The former Minister A. Neelalohithadasan Nadar has said that intolerance at the national level is building up to such levels that there are moves to even torpedo the Mandal Commission report which had provided hopes of progress of Dalits and the backward communities.
Mr. Nadar was delivering the keynote address at a dharna in front of the Head Post Office here at dusk on Wednesday. It was organised by the Dr. M.S. Jayaprakash Foundation for Social Justice to register protest against the ‘growth of intolerance and fascism in the country in recent times.’
He said it was after a long period of struggle by the marginalised section that the V.P. Singh government implemented some of the recommendations of the Mandal Commission report. Moves to dilute that should be strongly resisted, he said.
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Earlier, while inaugurating the dharna, chairman of the foundation B.A. Rajakrishnan said that instead of turning a deaf ear to the escalating intolerance, those in power should exhort the rank and file of their parties to promote peace and harmony.
The foundation activists organised a march with lit torches through the city before the dharna. Vice president of the foundation M.A. Samad, patron P. Ramabhadran and leaders Aneppil Suresh, Marshal Frank and Shammy Jayaprakash among others spoke. General secretary of the foundation S. Suvarnakumar welcomed the gathering.