CHENNAI: Claiming that the Dravidian parties are paying only lip service to the idea of equality and have been denying political power to the Adi Dravida (Paraiyar) caste, as many as 25 organisations working for the welfare of the scheduled caste community have launched Dravida Ethirppu Koottamaippu (Anti-Dravidian Federation) here on Monday. The federation is managed by a coordination committee comprising five members.
Airport Moorthy, one of the coordinators of the federation told reporters the Adi Dravida community is being denied its due share despite being part of Dravidian politics for several decades. “Recently, when the State government led by DMK filled 206 posts of government pleader, public prosecutor and assistant public prosecutor, only six were given to scheduled caste communities. We will take efforts to propagate the injustice meted out to the community under the pretext of ‘Dravidian model’,” he said.
Regarding the launch of the federation, Moorthy said SC/ST communities form 21% of the population in the State and at least 6 to 7 persons from these communities should have been included in the State cabinet. “But, out of the 34 ministers (including CM), only three insignificant ministerial posts have been allocated to the SCs - each one for Adi dravida, Arunthathiyar and Devendra Kula Vellalar,” he said.
Moorthy said the party (DMK) that boasts of following ‘Dravidian model’ by way of uplifting the neglected communities has got only one minister from the Paraiyar community.
Stating that VCK failed the paraiyar community from which it gained the political power, Moorthy alleged Thirumavalavan is being nurtured by the Dravidian parties for fulfilling their agenda and the dalit party (VCK) is a ‘B’ team of DMK.
Moorthy added just like Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK), VCK never proved its strength by contesting alone in any general elections. Saying that the federation backs caste-wise census, he pointed out, the word dravidian is now being used to erase the Tamil identity of SC population.