMK government, catastrophically failed in its most basic duty: ensuring that a manufacturer within its jurisdiction was not producing poison. This is the ground-zero failure.

The “Political Donations” Angle: A Reckless And Unsubstantiated Allegation

Pooja Prasanna tries to establish that pharma companies donate to political parties and that some of these companies have violations. However, it does not provide a single piece of evidence that a specific donation led to a specific regulatory favor, such as a dropped investigation or a waived inspection. It implies a direct quid pro quo without proving it. This is the most contentious part from an Indian perspective, as it veers into unsubstantiated conspiracy theory.

The report presents the regulatory system as a monolithic failure. However, India’s drug regulation is a federal matter, primarily implemented by State Drug Control authorities.

The report heavily implies that political donations directly buy immunity from prosecution. However, it provides zero evidence linking a specific donation from a violating company to a specific regulatory favor. In India, where political funding is a complex and legal activity, this is a serious allegation made without concrete proof.

It states that 7 of the 35 donating companies were “under investigation.” Being under investigation is not a conviction. Due process is a cornerstone of any democracy, including India’s. To insinuate that all companies under investigation are guilty and are bribing their way out is a violation of the principle of “innocent until proven guilty.”

Prasanna lists down all the drug related deaths allegedly caused by India’s pharmaceuticals as if to portray India in a poor light. At a time when PM Modi speaks about Atmanirbharta in all sectors, when India is aiming to become the leader in the pharma industry, making drugs in India for the world, Pooja Prasanna and TNM’s attempt to push propaganda seems like an effort to please their western masters and add yet another blackmark to the country.

This narrative, aired without irrefutable proof, can be seized upon by international competitors to unfairly damage the reputation of the entire $50 billion Indian pharmaceutical industry, which is a critical source of affordable medicine for the Global South and a point of national pride.

What Pooja Prasanna does not tell you is that in 2023, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) made testing for contaminants like DEG and EG mandatory for all cough syrup exports before release.

The government has blacklisted and cancelled the licenses of several manufacturers involved, such as Marion Biotech and Digital Vision.

The draft New Drugs, Medical Devices and Cosmetics Bill, 2022 is explicitly mentioned but framed as an unfinished failure, without acknowledging it as a proactive (if delayed) step to modernize a colonial-era law.

Lack Of Context On The Scale Of The Industry

The report focuses on the failures but provides no context for the massive scale of the Indian pharmaceutical sector.

India is the world’s largest producer of generic drugs, supplying over 50% of global demand for various vaccines and 20-22% of generic medicine exports. To highlight a few criminal manufacturers without mentioning that thousands of Indian companies comply with global standards (supplying to the US, EU, etc.) creates a distorted image that all “Indian-made medicines” are suspect.

The report dismisses the economic pressures of producing ultra-low-cost medicines for a price-sensitive population like India’s and the developing world. While this never excuses adulteration, a holistic Indian perspective would recognize the challenge of maintaining quality at rock-bottom prices, a challenge Western regulators rarely face to the same degree.

Narrative Of A “Failed State” And Selective Comparison

The tone and framing paint a picture of a negligent state that does not care about its children.

The report praises the US FDA’s response to its 1937 tragedy but fails to mention that the US system itself has had major failures (e.g., the Opioid crisis). Furthermore, it doesn’t acknowledge that the US FDA is a century-old, centrally funded agency with a budget of over $6 billion, while India’s CDSCO and state authorities are severely understaffed and underfunded in comparison, managing a much larger and more diverse market.

The report criticizes the government’s advisories to doctors as “shifting the burden.” From an official Indian perspective, these advisories are a prudent and immediate public health measure to save lives while systemic reforms are implemented. It is a standard practice worldwide to issue such advisories during a health crisis.

There is no denying the tragedy or the need for robust regulation. However, journalism that focuses its fire exclusively on one particular party while ignoring the failures of those actually responsible loses all claim to impartiality. The News Minute, by omitting the Tamil Nadu regulator’s key role and twisting the narrative, scavenges engagement from the deaths of 23 children.

