Dr. Ramadoss, the founder of Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), stated on Thursday that removing the caste names of achievers from school textbooks in Tamil Nadu is pointless and that the state government should allow the caste names of great scholars to be mentioned in Tamil textbooks.
The PMK leader was responding to news that the Tamil Nadu state textbook corporation has begun the process of deleting caste surnames of prominent Tamil intellectuals, including U.Ve. Swaminathan Iyer, and referring to him simply as U.Ve. Swaminathan in Tamil textbooks for Class XII students.
Ramadoss stated in a statement that while the government’s decision to eradicate caste is commendable, the intellectuals’ identities will be obliterated.
In a statement, the PMK leader, who has been leading the charge for 10.5 percent reservation for his community, the Vanniyars, in the MBC segment, claimed that the caste system can only be removed by achieving equality among people.
Reservation at educational institutions and for jobs, he said, is a step implemented by the central and state governments to ensure that individuals are treated equally. Dropping caste surnames, according to Ramadoss, demonstrates a lack of understanding of the issue.
“There is nothing wrong with deleting caste surnames for ordinary people,” the PMK leader stated, “but exemptions must be given to caste surnames of achievers because there is a risk of erasing their identity.”
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