Pained over 'plight' of Dalits in Tamil Nadu: Governor Ravi, DMK hits back

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi on Monday expressed pain over the "plight" of Dalits in the state and said some of the instances of discrimination against them are "heart breaking."

Ravi made these comments at an event to commemorate the birth anniversary of B R Ambedkar at the Raj Bhavan here.

Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister Govi Chezhiyaan hit back at Ravi over his comments on Dalits' "plight" in the state as well as the governor's remarks about Ambedkar.

Ambedkar suffered immensely in his personal life, yet he bore no sense of vindictiveness or revenge, Ravi said.

"Instead, he dedicated his life to the entire country. He was not just a Dalit leader—he was one of the proudest and tallest sons of Ma Bharati. Even today, when we are faced with confusion or doubt, we return to Babasaheb's speeches, whether in the Constituent Assembly or outside," he said.

It was time to reflect on what Babasaheb envisioned—what kind of society and country he dreamed of. "Have we truly fulfilled his dreams," Ravi asked.

"When I came to Tamil Nadu, a state where social justice is frequently spoken about, I was pained by the plight of our Dalit brothers and sisters. Despite giving us the Constitution, Babasaheb himself was humiliated in his lifetime. His mission was derailed. He wasn't allowed to enter Parliament—-imagine, the man who gave us the Constitution, denied his rightful place."

"When he contested elections, he was humiliated. The first Prime Minister of the country (Jawaharlal Nehru), fearful of Babasaheb's towering intellect and personality, worked to defeat him," Ravi clamied.

To this day, Ambedkar was remembered only during elections, when leaders invoke his name for vote bank politics.

"This is nothing but ingratitude. And what hurts even more is the continued suffering of Dalits across the country. Discrimination still exists—no doubt about it. But the kind of stories we hear in Tamil Nadu, a state that claims to champion of social justice, are heartbreaking. A Dalit beaten up for wearing slippers and walking on a village street. A young Dalit thrashed for riding a motorbike. A student praised by a teacher is attacked in his home. Human excreta found in water tanks. These are not isolated incidents," Ravi noted.

Crimes against Dalits, women from the community were rising.

"The conviction rate for such crimes in Tamil Nadu is less than half the national average. These are facts—not political statements. How long must Dalits wait for justice? How long will the promises made by the Constitution remain unfulfilled? It is time for soul-searching. We must be honest and grateful to the man who gave us the Constitution and the vision that has helped this country progress," Ravi added.

The problems of Dalits was not a political issue but a human issue; a social issue.

We must wake up and take responsibility. "This is the only true tribute we can pay to Babasaheb Ambedkar—to fulfill his dream of building a just, equal, and dignified Bharat," he added.

Meanwhile, Chezhiyaan dismissed as "pure lies" Ravi's claims about Dalits being attacked in Tamil Nadu for wearing slippers and riding motorbike.

In a statement, he claimed National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) chairman Vijay Sampla had in 2023 said Bihar was ranked no.2 over crimes against SC community members.

Does Ravi have the qualification to talk about Tamil Nadu when such atrocities were happening in his native state, "where the government is running at the mercy of the BJP," the minister said in an apparent reference to the coalition government headed by Nitish Kumar in Bihar.

Citing "union government" statistics, he claimed BJP-ruled states topped the list of atrocities against Dalits.

Chezhiyaan asked Ravi if he responded when Union Home Minister Amit Shah made some remarks about Ambedkar some time ago that had led to a controversy.