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‘Number Of Villages Practising Untouchability Highest In Tamil Nadu’, Says Annamalai In Critique Of Dravidian Model Of Social Justice

Swarajya StaffJan 17, 2023, 05:35 PM | Updated 07:12 PM IST
BJP Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai.

BJP Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai.


In an interview to Kumudam, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president K Annamalai said that according to data obtained from an official report regarding ‘Number of Villages per State Practising Ostracism’, through a Right to Information (RTI) application, the number of villages practising untouchability is the highest in Tamil Nadu.

He said that even Haryana and Bihar, two of the states that were infamous for caste discrimination have improved their situation.

This comes after the discovery of human feces in the drinking water tank used by Dalits in Vengaivayal village of Pudukkottai district, which sparked massive outrage. In the same village, there were other forms of discrimination like a ban on temple entry and the use of a ‘two- tumbler’ system in tea shops.

A detailed survey carried out last year by the Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front (TNUEF) had found several forms of discrimination against Dalit Panchayat presidents.


He asked as to why was this happening even when the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) with its much-touted Dravidian model of social justice has been in power for so long in the state. It is the sixth time that the DMK is in power, he added.

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