TN to ban rallies kindling caste, religious passions

Representatives of the AIADMK V Sathiamoorthy and Niraikulathan, Janata Party Subramanian Swamy and V S Chandralekha and Vivasayeegal Sangam Vettavalam Manikandan and Arcot Sundaresan staged a walk-out insisting that the words, 8220;State Government and the district administration should own responsibility for the clashes8221;, be included in the resolution.

A resolution urged the TN Government to take stringent action against caste-based organisations and its leaders if they instigated violence. It appealed to the organisations to avoidposters and wall graffiti which might instigate violence, and urged the Government to take effective action against those who indulged in such activities.

The meeting decided not to allow new statues to be installed without the Government8217;s permission, while those installing them should protect and maintain them. The responsibility of maintaining and safeguarding statues already installed, would lie with associations or individuals who had put them up.

In another resolution, the leaders urged the State Government to amend the rules so as to prohibit Government servants from participating in caste-based association meetings/activities even after retirement.

The TN Government should urge the Centre to make changes in rules governing the services of Indian Administrative Service and Indian Police Service officers so as to bar them from such activities, they added.

The meeting wanted the Government to intensify the, 8220;anti-untouchability propaganda8221; through plays, cultural programmes, television, radioand short films, with more funds allocated for the purpose.

The leaders felt peace committees that have been set up in each district should be activitated, and set up in every village, to put an end to untouchability. If they did not succeed, the police could be approached. The meeting urged the State Government to draw up guidelines to empower the committees.

Another resolutions asked the government to speed up efforts to set up industries in southern Tamil Nadu and increase job opportunities here. The leaders suggested the government convene a journalists8217; meeting and stress the need for a precautionary approach as regards publishing reports of caste and communal clashes.

Later, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi hoped the leaders would extend their cooperation in the Government8217;s efforts to implement the resolutions.

Karunanidhi said he had mentioned at the meeting that the Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department of the State police had arrested over 90 per cent of the accused in the Coimbatoreserial blasts.