TNCC president not informed of event; alleges caste bias

Even as the DMK claims that they want to uphold ‘social justice’ in the State, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president and Sriperumbudhur MLA K. Selvaperunthagai has alleged that as the local MLA, he was not informed of the release of water from Chembarambakkam Lake in Sriperumbudhur constituency. He claimed he was being discriminated based on caste.

A video in which he is seen chiding a State Water Resources Department official for not informing him about the event has been doing the rounds. Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Selvaperunthagai said he would soon speak out on the caste bias he has faced.

“Since the times of the British Raj, local people and representatives have always been invited for the release of water from the Chembarabakkam lake. It is not right on the part of the officials to say that it is not mandatory for them to call elected representatives, when in fact, it is the elected representatives who meet the people when something goes wrong.”

‘Deliberate exclusion’

Sources close to Mr. Selvaperunthagai claim that senior officials from the Water Resources Department, all of whom belong to a particular dominant caste, deliberately excluded him. “The Union Secretary of the DMK is a Dalit, the Chairman is a Dalit, and the MLA is also a Dalit,” the source said. In the video, Mr. Selvaperunthagai says he had not been informed of the release of water from the lake for the second consecutive year.