Ma Venkatesan, Chairman of the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis, in an interview to senior journalist Rangaraj Pandey spoke on a variety of subjects including the recent controversy over anti-Hindu poem recited by Viduthalai Sigappi, an assistant of rabid anti-Hindu film maker Pa. Ranjith.
Venkatesan who took charge was appointed as the Chairman of the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis in February 2021 said that during his term, the commission has focused on fastening the process of providing solatium for manual scavenging deaths.
“We have also initiated district level inspection committee meeting. This has benefitted people who have been hired on contract by private companies. If the private company was found to be ill-treating their workers, we would blacklist the company.”, he said.
When asked about the recent controversy regarding the anti-Hindu poem reciteed by Pa. Ranjith’s assistant director Viduthalai Sigappi in which he relates Hindu gods to the manhole deaths, Venkatesan replied that this poetry has been recited to distract the public from real issue.
“Tamil Nadu ranks first in the manhole deaths. From 1993 to till now, the official government data reveals that nearly 225 sanitation workers dead due to manhole cleaning. When we talk about Dravida Model government, in the last 2 years Tamil Nadu peaks in the violence against Scheduled Castes. This group is functioning to distract from all these issues.”, he said.
“Who should be held responsible for Manhole cleaning deaths? Lord Ram or the Government? Lord Ram is being worshipped as God because he was a man with social justice. He was inclusive of all living beings and an epitome of social justice. This issue was taken as a weapon to distract others from speaking about the atrocities done by the current government against SCs.”, Ma Venkatesan added.
He also questioned the assistant director’s motive behind the poem. He asked whether his poem coveys that no man from any caste should suffer or any man except brahmins should not suffer. He said that BJP thinks that no human should enter manhole irrespective of caste or creed.
He also noted that during 1964, the Udupi councillor elected from BJP Party was the first one to put a ban on human cleaning manholes.
He also recounted his memory of meeting with PM Narendra Modi. He said that PM Modi enquired him about the activities of the commission and expressed his concern over the sanitation workers from the border districts of the country who are out of coverage from news channels and organizations. He also ordered them to stay at the sanitation workers houses instead of hotels and government guest houses during inspections. He also recommended them to use Corporate Social Responsibility funds to buy machines for manhole cleaning so that nobody has to suffer by entering manholes.
Speaking about religious conversion, Ma Venkatesan quoted Dr. BR Ambedkar and said that conversion will destroy the culture of Scheduled Castes.
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