CHENNAI: Triggering a wide range of speculations in political circles, Union Minister of State for Social Justice Ramdas Athawale called on Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay at the Secretariat on Friday, which was described officially as a ‘courtesy call.
The president of the Republican Party of India, who had, ahead of the Assembly elections, said that Vijay might join the NDA after the polls, notwithstanding the position taken by the TVK that they considered the BJP as a principle enemy.
Now since Athawale had no known major event in Chennai, the speculation was that he met Vijay with a view to convincing him on supporting the Delimitation Bill and the Women’s Reservation Bill.
Speaking to the media, Athawale said that he would discuss the problems of the Dalit community in Tamil Nadu with the Chief Minister and expressed the confidence that the Delimitation and Women’s Reservation Bills would be passed in Parliament.
He said atrocities against Dalits were on the rise in Tamil Nadu and that poor Dalits should be given five acres of land to end poverty.
During the meeting that lasted for about twenty minutes, Athawale was said to have discussed the caste-based census planned by the state government, and also the socio-economic development of the Scheduled Caste, sources said.
Since the TVK has been projecting itself as a party concerned about Dalit rights and the emancipation of Dalits by repeatedly citing that the Tamil Nadu Cabinet, from the first time in its history, has eight Ministers, seven of them from the TVK itself, the meeting with the national Dalit leader could also be construed as Vijay getting recognition as a friend of the Dalits.
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