A new political party formed by the Telugu-speaking population residing in Tamil Nadu was launched here on Monday.
Releasing the flag of the ‘Tamil Nadu Telugu Makkal Katchi’ in the presence of leaders from various organisations, S. Ramadoss, leader of the PMK, announced that the party would join the PMK-led Social Democratic Alliance (SDA).
Speaking on the occasion, he accused successive regimes in the State of ignoring the interests of Telugu-speaking people who, despite being a linguistic minority, had contributed immensely to the economic development of Tamil Nadu.
“Even though the three parties that ruled Tamil Nadu had Telugu-speaking leaders, they had not done anything to address the grievances of Telugu-speaking population.”
Dr. Ramadoss called upon the party to take up the grievances of the Telugu-speaking people. Later, speaking to journalists, he said the contribution of linguistic minorities must be recognised.
The Telugu Makkal Katchi passed 11 resolutions. C.J. Raj Kumar, president of Telugu Makkal Katchi, said the party would work towards making Telugu the second State language of Tamil Nadu and the establishment of an academy to promote the language. The party also expressed its support to the PMK’s demand for prohibition and urged the State government to close down all the liquor outlets.
