The News Minute (TNM), a self-proclaimed bastion of “brave journalism,” has once again exposed its blatant hypocrisy and selective outrage. The leftist propaganda portal went into a frenzy when Empuraan, the Malayalam political thriller, underwent over 17 cuts following backlash over its incorrect portrayal of the 2002 Gujarat riots. Yet, when the same film was forced to remove scenes allegedly referencing the Mullaperiyar dam—after pressure from Tamil Nadu’s DMK government—TNM was conspicuously silent.
Selective Outrage: TNM’s Anti-Hindu Agenda
TNM’s video and articles on Empuraan were dripping with outrage, painting the cuts as an assault on “artistic freedom” and a surrender to the “Hindutva brigade.” The portal hyperventilated over the removal of scenes depicting Hindu mob violence, the renaming of a fictional antagonist, and the deletion of references to the Sangh Parivar. According to TNM, this was proof of the BJP’s “fascist censorship.”
But where was TNM’s righteous indignation when the DMK government and its allies, including Rajya Sabha MP Vaiko, demanded the removal of scenes allegedly alluding to the Mullaperiyar dam? Tamil Nadu’s Water Resources Minister Durai Murugan even admitted he hadn’t watched the film but still condemned it based on hearsay. The DMK-led Assembly discussed banning the film, and the filmmakers, already under pressure, quietly edited out the contentious scenes as confirmed by TN CM Stalin.
The TN govt and the ecosystem here would never get the rap for such intrusions into FoE. The right wing rightly draws flak for its outrage over Empuraan and subsequent cuts, the one pulled off by Dravidians goes under the radar. Very typical of the state of affairs. pic.twitter.com/ZjOjOB0THk
— K Balakumar (@kbalakumar) April 5, 2025
Double Standards: Silence For DMK’s Censorship, BJP’s Is ‘Fascist’
TNM’s silence speaks volumes. For them, censorship is only problematic when it comes from the “right wing.” When the DMK—TNM’s seeming ideological ally—bullies filmmakers into cutting scenes, it’s apparently not worth reporting. This is the same outlet that sanctimoniously lectures about “free expression” while turning a blind eye to the Left-Dravidian ecosystem’s own authoritarian tendencies.
Consider the facts:
- DMK politicians, including CM Stalin, openly pressured the filmmakers, leading to cuts.
- Vaiko, a DMK ally, hysterically claimed the film would “incite fear” among Keralites about the dam’s safety.
- The CBFC, which TNM accused of bowing to the BJP, had initially cleared the dam scenes—meaning the cuts were purely political, enforced by DMK pressure.
Yet, TNM didn’t deem this worthy of condemnation. Why? Because their loyalty lies not with journalism but with their anti-BJP, anti-Hindu narrative.
TNM’s Flawed Logic: ‘The Kerala Story’ vs. ‘Empuraan’
TNM’s “journalist” Pooja Prasanna made a laughable attempt to distinguish The Kerala Story from Empuraan, claiming the former was “propaganda” while the latter was “just fiction.” But if Empuraan has the right to fictionalize the 2002 riots, why shouldn’t The Kerala Story have the same liberty to depict religious conversions? The answer is simple: TNM only defends “artistic freedom” when it suits its ideological agenda.
TNM is nothing but TNMurasoli, A DMK-Left Mouthpiece
The News Minute has proven, yet again, that it is nothing more than a propaganda arm of the DMK-Left ecosystem. Its selective outrage over censorship—only when it fits its anti-BJP narrative—exposes its hypocrisy. If TNM truly cared about free speech, it would have slammed the DMK’s ‘outrage’ over the Mullaperiyar dam scene. Instead, it stayed silent, revealing its real priority: pushing anti-Hindu, anti-national narratives while shielding its political masters.
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