It is inhumane and derogatory to the core but the discrimination against Harijans continues
A shocking and nauseating practice from Tamil Nadu has been revealed by a young IAS officer by the name Kavitha Ramu, the district collector of Puthukottai. Harijans are served tea in paper cups while upper-caste customers get their quota of the beverage in exclusive glass tumblers. The two-tumbler system has been in vogue in the State for more than sixty years and this is nothing other than an extension of the practice of untouchability. Though Chief Minister M K Stalin has been claiming that the Dravidian Model of development followed in Tamil Nadu should be emulated in the rest of the country, he remains tight-lipped over this ugly discrimination that is prevalent across the State.
The Dravidian Model of development is centered on the ideology of a classless and casteless society. But the State is the epicenter of untouchability. There are many Panchayat offices in Tamil Nadu where elected representatives including the president belonging to Harijan communities are not allowed to sit on the chairs meant for them and are made to sit on the floor. Harijans are not allowed to sit on chairs and benches inside tea shops in village and town squares. They are also not allowed inside temples. Untouchability is rampant in Tamil Nadu and the Dravidian political outfits have failed to tackle this social evil. The honor killings are yet another face of untouchability. The story of Dr V Pugalendhi, an orthopedic surgeon of eminence, should have served as an eye-opener to the powers that be. The first Harijan to become the head of the department of the famous Government Rajaji General Hospital, Madurai, was humiliated by his peers and subordinates because of his “lower” caste. Though the district collector has ordered the police to register a case under the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, records prove that it is a futile act. These developments happen at a time when a section of Harijans under the leadership of Dr Krishnasami, a medical doctor-turned-political activist wages a battle against the Govt demanding that they be delisted from the SC/ST list. Fight against untouchability should be unleashed from the heart and not from political stages. The DMK stands for Dravida Munnetra Kazhakam and not the Dynasty of Muthuvel Karunanidhi. The State is light years behind its counterparts in inclusive growth and social justice.