A signature campaign to press for a 12-point charter of demands, including seeking a special legislation to prevent honour killings, began here on Monday.
Communist Party of India (Marxist), leader, U. Vasuki, participated in the campaign being organised by Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front and All India Agricultural Workers Union, in the presence of CPI (M) Virudhunagar district secretary, K. Arjunan.
Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Vasuki said that the campaign was to take to people the charter of 12 demands raised at a summit on dalits held in Hyderabad in August.
The major demand is to prevent honour killing, which is on the rise, through a special law.
Since the Bhartiya Janata Party was promoting manu smrithi and discrimination, the Centre cannot be expected to bring about a special law to prevent honour killing.
“Against this backdrop, the State Government should come up with the special law,” she said.
Under the neo-liberalisation policy, the number of jobs in the Government sector is on the fall. Hence, reservation for Dalits in private sector should be made mandatory, she said.
Stating that most of the workers registered under Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee scheme were Dalit women, she said that besides reducing the number of job days, the Centre had cut down its allocation of funds towards the scheme.
“The workers have not been paid for nearly four months in some places,” she alleged. The Centre should immediately release funds before Deepavali to the poor workers.
Stating that the Scheduled Caste Sub Plan funds was being diverted for other programmes, Ms. Vasuki demanded a special law to prevent diversion of the funds and should be used only for the welfare of the Dalits.
Ms. Vasuki said that the first step towards getting the demands for the Dalit welfare would be to remove the BJP Government at the Centre.
The signature collected would be sent to the President of India.
TNUEF district secretary K. Murugan and other leaders, including M. Oorkavalan, S. Lakshmi, S. Poongothai and M. Sundarapandian, were present.
