Eminent Constituional expert and columnist A.G. Noorani and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi founder Thol. Thirumavalavan received the Quaid-E-Milleth Award for Probity in Public and Political Life here at Quaid-e-Milleth College for Men here on Saturday.
Speaking after receiving the award, Mr. Thirumavalavan said that he was proud to be receiving the same award with someone as eminent as Mr. Noorani.
He attacked the Sangh Parivar and Hindu right wing parties for continuously preventing consolidating of Scheduled Castes across India.
He said: “Many years ago, when people spoke about separatism, it used to be about dividing the country. However, today, separatism means dividing people in the name of caste and religion. In any State, if there are caste-based organisations, the RSS is encouraging them. They want to put disunity among Scheduled Castes.”
Mr. Thirumavalavan said he was not against the idea of one country but only against the idea of one country with one culture, one religion and one language. “There is no problem with one country. But what they [Sangh] mean by one country is to have just one language, one culture and one religion. Pluralism is important. They are detrimental to democracy. Today, we have a situation where they have killed democracy by diluting Article 370 and 35A, and still walking with their heads held high."
He said that when he was speaking against what happened with Article 370 and 35A, he was not speaking in favour of Kashmir and Kashmiris.
“I am on the side of democracy,” he said. He added that the recognition was like a balm to the relentless, unfounded attacks against him in public Life.
In his short speech, Mr. Noorani said that he was a critic of Communists in India for long but realised that they had been a bastion against rightist forces.
“I must say that I viewed with extreme distress the rift within the CPI(M) and the CPI. The Communist movement here is a bastion against the rightist forces. And today...I wrote continuously against the communists, I realised that...in their rifts, they played into the hands of these rightist forces. There are a lot of things to admire in them. My good friend A.B. Bardhan used to sleep on the benches inside Communist Party,” said Mr. Noorani, after receiving the Quaid-e-Millath Award for probity in public/political life.
He said that he wished Communist party well and thanked N. Ram, Chairman, THG Publishing Pvt Ltd. and R. Vijaya Sankar, Editor, Frontline , for publishing his articles.
Mr. Ram, who presented the award to Mr. Noorani and Mr. Thirumavalavan, made an appeal for Mr. Noorani's book Article 370: Constitutional History of Jammu and Kashmir to be brought out again in 2019 or by 2020. “The awards, I think, have made a significant contribution and perhaps raising awareness of the need to uphold these values — probity in public and political life. Today, Communalism as political mobilisation strategy has made disturbing progress over the past several years treading on the weaknesses, corruption and anti-people policies and sheer incompetence of previous governments. It is not only on the ascendant...it seeks to restructure, manipulate beyond recognition Institutions of State direct in direct opposition with what the Constitution prescribes — equality and fairness and not exploit religion for political or electoral gain,” he said.
Quaid-e-Milleth college's Correspondent and secretary Dawood Miakhan said that the recipients had been selected without any bias, and by a distinguished panel.
