VCK not a caste outfit, says Thirumavalavan

“It has acquired an inclusive identity”

April 26, 2015 12:00 am | Updated 05:49 am IST - MADURAI:

The Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) had acquired an inclusive identity and no caste tag could be appended to it, said its leader Thol. Thirumavalavan on Saturday.

Addressing a public meeting to mark the silver jubilee celebration of the party here, Mr. Thirumavalavan said that it was a movement for spearheading the cause of the oppressed and upholding Tamil nationalism and gave a call to people from all castes and religions to strengthen it.

Having shunned electoral politics in the first decade of its existence, the VCK had now joined the political mainstream and emerged as the third largest cadre-based party, next only to the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, he said.

After consolidation as a political force to reckon with, the VCK was gearing up to take the second leap to reach Fort St. George in its silver jubilee, he said while making it clear that electoral alliances would be decided only after eliciting the views of party cadre in a tour of the State, starting from June.

The VCK, he reiterated, was guided by the principles of eradication of caste system of B. R. Ambedkar, social justice of E. V. R. Periyar and political empowerment of LTTE leader V. Prabhakaran.

It was ready to join hands with any political organisation that respected the ideology of Ambedkar and Periyar.

The VCK would not make any compromise on its principles, especially at a time when extremism had joined hands with casteism and communalism, threatening the next generation. The party always fought for the rights of the oppressed, including women, transgender, fishermen, minorities and displaced people. It was not an anti-Hindu outfit or represented a particular caste, he said.

Tracing the history of VCK, which was started in Madurai on April 14, 1990, Mr. Thirumavalavan said that it had emerged as a strong political force in its first leap.

Despite attempts to project it as an extremist outfit, no political party in Tamil Nadu could afford to ignore it today and the power to rule would visit the VCK in its next leap, he said.

He accused the police of blocking the entry of many vehicles carrying party volunteers into Madurai and restricting the display of banners and festoons for the event.

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