Dalits not safe in TN: Governor Ravi opens fresh fire on Stalin govt

Although there is a lot of talk on social justice, Dalits in Tamil Nadu face atrocities of some kind every other day, Governor R N Ravi has said, apparently targeting the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam after a gap of about a month.

Had the nation listened to Dr B R Ambedkar, Partition could have been averted or it would not have been not as traumatic as it was since millions died and several millions were displaced, he said. 

Atrocities against Scheduled Castes ranged from throwing human faeces in the water tank of a Dalit colony, public humiliation, assault, no entry into temples and discrimination at anganwadis, he said, seeking to corner the governing party over its avowed ideals of social justice.

In his address at the release of Tamil versions of Modi@20: Dreams Meet Delivery and Ambedkar and Modi -- Reformer's ideals, performer's implementation in Chennai on Sunday, he said the response of the law enforcement and criminal justice system was awful when it came to crimes against the Dalits in the state. The conviction rate was just 7 per cent in rape cases vis-a-vis Dalit women.

Referring to a Comptroller and Auditor General of India report, he said 30 per cent of the Centre's funds for building houses for Dalits remained unspent and a major component of the rest of the fund got diverted for other purposes. 

Earlier, Dr Ambedkar was used for the purpose of political mobilisation and "thanks to Prime Minister Modi we have started talking about him." Some people used to swear on Ambedkar's name either to accuse the other person over some issue or for praising oneself.

Hailing Babasaheb as a great nationalist, Ravi said when the British regime tried to create a 'separate electorate for SC/ST' and thereby divide society further, Ambedkar stood like a rock and did not allow that.

When the Muslim League started demanding Pakistan, the Indian National Congress thought that they could manage the matter but Ambedkar forewarned against it.

Citing a book of the architect of the Constitution, Pakistan or the partition of India, written before the nation's partition, the Governor said: "Had we listened to him, perhaps Partition could have been averted or it would not have been as traumatic (as it was), millions died and several millions were displaced and rendered homeless." The partition, if could not have been avoided, it may have been less painful. "But, we did not listen to him."

Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, L Murugan, Anna University Vice-Chancellor, R Velraj and Director IIT-Madras V Kamakoti and former Vice-Chancellor, TN Dr MGR Medical University, Sudha Seshayyan took part in the event.

Last month Ravi walked out from the state assembly following a face-off with Chief Minister MK Stalin over the former's customary address to members of the house in its first session of the year.

In his address, Ravi skipped a few portions of the draft prepared by the government, prompting Stalin to move a resolution to expunge from records all such comments made by the governor that didn't conform to the draft.