PUDUKKOTTAI/CHENNAI: Despite 75 years of independence, panchayat presidents from SC communities in Tamil Nadu were able to peacefully hoist the tricolour in their respective villages on Monday only after strict warnings from the State government, visits from higher officials to villages prone to communal tension and amid police protection.
Though happy, many panchayat presidents told TNIE they are now scared of reprisals and further isolation of their communities for raising the issue of caste-based discrimination.
In a village in Senthakkudi panchayat in Pudukkottai, reserved for the SC community in the last election, panchayat president M Tamilarasan hoisted the national flag for the first time. Though he has been president for two years, he was not allowed to do it due to opposition from members of the dominant caste. After hoisting the flag, Tamilarasan broke down. “After 75 years of Independence, a Dalit has hoisted our flag. I want people from all communities to celebrate this day together. I feel I have become part of history,” he said.
Panchayat presidents in villages, including Kunnampattu, Narapakkam and Myilai, in Chengalpattu district, had faced minor problems while hoisting national flag on Republic day, according to the Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front (TNUEF). P Mahadevan, president of Myilai panchayat said, “There was no chair in the panchayat office for a long time. Except for one member, who also belongs to the SC community, the rest of them maintain a distance from me. As they know creating problems due to caste will become a problem, they use other tactics.”
‘Continuous conversation key to end discrimination against SC leaders’
“EVEN officials in the village don’t give proper replies. Though I hoisted the flag today, I am worried about how to tackle these problems and work together with them for the people. I am also scared that talking about the issue will only further increase these problems,” he said.
Given the large number of dominant caste people in the village he could not have contested in the election, let alone won, if it wasn’t a reserved seat, Mahadevan added. In Kunnapattu where the allegation is that a few people from the dominant caste have members of the tribal community act against the panchayat president Viji, an SC woman.
“The president was stopped from distributing relief materials to the tribal community people during the floods. Some also tried to create problems while she was hoisting the national flag in a school on Republic day. As there was police protection, there were no problems this time,” said a villager. Meanwhile, in Narapakkam, flagged by TNUEF as practising caste discrimination by not allowing the panchayat president to hoist the flag and denying her access to the office key, the president was trying to convince people from other communities that she had not raised any complaint.
“The former panchayat president said he was ‘insulted’ by higher officials visiting the village for an inquiry. A few people from the upper caste are worried as they are not in power now and are trying to turn people against us,” said the president G Ponnammal. Thoothukudi, where last year TNIE reported that SC panchayat presidents were prevented from hoisting the flag, made efforts to ensure the chiefs of Villiseri, Ayanvadamalapuram, Ramanuthu, Ariyanayagipuram, Muthaiapuram and K Duraisamypuram were able to hoist the flag this year.
The district had all panchayat secretaries print invites and grama sabhas to avoid inteference of dominant caste members, Collector Dr K Senthil Raj said. A panchayat president from Vilathikulam union, wishing anonymity told TNIE, that he is happy about the security given by the district administration for him to hoist the flag. “Despite being president for three years, this is the first time I hoisted the national flag at the panchayat office,” he said.
V Suresh Kannan from Manjanviduthi panchayat in Pudukkottai said he had hoisted the flag in the Panchayat office, higher secondary, middle and elementary schools. “Before, I would hoist the flag in all places except for the high school as the PTA president belonging to a dominant caste would object.” P Palanivel, the Arasamalai panchayat president, also said the police and district administration had supported him and ensured he could hoist the flag at all the places in his panchayat although he faced threats as he does every year.
However, some SC panchayat leaders accused local schools of not inviting them for the flag hoisting, while Tamilarasan said he was invited to a high school near his home but the headmaster, who belongs to a dominant caste, hoisted the flag. In response, school education officials said they had instructed headmasters to hoist the flag at the schools. When Pudukkottai Chief Educational Officer Manivannan was asked why some Panchayat presidents were allowed to hoist the flag and not others, he said it was only a general instruction.
Pudukkottai Collector Kavitha Ramu admitted that it was a general instruction but said she would inquire into the case. “As long as SC elected representatives listen to the people from dominant castes they are tolerated. If they try to take decisions on their own or raise questions about the treatment meted out to them, different methods are employed to isolate them. Mainly, officials and members don’t cooperate with them making their election pointless,” said K Vasudevan, Chengalpattu district secretary of the TNUEF.
“Following our field survey, the State released a special order to ensure all Dalit presidents were able to hoist the flags. In many places, officials, including Collectors, held talks and visited villages reserved for the SC to ensure this. We appreciate the efforts of the State government to eradicate untouchability but they should inquire into the incident in which a Dalit president was not allowed to hoist the flag in a school in Pudukkottai,” said K Samuelraj of the general secretary of the front,” said K Samuelraj general secretary of the front.
‘First time in 3 years'
A panchayat president from Vilathikulam union, said he is happy about the security given. “Despite being president for three years, this is the first time I hoisted the national flag at the panchayat office,” he said.
(Inputs from N Shyamsundar @Vellore/Tiruvannamalai and S Godson Wisely Dass @ Thoothukudi)