BJP backs Dalits’ demand on common name

Seven sub-sects listed as Scheduled Castes want to be called ‘Devendrakula Vellalars’

Promising south:P. Muralidhar Rao, national general secretary, Bharatiya Janata Party, addressing a meeting in Ramanathapuram on Saturday.— Photo: L. BALACHANDAR

Describing Dalits as protectors of cows and temples, P Muralidhar Rao, national general secretary, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said that the party fully backed their demand for recognising the seven sub-sects listed as Scheduled Castes under a common name, ‘Devendrakula Vellalars.’

Addressing a meeting organised by ‘Devendra Thannarva Arakattalai’ here on Saturday, he said that it was unfortunate that people, who were descendents of Lord Devendrar, were called as Dalits, Harijans and Scheduled Castes, and condemned those who had changed their names without their consent. He said that after the Madurai declaration meet, addressed by BJP president Amit Shah in August, 101 representative from the community had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and presented their demand.

The Prime Minister had assured to do the needful stating that the BJP and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government supported their demand, Mr. Rao said.

Accusing the Congress of calling the Devendrars as Harijans, and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam of dubbing them as scheduled caste people, he said that the BJP supported their demand as it believed in Indian culture, tradition, ideology and dharma.

Ram Sethu

The Dravidian parties in Tamil Nadu would not support their demand as they did not believe in Lord Devendrar and paid scant respect for Indian culture and ideology, he said. The DMK did not believe in Lord Devendrar, Lord Krishna and Lord Ram and that was it tried to destroy the Ram Sethu while implementing Sethsamundram Shipping Channel Project, he said.

At the end of the meeting, M. Thangaraj, president of the ‘Arakattali,’ presented to Mr Rao, 60,000 signatures obtained from Dalits in the district in support of their demand. They demanded that the seven sub-sects — Kudumban, Pannadi, Kaladi, Kadayan, Pallan, Vadhiriyan and Devendrakulathan — listed in the Scheduled Castes be called under one common name for the suppressed people to redeem their honour.

BJP State vice-presidents D. Kuppuramu, Suba Nagarajan, national council member K Muralidharan, district president Shanmugaraja, Swadeshi awareness movement leader R. Srinivasan and Yadava leader Devanathan were present.