Ananda Vikatan, a pro-DMK supportive publication group, has stoked a fresh controversy by publishing a cartoon portraying PM Modi manacled sitting next to US President Donald Trump to tell India is submissive to the US in the Indian illegal migrants being deported chained in legs and ankles.
Following massive outrage from the public, BJP supporters, Tamil Nadu BJP took the matter seriously. They urged the Union government and Press Council of India (PCI) to act on the issue at the earliest. TN BJP chief Annamalai has written two separate letters to the Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting & Parliamentary Affairs Murugan, and the Chairperson of the PCI. In these letters, he has urged immediate action against Vikatan magazine for spreading false narratives and making unfounded, offensive allegations against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Annamalai also criticized the magazine for acting as a propaganda tool for the DMK in the state, thereby compromising journalistic ethics.
Posting the letters in his social handle X , Annamalai said “ On behalf of @BJP4TamilNadu , we have submitted two separate representations today: one to the Chairperson of the Press Council of India and another to our Hon MoS Thiru @Murugan_MoS avl, seeking prompt action against Vikatan magazine for being a mouthpiece of the DMK and for publishing offensive and baseless content against our Hon PM Thiru @narendramodi avl.
In his letters to MoS L Murugan and chairperson of the Press Council of India, Annamalai wrote, “On behalf of BJP Tamil Nadu, we bring to your immediate and kind notice the cover picture printed by one of the Tamil weekly magazines, Vikatan, in Tamil Nadu deliberately aimed at defaming our Honourable Prime Minister Thiru Narendra Modi avl. For the last many years, Vikatan, under the garb of Journalism, has been operating as a mouthpiece of the DMK, defaming the good work of the Central Government & our Honourable PM, often printing articles/ cartoons that are figments of their imagination, and distorting the truth. The cartoon published by Vikatan magazine today showed our Prime Minister Thiru Narendra Modi avl in chains, sitting in a chair right next to the President of the United States. Today’s cover picture has been deliberately published to paint a negative image of the entire diplomatic trip of our PM to please the ruling DMK government in Tamil Nadu and cast a shadow on the diplomatic progress made by our Prime Minister Thiru Narendra Modi as an outcome of this trip”
Annamalai writes “ the deliberate printing of malicious information by Vikatan Magazine violates the Principles and Ethics published under the norms of journalistic conduct defined by the Press Council of India under the following.
*Freedom of speech does not give the right to newspapers to write about an institution or individual untrue facts even on a lighter note.
* Newspapers should remember that their duty is to collect and place the news in perspective but not create news.
*Insertion of out-of-context, uncalled-for statements likely to malign a person or an organisation must be eschewed.
*Freedom of the Press does not give a licence to a newspaper to malign a political leader by publishing fake and defamatory writings.
*Media plays an important role in moulding public opinion and developing better understanding between countries. Objective reporting so as not to jeopardise friendly bilateral relations is therefore desirable.
Annamalai said, “Sir we have enclosed the cover picture printed today and similar photos printed by Vikatan in the past aimed at delivering our Honourable Prime Minister Thiru Narendra Modi avl and spreading untruth. We request that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting take note of Vikatan Magazine’s political bias and initiate suitable action against them as soon as possible”.
On behalf of @BJP4TamilNadu, we have submitted two separate representations today: one to the Chairperson of the Press Council of India and another to our Hon MoS Thiru @Murugan_MoS avl, seeking prompt action against Vikatan magazine for being a mouthpiece of the DMK and for… pic.twitter.com/1PZjr9CClC
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) February 15, 2025
In an identical letter to Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, he has requested “the press council of India to take note of Vikatan Magazine’s political bias and initiate suitable action against them as soon as possible”
Continuation… pic.twitter.com/0mzEl0YngZ
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) February 15, 2025
Annamalai has enclosed the earlier cartoon that portrayed the PM in a bad manner.
On behalf of @BJP4TamilNadu, we have submitted two separate representations today: one to the Chairperson of the Press Council of India and another to our Hon MoS Thiru @Murugan_MoS avl, seeking prompt action against Vikatan magazine for being a mouthpiece of the DMK and for… pic.twitter.com/1PZjr9CClC
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) February 15, 2025
Some say they could not see it but others who use VPN , they can access to it. Also people in foreign nations say they can open and see the magazine.
Without any sense of remorse, Ananda Vikatan in a post in X says “ We will stand strong in defence of freedom of expression…For nearly a century, Vikatan has stood firmly in support of freedom of expression. We have always operated with the principle of upholding free speech and will continue to do so. We are still trying to ascertain the reasons behind the blocking of our website, and are in the process of taking up this matter with the ministry.
We will stand strong in defense of freedom of expression…
For nearly a century, Vikatan has stood firmly in support of freedom of expression. We have always operated with the principle of upholding free speech and will continue to do so. We are still trying to ascertain the… pic.twitter.com/cjiq1YNEOU
— விகடன் (@vikatan) February 15, 2025
It says, “There have been numerous reports stating that the Vikatan website has been blocked by the Central government. Many users from different locations have reported that they are unable to access the Vikatan website. However, as of now, there has been no official announcement from the Central government regarding the blocking of the Vikatan website”.
It is not the first time; the magazine faced such onslaughts from political parties. During AIADMK regime, it had published a cartoon on the outer wrapper rather the front cover page bearing the date of issue 29.3.1987. On April 4, 1987, the Tamil Nadu Assembly had sentenced its Editor Balasubramanian to undergo three months’ rigorous imprisonment after it resolved that he had “violated the privileges of the House” by publishing a cartoon on the cover of Ananda Vikatan of March 29. The House found the cartoon derogatory to its members. But he walked out of prison April 6.
Critics say “it is high time that the I and B ministry took stern action against Vikatan group and other media including you tubers, SM activists who day in and day out churn out biased, unfounded allegations against PM, BJP and RSS. They poorly depict them. They are being controlled by the ruling DMK in turn for advertisement, privileges and keep some of them in its pay roll. DMK organising Secretary RS Bharati called “RSB media (he compared TN media houses to red-light districts before accusing journalists of running campaign against the party). The Centre should note how TN journalists, media houses and SM activists were arrested, intimidated, gonda acts slapped etc to reign them and how it silenced its critics. We prefer a strong I and B Minister as the soft and inactive L Murugan”.
