Leaders demand action for desecration of Ambedkar statue in Tiruvallur

CHENNAI: Leaders of various political parties, including Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami on Monday condemned the desecration of the statue of Ambedkar and urged the state government to initiate stringent action against perpetrators of the incident.

Describing such statue desecrations as "regular affair" in the incumbent DMK regime, Palaniswami, in a tweet, said that the state government should be more vigilant henceforth and prevent such 'condemnable' incidents in the future. Demanding the immediate arrest of the accused. Congress legislature party leader K Selvaperunthagai asked chief minister M K Stalin to deal with anti-social elements engaging in atrocities against scheduled castes in the state with an iron fist.

Expressing dismay at the desecration of the statue of Babasaheb Dr B R Ambedkar at Neduvarambakkam near Ponneri in Tiruvallur, Selvaperunthagai said that he perceives the development as a cheap act of anti-social elements who have not fully understood the ideology and principles of Ambedkar.

"I don't know when the narrow perception that Ambedkar is a leader of the scheduled castes will change. He is not just a leader of Dalits. He acted against any form of oppression in India. One could learn about Ambedkar if one reads the statement of Ambedkar when he resigned from the position of India's first law minister in 1951," Selvaperunthagai added.

Welcoming the action initiated by district collectors of Kallakurichi and Pudukottai to help scheduled caste people worship in temples where they were denied entry for long, the Congress legislature party leader said, "Unable to tolerate it (affirmative action by district collectors), attempts are being made to unleash violence against the marginalized Dalit communities in a peace haven like Tamil Nadu. It must never be permitted."