PMK founder S. Ramadoss on Thursday, urged the State government to allow the mentioning of caste surnames of eminent scholars in the Tamil textbook, which had been in practice.
In a statement, he said even though the intention of the government to abolish caste is welcome, such a move would erase the identity of the scholars.
Mr. Ramadoss was reacting to The Hindu’s report on the Tamil Nadu Textbook Corporation dropping the caste identity of Tamil scholar U. Ve. Swaminatha Iyer and referring to him as U.Ve. Swaminathar in the Tamil textbook for Class XII students, and the similar cases of other scholars’ names as well.
He said the caste system can be abolished only by creating equality among people, for which the State government has to take various measures and PMK would support them. “That is why to ensure [social] equality, Central and State governments are taking measures like reservation in education and jobs. This should continue. Instead, the move to drop caste surnames shows a lack of understanding of the issue,” Dr. Ramadoss said.
There is nothing wrong in dropping the caste surnames of ordinary people. But, exemptions should continue to be given to the caste surnames of achievers, as there is a risk of erasing their identity otherwise, he added.
Dr. Ramadoss said the practice of putting caste surnames has ended long back and it won’t be necessary for the leaders and achievers of the future.
