PMK founder S Ramadoss on Monday issued a strongly worded statement accusing the Dalit community of cheating girls as an occupation. He also lashed out at other parties for holding their silence in their wake of the Karaikkal gang-rape. He wondered if the silence was only because political parties were afraid of speaking out against the perpetrators only because they were Dalits and Muslims.
“Where are all of these supposedly progressive-thinking politicians who blamed Vanniyars when Ilavarasan got drunk and jumped in front of a train? Where are those who crucified innocent Vanniyars? Why are they unable to open their mouths now, when it has been confirmed that Muslims and Dalits have committed this gang-rape?” read Ramadoss’s statement.
“Why is it that they maintain silence over this injustice to a Mudaliar girl, when they shouted at the top of their voices even when Dalits had not been affected? Where is the progressive thinking in this?” wondered Ramadoss, attacking the silence of political parties over the matter.
He then turned his ire against the Dalit community, with which Ramadoss’s Vanniyar-based PMK has been involved in incidents of rioting and violence since November 2012. “The abduction of girls in the name of love continues. The Dalit people are engaged in this as an occupation, and continue to be protected by members of one party alone,” said Ramadoss.
He further accused political parties of attempting to hush up the matter, saying the young woman had been lured to Karaikkal by the brother of the VCK secretary and gang-raped by members of two gangs - one backed by DMK MLA Nazeem and the other by VCK functionary Jayakanthan. He said the matter would have been suppressed if it hadn’t been for the direct intervention of Senior SP Monica Bharadwaj. Ramadoss demanded that the Puducherry government give the affected woman a government job and financial assistance.