TN parties debate over caste politics

CHENNAI, May 14: Leader of the major political parties of Tamil Nadu, including Tamil Maanila Congress chief G K Moopanar, at the all-party...

CHENNAI, May 14: Leader of the major political parties of Tamil Nadu, including Tamil Maanila Congress chief G K Moopanar, at the all-party and community leaders’ meeting here on Wednesday, made a fervent plea to the government to issue an order against any further naming of Transport Corporations or districts after caste or community leaders.

Winding up the morning session of the all-party meeting convened to find ways of ending casteist tension in the southern districts, Moopanar is understood to have clarified that he had only suggested that no more Transport Corporations or districts should be named after caste leaders and not appealed for removal of the existing caste leaders’ names. “Removing the existing names will create fresh trouble," he said. "But I don’t think there will be any objection if the government ordered that none of the districts or transport corporations will be named after caste leaders in the future,” he observed.

Moopanar is stated to have urged the government to hold another meeting of political and community leaders to thrash out a solution to the vexatious problem plaguing the southern parts of the state.

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PMK leader, S Ramadoss urged the government to convene a meeting of the leaders of the two communities, Thevars and Dalits which were engaged in the bitter conflict now. “The all-party meeting can do little to find a solution to the problem.” This meeting should be followed up with a meeting between the leaders of the two clashing communities, he suggested, adding that no political party be invited for the meeting. Ramadoss felt that illicit distillation was the fountainhead of caste violence and urged the government to take stern action against bootlegging.

He also made a plea to the Dalits not to turn their fight for equality as a battle against a particular community but consider it as a social movement. Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, addressing the meet , said, when members of oppressed communities have to live together, it was highly regrettable that both were clashing with each other.