Defence Minister A K Antony on Sunday said that the members of smaller castes are neglected and not adequately represented in top posts. The government should accord more importance to these groups, he said here after laying the foundation stone of the birth centenary memorial building of Pandit K P Karuppan. However, he said that efforts are being made by the government to mitigate the situation through nominations and other ways. Antony also said that the smaller caste organisations are also neglected in elections.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said the government would put pressure on the Centre to release a commemorative stamp in honour of Karuppan. On the inclusion of Dheevara caste in the Scheduled Castes list, he said that it was a complicated issue. “The government has already initiated discussions in this regard. There are certain limitations and legal formalities. However, the government will do whatever possible to get the Dheevara community included in the list,” he said. The Chief Minister inaugurated the Pandit Karuppan birth anniversary celebrations organised by the Akhila Kerala Dheevara Sabha.
