Thiruma, Ravikumar oppose SC/ST tag for MPs of reserved constituencies in Parliament attendance register, Sansad TV

CHENNAI: VCK chief and Chidambaram MP Thol Thirumavalavan and his party MP D Ravikumar called on Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju to seek his intervention against the practice of using SC or ST in brackets along with the names of reserved constituencies and their MPs in the Parliament attendance register, and mentioning it that way on Sansad TV as well.

They opined that the practice would "unnecessarily attract hate towards the MPs of reserved constituencies and sometimes lead them into unexpected trouble."

In the attendance register maintained by the Lok Sabha Secretariat for members of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, the names of reserved constituencies' MPs are mentioned along with the SC/ST (Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes) tag in brackets following the name of the respective constituency.

It is not necessary to mention the SC/ST tag in the attendance register or on Sansad TV, the VCK MPs stated.

Highlighting the problem faced by members of Parliament elected from reserved constituencies for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Ravikumar said that constituency names were mentioned everywhere along with the SC or ST tag. "In our caste ridden society, this practice of the government brings discomfort to the members," he said, terming it a "cruel idea of segregation and discrimination".