Karunanidhi adopting 'anti-Dalit' attitude

Chennai, Mar 27: Coming down heavily on DMK president M Karunanidhi for his 'anti-Dalits' attitude, Dalit Panthers of India (DPI) general secretary Thol Thirumavalavan today said the DMK patriarch was only interested in securing Dalit votes and not ready to share political power with them.

Participating in the meet-the-press programme organised by the Chennai Press Club here, Mr Thirumavalavan said the DPI was for giving political power to the working class and suppressed people.

Stating that major political parties used Dalits to strengther their vote banks, he said in the 2001 Assembly elections he was with the DMK and was elected to house on its ticket.

In 2004 Lok Sabha elections, he appealed to Mr Karunanidhi to treat the DPI as one of its alliance partner and give representation to a Dalit candidate for contesting the Lok Sabha polls but he refused, he added.

''Protesting against this, I resigned from the legislator's post, won with the DMK symbol,'' he said adding Mr Karunanidhi was now adopting the same 'anti-Dalits' stand.

Describing the DMK-led DPA as ''Dalits Prohibited Alliance,'' Mr Thirumavalan called upon the Dalits to reject this coalition and teach a suitable lesson to them in the May 8 Assembly elections.

He said in order to foster social harmony, Pattali Makkal Katchi founder President S Ramadoss wanted the DPI to be included in DMK-led DPA, but Mr Karunanidhi turned it down. Instead, Mr Karunanidhi suggested the PMK to allot seats to DPI from the PMK's quota, he added.

The DPI wanted the PMK to come out of the DPA headed by the DMK and lead a new front, but due to unavoidable circumstances Dr Ramadoss preferred to stay with the DMK-led front, Mr Thirumavalavan said.

UNI