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Tamil Nadu CM calls for need to protect social justice
Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin on Monday stressed the need to monitor the proper implementation of reservation policy for other backward classes (OBC), scheduled castes (SC), scheduled tribe (ST) and minority communities at the national level
Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin on Monday stressed the need to monitor the proper implementation of reservation policy for other backward classes (OBC), scheduled castes (SC), scheduled tribe (ST) and minority communities at the national level.
Stalin was speaking after unveiling a life-sized statue of former prime minister VP Singh installed on the Presidency College premises in Chennai. On the occasion, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav as well as family members of the late prime minister were also present.
“To protect social justice at the national level, all political parties keen on ensuring social justice should unite and strive for the welfare of the people,” Stalin said.
Recalling Singh’s association with Tamil Nadu and the DMK in particular, Stalin said, “If Uttar Pradesh was Singh’s mother-state, Tamil Nadu was his father-state.”
Hailing Singh as the “guardian of social justice, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president said it was his duty to install the late prime minister’s statue on the college premises so that everyone could learn from his life and experiences.
“The Tamil Nadu government is proud to install a statue of VP Singh, the guardian of social justice,” he said. “Social justice is not a state issue but a problem in all states. Caste-class metrics may vary from state to state, but the problem is the same.”
In April this year, Stalin had announced that the Tamil Nadu government would install a statue of Singh, recalling that the former prime minister had implemented the 27% quota for OBCs in central government jobs based on the recommendation of the Mandal Commission.
Stalin stressed the need for the upliftment of the oppressed sections, including Dalits, tribals and minorities, across India. “VP Singh was neither from a backward community nor from a poor family but he fought for the reservation of the poor, downtrodden and oppressed people,” the chief minister added.
“VP Singh was neither from a backward community nor from a poor family but he fought for the reservation of the poor, downtrodden and oppressed people,” Stalin said.
Singh is also credited with setting up the arbitration commission for the Cauvery water dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, which remains a contentious issue till date.
Singh was so concerned about solving the Sri Lankan problem that he had gathered all leaders and chief ministers in his house in 1990, Stalin said.
Addressing the event, Akhilesh Yadav said the unveiling of the statue sent a clear message across the country ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
“VP Singh had worked to provide rights and respect to the backward classes by implementing the Mandal Commission report…Just as Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar gave reservation to the Dalit population, in the same way the dreams of the backward classes were fulfilled with the implementation of the Mandal Commission,” Yadav said in his address.
