Health Minister apologises after disability rights activists protest against his use of expression

Chennai

Disability rights activists in the city protested the use of an expression (in Tamil) by Health Minister K.G. Arunraj to describe people with disabilities, which they claimed had gone out of use.

The Minister was speaking at the in-person counselling for MBBS and BDS admission for students belonging to special categories (sports quota, ex-servicemen, and people with disabilities) and 7.5% horizontal reservation categories at the Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super-Speciality Hospital, Omandurar Government Estate. After the statement went viral on social media, the Minister tendered an apology on his X account.

“Speaking at the event, while referring to students with disabilities, I deeply regret having inadvertently used an expression that should be avoided as per convention,” Dr. Arunraj wrote on his X handle.