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South First Editor Anusha Ravi Sood Jumps To Shield DMK From Criticism For Karur Stampede https://thecommunemag.com/wannabe-dmk-mouthpiece-south-first-editor-anusha-ravi-sood-buttresses-dmk-for-karur-stampede/ Thu, 02 Oct 2025 06:54:03 +0000 https://thecommunemag.com/?p=130366 Just as DMK’s unoffical mouthpiece The News Minute rushed to absolve the ruling DMK of its responsibility in the Karur TVK rally stampede, another wannabe “news” portal, The South First’s editor Anusha Ravi Sood, put out a post quoting TVK chief actor-turned-politician Vijay’s video after the tragedy. In a five-minute video statement posted on social media platform […]

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Just as DMK’s unoffical mouthpiece The News Minute rushed to absolve the ruling DMK of its responsibility in the Karur TVK rally stampede, another wannabe “news” portal, The South First’s editor Anusha Ravi Sood, put out a post quoting TVK chief actor-turned-politician Vijay’s video after the tragedy.

In a five-minute video statement posted on social media platform X, the actor-politician expressed deep sorrow over the September 27 tragedy. “I have never faced such a painful situation in my life. My heart is filled with pain, only pain. I express my deepest condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones. I know that no word can ever compensate for the loss. Right now, I pray for the speedy recovery of those undergoing treatment at hospitals. I will meet everyone very soon,” Vijay said, addressing the public for the first time since the incident.

Vijay responded to criticism over his quick exit from the site after the stampede, clarifying that his decision was made to avoid triggering further panic.

Hinting at possible political angles behind the tragedy, he remarked, “We went to at least five districts for our campaign, and no such incident took place in any of those places. It only happened in Karur. How did this happen? The public knows the truth, they are seeing everything. Soon all the truth will come out.

In a direct dare to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, Vijay stated, “If you want revenge, do whatever you want to me, don’t touch my cadre. I will either be at my home or the office, you can do anything to me.

He further raised concerns over the FIRs filed against three TVK leaders — district secretary Mathiyalagan, state general secretary ‘Bussy’ Anand, and deputy general secretary Nirmal Kumar — along with several social media commentators, stressing that his party had complied with every instruction given by the authorities.

Anusha Ravi Sood Rushes To Defend DMK

Reacting to Vijay’s video, Anusha Sood had to register her defence of the DMK government while trying to absolve it of any wrongdoing.

Vijay may not have said the word “sorry” or “apologies” but he did convey his pain and offered condolences to the families of the deceased expressing remorse over the untoward tragedy.

In her post, Sood wrote, In a dramtic video oozing cinematic dialogues, TVK chief Vijay fuels sabotage theories, says he did nothing wrong, dares CM @mkstalin to take action against him but not his fans & cadres. No taking accountability, no apology to the families who have lost their loved ones.”

Sood claims (just like Dhanya Rajendran) that Vijay was furthering “conspiracy theories”. However, eyewitness accounts actually point in the direction which Vijay took to in his video.

Rani, the wife of a TVK functionary who has been arrested, recounted the chaos at the Karur rally, saying things were fine until the bus arrived and people began throwing slippers, sparking a riot-like situation. She described how the crowd pushed and trampled attendees, even strangling a mother and her two children with a party flag. Rani alleged that some outsiders conspired, leaving rowdies in the crowd who sprayed a substance that made people faint. Panic ensued as people fell into a pit, were pushed over one another, and were stamped on in the stampede.

Another eyewitness revealed to the NDA delegation which visited the site about unidentified individuals infiltrating the rally and that some miscreants allegedly used knives to injure attendees. However, Dhanya and Anusha both brushed this factor aside and did not think it necessary to investigate this angle.

This is what Dhanya Rajendran wrote, “No apology – More conspiracy theories – Provoke/Taunt Sure, he can ask questions if the state machinery failed, but he just resorts to conspiracy mongering. Definitely grim signs from someone who aspires to be a politician. But is this surprising?”

