The Kongunadu Makkal Desiya Katchi (KMDK), an ally of the DMK, gained notoriety recently due to a casteist video circulating online that advocated violence against Dalits by the party’s candidate Suriamoorthy.
Soon after the video went viral, there was widespread public and online outcry calling for the withdrawal of KMDK Suriamoorthy’s candidacy. In response to the backlash, both KMDK and DMK decided to retract Suriamoorthy’s candidacy.
On Friday, KMDK announced Madheswaran as the new candidate for the Namakkal constituency. However, the background of the newly selected KMDK candidate, Madheswaran, appears to be even more problematic.
A Facebook page named “Kongu Kavundargal” which predominantly posts news about KMDK party and Gounder caste has posted information about the arrest of KMDK Madheshwaran in the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act or more commonly PCR Act.
A Facebook post, dated June 11, 2016, alleges that Madheshwaran from the KMDK party engaged in a dispute with local police recently. Subsequently, when he attempted to file a complaint at the district SP office, local police allegedly dissuaded him from doing so. The post further claims that shortly after, Madheswaran was arrested on false PCR charges. According to the post, Madheswaran was remanded and transferred to Salem Jail in connection with the PCR case.
The Gounder caste page seized this opportunity to rally Gounders against other castes, labeling the case as fabricated and garnering sympathy for Madheswaran. They questioned whether such a situation was acceptable for a district secretary of the KMDK party, urging people to consider the plight of the common folk in the Kongu region. Additionally, the post urged unity against the PCR or SC/ST case.
On 15 June 2016, another post appeared on the Facebook page, announcing the release of KMDK’s Madheswaran on bail. The post called upon all Kongu people (Gounders) to gather near the Salem bypass to accord Madheswaran, who was arrested under the SC/ST Atrocities Act, a warm welcome. Notably, the call to assemble was made by none other than the ousted KMDK candidate, Suriamoorthy.
It’s evident that Suriamoorthy, Madheswaran, or any other member of the party show no distinction in their treatment of Dalits.
In a video from a Gounder conference taken before the 2019 Parliament elections, Madheswaran can be heard saying, “We have gathered 75% of our caste members. Our aim should be to solidify our caste’s vote even more, reaching 100%, and demonstrate our strength in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections (2019).”
“Has one casteist of KMDK been replaced by another KMDK casteist? Is this the Dravidian Model of social justice?” ask people.
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