DMK government will always strive to ensure a bright future for Adi Dravidars and Tribal communities: Stalin

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, and Prakash Ambedkar, grandson of B.R. Ambedkar, releasing the Tamil version of Annihilation of Caste and Riddles in Hinduism at the event on Monday.
| Photo Credit: R. RAGU

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Monday affirmed that his government would always strive to ensure a bright future for Adi Dravidars and Tribal communities.

“Through our policies, struggles, and continuous awareness efforts, we have shattered the barriers that had prevented entry to schools, streets, and temples in the name of caste,” he said at the ‘Day of Equality’ function organised by the Department of Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare to commemorate the birth anniversary of B.R. Ambedkar.

“Today marks a historically significant day — the birth anniversary of a revolutionary who challenged caste discrimination, untouchability, and social injustice and rewrote history with his activism. That is why under our Dravidian model governance, we have declared the birth anniversary of Thanthai Periyar as Social Justice Day, and today, the birth anniversary of Dr. Ambedkar, as the Day of Equality,” Mr. Stalin said.

“We have brought education, employment, governance, power, and administration into the hands of the oppressed. Democracy has taken root across all domains — that is the transformation achieved by the Dravidian movement,” he said, adding: “Our aim is to instil the belief that we are all Tamils — one people. The journey towards an egalitarian society continues.”

Earlier in the day, Mr. Stalin inaugurated a student hostel in Saidapet named after one of Tamil Nadu’s foremost leaders, M.C. Raja, who was the first nominated member from the Scheduled Caste (SC) in the Madras Legislative Council and played a pivotal role in bringing the SC community’s grievances before British authorities. Mr. Stalin announced that a life-size statue of Raja would be installed in front of the hostel soon.

Mr. Stalin also listed a slew of welfare schemes implemented by the State government for the advancement of Adi Dravidar and Tribal communities such as the Nannilam land purchase scheme to help women agricultural labourers from the Adi Dravidar community become landowners, the Chief Minister added.

“The Free Bus Travel Scheme for Women, a flagship initiative of our government, has particularly benefited our sisters from the Adi Dravidar community. Under the Ambedkar Entrepreneurship Development Scheme, we have supported 3,950 entrepreneurs with loans worth ₹630 crore, of which ₹403 crore has been given on subsidy. Among them, 1,000 are women entrepreneurs,” Mr. Stalin said.

An official release said, the Chief Minister launched various buildings at the cost of ₹332.6 crore, which would help 49,542 people, and distributed welfare measures, marking the Day of Equality. Prakash Ambedkar, grandson of B.R. Ambedkar, was the chief guest for the event. Mr. Stalin also released the Tamil version of Annihilation of Caste and Riddles in Hinduism, authored by Ambedkar.

Speaking at the function, Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said attempts were being made to divide and rule and these should be defeated, and for that the visions of Periyar and Ambedkar were essential. Ministers E.V. Velu and Mathiventhan, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee President K. Selvaperunthagai, and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi founder Thol. Thirumavalavan were among those present. The Chief Minister also paid tributes to Ambedkar and administered an oath of equality at the Ambedkar Memorial.