Anusha Ravi Sood – The Wannabe DMK Mouthpiece

Much like The News Minute, Sood has been vying for DMK’s attention for quite some time. The South First under Anusha Ravi Sood has repeatedly displayed patterns of selective reporting, omission, and partisan amplification that align closely with the interests of the ruling DMK. Like TNM, Sood using her portal peddled North-South divide – something the Dravidianists salivate over. She even hailed mass murderer Tipu Sultan while derogating a true warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

In a classic case of partisan journalism, South First and its executive editor Anusha Ravi Sood have once again exposed their blatant bias by not questioning the DMK government but putting the blame on only one of the involved parties.

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Did The News Minute Conspire With Congress MP Sasikanth Senthil To Tarnish Dharmasthala Temple? Read Till The End To Know What TNM Did https://thecommunemag.com/did-the-news-minute-connive-with-congress-mp-sasikanth-senthil-to-target-dharmasthala-temple/ Mon, 25 Aug 2025 06:18:34 +0000 https://thecommunemag.com/?p=126220 The Dharmasthala “mass burial” issue exposed several leftist media and Dravidianist propaganda artists. The case unravelled within weeks of the allegations being made public. As the masked man confessed to the SIT that a gang approached him in Chennai in December 2023. “They asked me how many bodies I had buried when I worked in […]

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The Dharmasthala “mass burial” issue exposed several leftist media and Dravidianist propaganda artists. The case unravelled within weeks of the allegations being made public.

As the masked man confessed to the SIT that a gang approached him in Chennai in December 2023.

“They asked me how many bodies I had buried when I worked in Dharmasthala. I told them the truth: that I had legally buried the bodies of pilgrims who came for salvation, through the police and gram panchayat,” the complainant stated. “But the gang insisted that I should say that the bodies were buried illegally. They pressured me… they changed my mind.”

The masked man revealed that the gang brought him to Karnataka, trained him on what to say in court, and even provided him with the skull and bone fragments he submitted as evidence which forensic reports later confirmed belonged to a man who died 30 years ago. He further confessed that he was instructed to coordinate his false testimony with another complainant, Sujatha Bhat, who had filed a missing person report for her daughter.

The SIT has since confirmed that the skull and bone fragments were of men who had died decades earlier, undermining the complainant’s earlier claims. Excavations at 17 sites identified by him yielded no evidence of mass graves. At one site, partial skeletal remains were found but were confirmed to be male, dating back 30 years.

As the case crumbled, political attention turned to identifying the “gang” behind the conspiracy. BJP MLA from Udupi, Yashpal Suvarna, and Independent MLA G. Janardhan Reddy publicly named Congress MP Sasikanth Senthil as the key conspirator. They alleged that Senthil, who served as Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner, orchestrated the plot using leftist and Islamist networks he cultivated during his administrative tenure.

Now, you can identify two big players in this entire script – Sasikanth Senthil and The News Minute.

So, did Sasikanth Senthil connive with TNM to target the Dharmasthala temple and its administration?

Sasikanth Senthil x TNM – An Association That Already Existed

If we take a look at whether TNM and Sasikanth Senthil have already been involved, you can find a few video interviews of Senthil from the time of Karnataka Assembly elections in 2023.

At this time, Senthil was the Congress war room head. Subsequently, he got a ticket for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections – guess how.

Senthil was one of the brains behind scripting the “40% commission sarkar” narrative which helped the Congress to come back to power. This successful strategy reached the AICC top leadership’s notice, and he was given the ticket. And surprisingly for a first timer, he even won the election. How was this possible? Also, TNM played that able sidekick’s role very well to amplify this 40% commission sarkar narrative. Here’s an example:

Here’s where TNM comes into the picture – position him as a great person, grassroots leader, amplify his Dalit image and make it more humane.

In a series of interviews with TNM, Senthil was able to establish this as a “fact”.

