AIADMK launches TV channel 'News J' to take on rivals
(Sourced from PTI)
The ruling AIADMK launched 'News J', a Tamil TV channel, to take on propaganda against it by its rivals. This comes after 'Jaya TV', which used to be the party's channel, sided with ousted leader TTV Dhinakaran. Tamil Nadu CM K Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam launched the channel yesterday, two months after the logo, website and app for 'News J' were unveiled.
Palaniswami said 'News J' would toe the ideals set out by Dravidian icon C N Annadurai, late Chief Ministers M G Ramachandran, also AIADMK founder, and J Jayalalithaa and will telecast "true news". AIADMK was prompted to launch a TV channel of its own since 'Jaya TV' began backing Jayalalithaa's aide V K Sasikala and her nephew T T V Dhinakaran after her demise.
Also, 'Dr. Namadhu MGR', a Tamil daily launched by Jayalalithaa in 1988, is under the control of the Dhinakaran camp led Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK). This prompted the AIADMK to start its own Tamil daily 'Namadhu Puratchi Thalaivi Amma' in February.
Lashing out at Sasikala and Dhinakaran, without naming them, Palaniswami quoted Arjuna's victory from epic Mahabharata and said people's 'shakti' and cadres were on their side, since they had the blessings of "Amma (Jayalalithaa)". Palaniswami lamented that a TV channel that was launched due to Jayalalithaa's efforts to propagate the ideals of the party and disseminate government's welfare-schemes is now no longer with them.
Palaniswami said sections of media gave importance to coverage of "negative news" only, which also downplayed welfare initiatives of the government. "Broadcasting welfare measures of the government need not be construed as pro-government," he said. Telecast of news about the state's welfare-schemes will help poor people understand it and become beneficiaries which would, in turn, improve their standard of living as well, he added.
Meanwhile, Panneerselvam said the letter J in 'News J' television represented "Jayam", which meant victory. He said the channel will always be a "constructive force, a true voice of democracy that would beat money power...the soul of Amma will guide us to victory."
