State Conference of Dravidar Kazhagam on Eradication of Caste - Untouchability Resolutions Passed Unanimously in the State Conference of Dravidar Kazhagam on Eradication of Caste - Untouchability held on 19.3.2016 at the Periyar World, Siruganur - Trichy, Tamil Nadu RESOLUTION 1 General Elections to the 15th Tamil Nadu State Assembly - Whom to Vote and Whom to Support? The Dravidar Kazhagam, the Social Revolutionary Movement, has got the responsibility and bounden duty to guide the electorate of the Tamil Nadu to whom they have to vote in the General Elections to be held for the 15th Assembly of Tamil Nadu. The AIADMK Government ruling the State for the past fi ve years has failed in almost all fronts. The AIADMK Government has not implemented the promises it made in its previous election manifesto, but was functioning for the past fi ve years only as a ‘Government of Announcements’. It is not in a position to point out any tangible progress nor has it anything to speak of their achievement. Not only the AIADMK Government has failed to start new industries and provide more employment opportunities to the youngsters of our State, but also dismissed from service the 13,000 people’s welfare workers even after Supreme Courts’ 2 intervention. It was not only a grave, unlawful and unjust but also action of vengeance having no sense of humanism, due to which nearly 200 of such employees committ ed suicide and the blot of this action can’t be removed so easily in annals of AIADMK rule. The AIADMK Government has converted the modern building constructed at a cost of Rs. 1200 crores to house the State Assembly and its Secretariat into a Multi Specialty Hospital, solely due to the reason that it was constructed by the D.M.K. Government. The AIADMK Government has tried through all possible ways to shift and destroy the Anna Centenary Memorial Library created at an expense of Rs. 172 crores during the celebrations as the commemoration of the Centenary of Arignar Anna, but failed in its att empts due to the interference of the Court of Law. Even then the AIADMK Government has undertaken various types of activities to paralyse the functioning of the library in which the High Court of Madras was kind enough to interfere and stayed its activities. The AIADMK Government has also shelved the scheme of construction of a Fly over at a cost of Rs.1816 crores from Madras Harbour to Maduravoyal that would have eased traffi c congestion from Port of Chennai. The AIADMK Government has proved itself that it was totally unworthy to be called as a Government for the People’s Welfare. It is also to be pointed out that the proceedings of the Assembly under the AIADMK rule are not in accordance with the established principles of democracy. During the recent natural calamity of heavy downpour of rains in and around Madras city, while the people were struggling to protect their lives and properties, the AIADMK Government was totally inactive and failed to take timely action and provide any succour to the aff ected people and 3 thus proved itself as an ‘Inactive Government’. It wanted publicity in the trouble traumatic pathetic situation. The AIADMK Government has limited its activities with mere writing of lett ers to the Prime Minister, even in the matt ers in which the State Government is expected to claim the rights for which the State is entitled. The AIADMK Government not only acted against the rational principles and philosophies of the Dravidian Movement, but also insulted the Dravidian legacy by changing the Tamil New Year day from the month of Thai (January) to the month of Chithirai (April) according to the Sanskrit calendar in which all the names of the years are in Sanskrit and thus the AIADMK Government behaved like a Aryan Government acting against the wishes and thoughts of leaders like Periyar, Anna and other great Tamil scholars and intellectuals. No one can repudiate the fact that the AIADMK Government was functioning like a satellite of the BJP Government at the Centre against the established principles of secularism and openly supporting Hindutva policies. Thanthai Periyar announced and started the great human rights agitation by demanding the appointment of people from all the castes as Archakas in Hindu temples and while undertaking the preliminary activities for this agitation, he breathed his last. Dravidar Kazhagam continues to keep this agitation alive during the days of Maniammai and afterwards, as a form of respect to the will and wish of Periyar. Even though Acts were passed twice in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, due to the hard eff orts of Kalaignar, the Brahminical forces tried to make them ineff ective by approaching the Supreme Court of India. The Supreme Court of India has pronounced