Dhanya Rajendran, Editor-in-Chief of the Leftist-Dravidianist portal The News Minute—often seen as DMK’s unofficial mouthpiece—has rushed to shield the Stalin Government from blame over the Karur TVK rally stampede, dismissing actor Vijay’s condolence video as mere ‘conspiracy mongering.’
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.
Dhanya Rajendran Rushes To Defend DMK
Reacting to Vijay’s video, Dhanya Rajendran rushed to defend 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.
However, Dhanya Rajendran claimed in her X post that Vijay offered no apologies.
Alluding to Vijay’s mention of possible political sabotage, Dhanya Rajendran tried to deflect the blame on DMK by labelling his speech as ‘conspiracy mongering’.
However, eyewitness accounts offer a different take.
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.
But all this has been brushed aside by Dhanya Rajendran.
Dhanya Rajendran: Editor-in-Chief of The New Murasoli
Much like Murasoli, the DMK’s official party organ, The News Minute under Dhanya Rajendran has repeatedly displayed patterns of selective reporting, omission, and partisan amplification that align closely with the interests of the ruling DMK.
TNM loudly criticizes the central government on issues of press freedom and arrests of activists, yet remains conspicuously silent when the DMK government in Tamil Nadu clamps down on dissent.
For instance, when the Stalin government announced a Social Media Monitoring Centre under police control to “curb fake news,” TNM raised no alarms — despite the obvious threat it posed to free speech.
Similarly, TNM showed little outrage over arrests and FIRs filed against critics of DMK leaders, including ordinary social media users, while projecting itself as a champion of press freedom elsewhere.
In a classic case of partisan journalism, The News Minute (TNM) and its editor-in-chief Dhanya Rajendran have once again exposed their blatant bias by amplifying Rahul Gandhi’s unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud while conveniently ignoring the DMK’s brazen misuse of government machinery to harvest voter data under the guise of electoral verification.
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