Chennai: BJP national secretary H. Raja courted yet another controversy in attempting to paint social reformer and founder of Dravidar Kazhagam, Periyar E. V. Ramasamy, as an anti Dalit.
Alleging that Periyar was an anti Dalit from the beginging, Mr Raja claimed that the social reformer had opposed their temple entry. He also alleged that Periyar had stated that the price of textiles had gone up after Dalit women started wearing blouses.
“There is proof of this. Ambedkar Makkal Iyakkam had condemned the statements and published it in their monthly magazine too,” Raja claimed as he continued to air anti-Periyar sentiments. “From the beginning Periyar had an anti Dalit mindset. It can be seen from the fact that social reformation in the state stopped with the anti-Brahmin movement. That’s why mere statements were issued for atrocities committed against Dalits rather than initiating any concrete measures,” he said. He claimed that, on the other hand, Hindutuva ideology, right from the pre Independence era, fought for equality of all castes.
Periyar loyalists were quick to condemn Raja’s comments. Terming his statement as a distortion of facts, Periyarist and Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam general secretary Viduthalai Rajendran said that Periyar had never stated that Dalits should not be allowed to enter temples. “In fact, Periyar’s last struggle was to make people of all castes, including Dalits, to become temple priests,” he said.
Following Periyar’s campaign, the then DMK government had adopted a resolution in the Assembly to end hereditary appointment of priests in temples and to make way for appointment of people of all castes as priests.