its fi nal verdict on 16.12.2015 removing all the bars and obstacles in the appointment of people of all the castes as Archakas. Even after the President of the Dravidar Kazhagam has writt en a lett er on 21.12.2015 to the Chief Minister in this matt er, the Chief 4 Minister has failed to keep up the promise given earlier in Tamil Nadu Assembly and kept quiet without taking any action in this regard, which proves very clearly that the principles of human rights, removal of diff erences and discriminations in the name of caste and untouchability advocated and followed by Periyar and Anna are not acceptable to the AIADMK! Hence this Conference declares that it is the bounden duty of the electorate of Tamil Nadu to see that the AIADMK does not come to power once again. The NDA Government at the Centre under the leadership of the BJP exposes itself through all its activities that it was against the basic principle of secularism enshrined in the Constitution of India. It is behaving violently in saff ronising the educational system and in imposing Hindi and Sanskrit. Similarly, from the manner in which the Speaker of the Lok Sabha Tmt.Sumitra Mahajan herself is openly conveying the stand of the BJP against the principle of Social Justice, and the anti-social justice policy of the NDA Government. The RSS, the mentor organisation of the political wing BJP, is also expressing openly their opinion against the principle of Social Justice. As there is a need and compulsion to oppose the NDA Government under the leadership of the anti-Social Justice and communal BJP from power, and as the Congress party is supporting strongly the introduction of the reservation policy in private sector also and seriously opposing the BJP Government at the Centre, this Conference feels that it is more important for all the parties contesting in this election to forge alliance of the Congress party with them. After a deep and far sighted thinking, this Conference declares that it is the bounden duty of the electorate to support the alliance under the leadership of the DMK including the Congress party and make it to win an absolute majority in this election. The electorate of Tamil Nadu is requested to support the alliance under the leadership of Kalaignar and DMK and support them to secure the massive mandate, taking into 5 consideration the larger interests of the people of Tamil Nadu cutt ing across all political affi liations. RESOLUTION 2 The right of people of all the castes to become Archakas in Hindu temples - A request to the Government of Tamil Nadu In order to implement the system of appointing the people of all the castes as Archakas in Hindu temples for which Periyar had started his last agitation. The DMK Government enacted legislation and issued orders in 1970 and 2006. Three Committ ees were constituted under the leadership of former judges of the High Court, Archakas’ Training Centres were started as per the recommendations of these Committ ees, admissions were made following the principle of 69 per cent reservation and the successful trainees were ordained after Diksha. While the orders of appointment were going to be issued, the judgment in the appeal preferred by the Sivachariyars was pronounced on 16.12.2015. The judgment not only declared that the Act passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly as valid, but also rejected all the three pleas of the appellants. This Conference urges the Government of Tamil Nadu to appoint immediately without any further delay the 206 Archakas - already trained and given “Diksha” in Agama temples and other temples, in the absence of any legal bar, ban or the negative judgment of the Supreme Court. As there was no action or reply to the lett er writt en to Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Government by the President of Dravidar Kazhagam on 21.12.2015 and as it became evident that this Government is not interested in this issue, it was resolved to undertake a big peaceful picketing (agitation) in front of Government Offi ces with thousands and thousands of 6 volunteers, demanding the appointment of trained archakas of all castes in temples coming and not coming under the preview of Agamas RESOLUTION 3 The need of action for Annihilation of Caste System and Untouchability (a) This Conference humbly requests the people of Tamil Nadu to reject the caste system and its bi-product known as ‘untouchability’, which are against the equality of humankind, rationalism, scientifi c temper and humanity and to lead a human life. (b) This Conference requests the Central Government to amend the Article 17 of the Constitution. Instead of the term ‘untouchability’ in Article 17 it should be changed to the term ‘caste’, for caste is the mother of untouchability.