Dhanya Rajendran, founder of The News Minute (TNM) was seen “cozying up” on social media platform X thanking DMK’s IT Wing head TRB Rajaa for “standing with them” as allegations of TNM journalists having received bribes in 2016.
Photos of an alleged diary entry of a mining baron Shekhar Reddy were circulating on X and it was debunked by Shabbir Ahmed of The News Minute. This comes at a time when TNM has been actively reporting on the failures of the DMK government in handling the floods and the impact of Cyclone Michaung.
Following this, DMK supporters started digging out old tweets of Dhanya Rajendran where she had posted derogatorily about former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and the late DMK patriarch, Karunanidhi.
As she shared an article from The Wire titled, “(At Least) Three Critical Flaws in the Ethics Committee Report on Mahua Moitra”, several DMK supporters called out her duplicity when it came to ethics.
One supporter wrote, “Lol same @dhanyarajendran who was preaching DMK cadre on ethics, integrity, abuse, etc? This is her abusing an octogenarian leader and one of the tallest leaders in Tamilnadu and India. Now she expects the cadre of the party who are beneficiaries of Kaalingnars social/people welfare schemes to garland her with Roses for the agenda-driven journalism she and her Samsung friends carry out! If Samsung phone beneficiaries who masquerade as journalists have so much loyalty to their masters, we will also showcase our loyalty to our leaders by exposing the agenda of these Samsung. Now go complain to our ministers you scam of a journalist…”
Lol same @dhanyarajendran who was preaching DMK cadre on ethics , integrity , abuse etc ?
This is her abusing a octogenarian leader and one of the tallest leaders in Tamilnadu and India .
Now she expects the cadre of the party who are beneficiaries of Kaalingnars social/people… pic.twitter.com/ksYAXOnqiO
— WengersFan (@WengersFan) December 10, 2023
Here are some of her old tweets where she spoke about Karunanidhi making fun of his multiple marriages and plentiful children most often.
@jojiphilip– u idiot. One wife is dead. Dont make such statements
— Dhanya Rajendran (@dhanyarajendran) May 13, 2011
She is nothing less than venom 🐍 shifali 😡😡👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/e4cNB8gIMF
— ஜெர்னலிஸ்ட் செந்தில் (@senthilchandr) December 10, 2023
Madam Journalist @dhanyarajendran : May I share the password of your Email which I saw it somewhere????
I don’t want to do that, because I’m not so low life like you ESTEEMED SO-CALLED JOURNALIST MADAM… pic.twitter.com/NZHyYDJViK
— Hareesh Mohamed Ibrahim (@hihareesh) December 10, 2023
This is the 'standard' of the Feminist & Enlightened Journalist @dhanyarajendran.
The joke on KarunaNidhi was correct, appropriate, well within the Dravidian morality – but the critter grovelled & apologized. So much for Courage in reporting, Freedom of Expression. Scum. pic.twitter.com/tIKDfXTaZe
— nʌᴉɐsᴉɥʇo (@othisaivu) April 3, 2021
As the allegations of bribe started resurfaeing, it seemed as if TRB Rajaa was offering great support for Dhanya Rajendran and her team, however, the situation took a turn as he seemingly joined in on the amusement that DMK supporters were having at Dhanya and TNM’s expense.
Thank you @TRBRajaa. I cannot tell you how important this response is. As journalists, we are threatened and harassed. Most of us have learnt to live with it. But to question integrity is vile, something I will not take lying down. https://t.co/NieIXMpvLF
— Dhanya Rajendran (@dhanyarajendran) December 10, 2023
@dhanyarajendran but your bad tastes are still out there naa. will they be deleted ever?
its like @KasthuriShankar madam feeling bad for posting the video of the girls in liquor shop. sorry, but never to be deleted?
link for your ease of access:https://t.co/cLqMmsgbA5
but… pic.twitter.com/moViWzPbV6
— dravida_mathiri (@dravida_mathiri) December 10, 2023
Here is what TRB Rajaa wrote when a DMK supporter posted about the situation.
“Party members are very dignified, they will not slander the journalists. Only those who want to bring a bad name to the party must have done it.”. Rajaa replied to this post saying,“I can’t even! Am I the scapegoat today? Carry on, may the festival be successful”
Mudiyala 🤦🏽😅
😂😂😂 Innaikki nanthaan biriyaniya… Nadathunga
Vizha sirakkattum 🙏🏾😅— Dr. T R B Rajaa (@TRBRajaa) December 10, 2023
This post seems to indicate that Rajaa had posted that “support” tweet just for the namesake. Some DMK supporters questioned TRB Rajaa as to why he was supporting abusers of their leader, Karunanidhi.
TRB sir, Why are you standing for these jokers ? pic.twitter.com/nG2f6GQcEo
— கார்த்திகேயன் | Karthikeyan (@I_KKarthikeyan) December 10, 2023
A video of a debate on Puthiya Thalaimurai surfaced amidst this where the panel included political commentator Savukku Shankar, Dhanya Rajendran, and present DMK State Deputy Secretary IT Wing Madurai S Bala. In the video, Bala is seen saying, “Making posts against Dhanya, that too vulgar ones are totally wrong. There is no doubt about it. But Dhanya is a journalist. She has made tweets about Kalaignar. Those tweets do not fall anywhere close to the standards one has for journalists. They were very vulgar.”
Bala was referring to this tweet and asked her, “Is this right? Would you have done this for Jayalalithaa or Modi?”
To this, Dhanya replies by saying, “I made those posts several years ago. I have already apologised for it. There is nothing vulgar about it. I have made several tweets against Modi and Jayalalithaa. If you want you can take a look. This is not right. I criticise BJP and Congress daily. So tomorrow will you go dig into someone’s words spoken in college or school days? Will you dig into their whole history and say you deserve this? Is that right?”
நேர்படப் பேசு: கருணாநிதி குறித்த தனது ட்வீட்-ல் ஆபாசமா?: தன்யா ராஜேந்திரன் விளக்கம் pic.twitter.com/jN4aeTymNh
— PuthiyathalaimuraiTV (@PTTVOnlineNews) August 9, 2017
Dhanya states that she apologised for the tweets she made and had spoken about it to Stalin long back.
About the old tweets, some 100 times I have said in replies, publicly etc that it was in bad taste. Yes, let us come to the present. I raised opposition to exactly one thing. Which is using that fake document. After an aiadmk fellow made it, I got IT notice
— Dhanya Rajendran (@dhanyarajendran) December 10, 2023
N abt screenshots of my old tweets tat keep re-appearing on my TL, I had alrdy told Mr Stalin 'sorry for those'. Just for everyone's info.
— Dhanya Rajendran (@dhanyarajendran) August 10, 2017
Whether or not TNM continues to peddle propaganda just like the ruling DMK wants, they will be hounded for their past every now and then.
Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.