Congress leader Peter Alphonse appointed chairman of TN minorities commission

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government on Monday reconstituted the state minorities commission and appointed senior Congress leader S Peter Alphonse as its chairman.
Former chief minister M Karunanidhi constituted the commission in 1989 to protect the interests of the religious and linguistic minorities and their rights.
The emphasis of the commission is socio-economic development and education of the minorities. The DMK government also enacted Tamil Nadu Minorities Commission Act, 2010, providing statutory powers. The commission has the powers of a civil court.
Alphonse was elected from Tenkasi assembly constituency in 1989 and 1991 and from Kadayanallur assembly constituency in 2006. He is a former Rajya Sabha member and an executive member of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee. He was a close associate of late veteran Congress leader G K Moopanar. He sided with Moopanar’s son G K Vasan when the latter revived the TMC in 2014. He returned to the parent party in 2016 disagreeing with Vasan’s tie-up with People’s Welfare Front in assembly elections.