Dravidar Kazhagam president K. Veeramani on Tuesday said that Chief Minister M.K. Stalin will participate in the 144th birth anniversary celebrations of the founder of Dravidian movement, Periyar E.V. Ramasamy, on September 17 at Periyar Thidal in Chennai.
Mr. Veeramani told presspersons that Dravidar Kazhagam continues to be an ideological enemy to the BJP and is at the forefront of the fight against the BJP/the RSS in Tamil Nadu. “We organised a public meeting against Sanathana Dharma and explained the Dravidian model by inviting our ideological allies in Tiruvarur recently. Several leaders participated in the public meeting and people did not leave despite the meeting going late into the night,” he said.
Asked why the BJP was not attacking the Dravidar Kazhagam like it used to before, Mr. Veeramani said: “There is no difference between the DMK and the DK. They think that attacking the DK will get an instant reply. It simply means that they [BJP] are scared to attack us.”
The DK would continue to push for persons from all castes to become archakas in the temples. “Even in his 90s, Periyar fought for this. DK is prepared to face the legal battle and go to the people to explain the issue,” he said.
Asked about the rise in violence against Dalits in Tamil Nadu, Mr. Veeramani said: “The cases are being registered properly here. Is the violence against Dalits in Tamil Nadu more than that in Uttar Pradesh? Whether one is Adi-Dravida or Dravidian, everybody is equal.”