Building The Persona: The Making Of A Crusader

From the outset, TNM positions Sasikanth Senthil not merely as a politician, but as a principled crusader – the “righteous underdog” who sacrifices a prestigious bureaucracy post for the ideals of democracy and social justice.

Senthil’s resignation from the IAS is portrayed as an act of supreme moral courage. The interviews repeatedly return to this story, cementing him as a man of principle who “sacrificed” a powerful post for the sake of democracy.

The interviews repeatedly frame Senthil through his Dalit background, intellectual gravitas, and purported courage in standing up to the “fascist” machinery of the BJP and RSS.

Instead of neutral scrutiny, TNM constructs a sympathetic, even heroic, mythos around Senthil, building him up as a visionary of equity, a voice for the subaltern, and a lonely warrior on an ideological battlefield. His personal anecdotes, philosophical musings, and sweeping critiques are presented uncritically, offering the audience a neatly packaged, morally superior protagonist.

Leading Questions, Softballs, And Unquestioned Narratives

At the heart of these interviews is TNM’s interviewing style, which can only be described as leading, prompting, and at times overtly softball. Senthil is asked repeatedly about his “politics” and why he “fights”, not to examine or challenge, but to facilitate and expand his narrative. Questions accept his premises at face value: his characterizations of the BJP, his reading of the Congress revival, and his harshest indictments of current governance all flow unimpeded.

When Senthil makes incendiary allegations on EVMs being unreliable, the government being “fascist,” or institutions being “captured”, the interviewers never counter, ask for evidence, or present a balancing view. TNM forgoes any semblance of critical journalism, choosing instead to echo Senthil’s language, accept sweeping generalizations, and allow speculative predictions about the fall of political opponents.

Even controversies, like flaws within the Congress or DMK, or nuanced debates over communal issues, are gently skirted. Senthil is allowed to dismiss allied failures or deflect probing questions with jargon-laden philosophies, while crucial aspects of his partisan role are left undisclosed to the audience.

Connecting The Dots: From Studio To Dharmasthala

This established modus operandi is crucial context for the Dharmasthala alleged mass burial issue. When reports surfaced, TNM was at the forefront, weaving a sensational narrative targeting the Dharmasthala temple administration, a story that now stands completely exposed as a fabrication. The so-called whistleblowers and accusers have publicly confessed that they lied.

The question that now screams for an answer is: who was the architect of this lie?

Given TNM’s documented history of being that loyal sidekick and mouthpiece, as well as acting as an uncritical megaphone for Sasikanth Senthil’s ideology, a deeply troubling possibility emerges. Were they not just aligned in ideology but also in action?

Did Sasikanth Senthil, the politician TNM so carefully positioned as an intellectual crusader against “hierarchies,” provide the political impetus and the ideological framework for the story? Did he feed TNM the unverified allegations, secure in the knowledge that their “journalists” would never ask him for proof, just as they never had before? Did TNM, in turn, willingly become the propaganda arm, launching a calculated attack on a Hindu institution based on nothing but the word of a political ally they were committed to promoting?

The synergy is unmistakable. The same outlet that built Senthil’s persona through leading questions and softball interviews appears to have used the very same tactics to build a fictional narrative around Dharmasthala. They took unsubstantiated claims, refused to apply journalistic rigor, and presented them as a definitive indictment, all to serve a political narrative and target a perceived ideological opponent.

What TNM Did

Is Sasikanth Senthil behind the Dharmasthala conspiracy? We don’t know.

Is the “Chennai gang” referred to by the ‘masked man’ Chinnaiah somehow connected to those at TNM and the Congress MP? We don’t know.

Did The News Minute and Congress MP Sasikanth Senthil hatch an elaborate plan to settle scores with Dharmasthala temple management? We don’t know.

Anybody can allege anything through conjectures and weave a compelling narrative.

And that is exactly what TNM did in the Dharmasthala case. Weave a story without any proof.

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The post Did The News Minute Conspire With Congress MP Sasikanth Senthil To Tarnish Dharmasthala Temple? Read Till The End To Know What TNM Did appeared first on The Commune.

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