DMK’s first family-owned news channel was caught spreading fake news about Govardhan math’s Shankaracharya Sri Nischalananda Saraswati. Liberals and Ambedkarites were spreading pictures of a BJP MLA getting blessings from Shankaracharya saying the latter lifted his legs in an insulting manner. This was picked up and “reported” by the Karunanidhi family-owned channel Kalaignar News as well.

On August 27, Kalaignar News shared the picture of BJP’s SC MP Dr.Ramshankar Katheria paying respects to Shankaracharya saying he was disrespected by the latter. Dr.Katheria had organised a Srimad Bhagwat Katha at his house and had gone to invite the Shankaracharya to attend the event. Snapshots of his visit were shared in which he can be seen bowing on the ground and Shankaracharya lifting his feet.

Social media handles shared these pictures and claimed that Shankaracharya discriminated against the MP as he didn’t want the latter to touch his feet because he is an SC. Kalaignar News picked it up and reported it as “Controversy ensues as Puri Shankaracharya lifted his legs and frowned when BJP’s SC MP Ramshankar Katheria tried to get his blessings”. The tweet went viral and Dravidianists shared the image card across all social media platforms.

MP Katheria himself tweeted about the incident and clarified that he was not disrespected or discriminated against in any way. His tweet said, “Whatever is being shown in the media, no such incident happened, it is completely untrue. I strongly condemn this and demand strict action against such people who are showing all this wrong”.

Even though many flagged it as fake news after the MP clarified, Dravidianists continued to share the Kalaignar news report. The latter hasn’t deleted its tweet or issued clarification either. Dravidianists excel at twisting the facts to suit their narrative and this is one such incident. Readers should also recall how a person given centre stage by DMK IT wing and DMK MPs and MLAs for his ‘prowess’ in Tamil and Sanskrit turned out to have faked his PhD degree. Yet he was awarded an honorary PhD by the Dravidar Kazhagam run Periyar Maniammai University.

Even though DMK claims to be working to bring social justice and equality to society, DMK leaders are the first to take one’s caste to abuse or play the victim card. DMK likes to claim that if not for the party, OBCs, SCs and STs would have remained “oppressed” forever. But one should remember how DMK MP RS Bharathi said, “If those from Adi Dravida (referring to scheduled castes and tribes aka Dalits) community could become High Court judges, it is the alms given by Dravidian Movement”. But more than the fact that he insulted SC, STs even the judges were concerned only about the “alms” remark. Despite having such a history DMK and the organisations associated with it still peddle fake news to keep kindling the anti-Hindu anti-Brahmin hatred.