BJP ‘hampering’ Ambedkar’s ideals of Constitution, says DMK

The DMK on Saturday alleged that the BJP-led Centre was hampering B.R. Ambedkar’s ideals behind the making of the Indian Constitution. DMK’s working president M.K. Stalin said the Centre was working towards “weakening” social justice, without elaborating further.

“The BJP-led Centre steered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working in a way (that is) hampering Ambedkar’s ideals which led to the making of the Constitution,” said Mr. Stalin.

After paying homage to Ambedkar on his birth anniversary here, the DMK leader appealed to his cadres and workers of ‘friendly parties’ to take a vow to “end such betrayal”.

“Let us take a vow (on the birth anniversary of Ambedkar) to save the country from the BJP government which is trying to saffronise all the (public) spheres against Tamil Nadu through its politics of communalism and linguistic chauvinism,” he said.

In a tweet in Tamil, he credited Mr. Ambedkar with having established social justice and equality.

Next course of action

Mr. Stalin, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, said a DMK-led meeting of leaders of opposition parties will be held on April 16 at the headquarters of his party to deliberate the next course of action on the Cauvery issue.

A rally led by Mr. Stalin, covering the Cauvery basin regions of Tamil Nadu, concluded on February 12 and a petition was submitted to Governor Banwarilal Purohit seeking him to facilitate a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue.

Mr. Stalin said a “massive protest demonstration” of the Opposition, led by his party, against the “dilution” of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act will also be held on April 16 at Valluvar Kottam here.

The Supreme Court’s ‘dilution’

In its March 20 judgement, the Supreme Court had ‘diluted’ the SC/ST Act’s stringent provisions mandating immediate arrest, leading to nation-wide bandh by Dalits. The top court had said that on “several occasions”, innocent citizens were being termed as accused and public servants deterred from performing their duties, which was never the intention of the legislature while enacting that Act.

The apex court had directed a preliminary enquiry by a DSP rank officer to find out whether the allegations make out a case under the Atrocities Act and whether the allegations were not frivolous or motivated.

While the Centre filed a petition seeking review of the judgment, massive protests and violence were witnessed on April 2 on the issue.

On April 12, the Centre submitted in the Supreme Court that its verdict was causing disharmony and damage to the country.