While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Tamil Nadu is struggling to counter the Dravidian aggression against its government at the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, there is one man who is vigorously demolishing all the misleading campaign against them. What he does is not merely a demolition job but a constructive one that counters a malicious and mischievous campaign with real data that has the opponents of the BJP and Modi stumped. Not surprisingly then, his Facebook posts are much read, discussed, debated and shared.
Meet M Maridhas, a native of Madurai in Tamil Nadu, who is single-handedly taking on these elements or “poralis”, as he terms them.
A post-graduate in engineering, Maridhas regrets that allegations are being made so thick and fast in Tamil Nadu that it is leading to people swinging to just one side – against the BJP and Modi – without ascertaining facts.
‘Get The Response From Ruling Party’
“Generally, you shouldn’t take into account only the charges and allegations against the rulers. We should hear the ruling party’s response to these and think if they are right. But here (Tamil Nadu), allegations and charges are being made,” says the 30-something youngster who has also taught in engineering colleges for six years.
What made Maridhas take to Facebook to counter misleading campaigns against the Centre is that he feels that criticism against any administration should be based on facts, data, and statistics. “Be it administration of the country or our home, numbers tell the truth. I trust all departments’ information that contains all details,” he says, adding that information from the World Bank, United Nations, and organisations that are linked to these two are generally reliable. In addition, information provided by each ministry in the country is acceptable.
“However, some organisations put out data and information to gain popularity. I never take those into consideration,” Maridhas says.
Information Available Easily
Elaborating further, Maridhas says every year each government department puts out an annual report. Besides, there is Right to Information. So getting the required information or data is easy. “That’s why I never trust any message that comes to me through WhatsApp or Facebook. Any important information (there is), I search and get that confirmed. If the information is misleading, then I come up with my posts rebutting it,” says the Madurai youth, who has also worked with a software company.
A major concern for him is the media’s failure, nationally and state-wide, to provide proper information. “They provide as news what they want to tell the people,” he laments.
‘No Valid Reason For Opposing NEET in Tamil Nadu’
To strengthen his case, Maridhas points out how the media handled the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) controversy in Tamil Nadu. “Why should Tamil Nadu alone oppose NEET? There is no valid reason. Shifting all students to the Central Board of Secondary Education syllabus is the solution, I think. Some channels function the way their owners want. What media ethics is this?” he wonders.
He is also critical of the media’s handling of certain issues, where they play up some cases and turn a deaf ear to others. “The death of a Dalit or Muslim or anyone belonging to any caste or religion…
