Hilariously absurd chest-thumping for a bill yet to pass

CHENNAI: After the Union Cabinet recently approved a bill to include Narikoravan and Kurivikkaran communities in the list of Scheduled Tribes, political parties in the State vied with each other claiming credit for it.

Immediately after the Cabinet announcement, Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin said that the Union government providing ST status for Narikoravan and Kurivikkaran communities is an achievement of his party.

BJP state president K Annamalai claimed that with the continuous effort of the BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit and the longstanding demand of the community, the Prime Minister has approved their inclusion in the ST list. “The DMK is making attempts to fix their label on other’s (BJP’s) achievements. The DMK came to power in 1967 and it was a partner of the Congress-led union government for 10 years from 2004 to 2014 but failed to fulfil Narikuravar’s demand,” he said.

TNCC president KS Alagiri said that the amendment to include the communities under the ST list was brought by the UPA government in 2013. “But that

amendment was shelved by the BJP-led Union govern- ment for eight years,” he charged.

A tribal activist commented that this was the third time a Union Cabinet has approved the demand. “Polit- ical parties should wait till the bill is passed in the Parliament to take credits,” he quipped.