BJP Accuses DMK MLA Of ‘forcing Dalit Man To Do Manual Scavenging’; MLA Refutes Claims

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Tamil Nadu has demanded action against DMK MLA from Chennai’s RK Nagar constituency, alleging that the ruling party MLA was present when a corporation worker was forced to do manual scavenging.

Attacking the RK Nagar MLA Ebenezer, the saffron party’s state unit chief K Annamalai said that the DMK leader must be booked under the Manual Scavenging Act 1993. “The RK Nagar constituency DMK MLA Ebenezer was present when a corporation worker was forced to do manual scavenging with his bare hands. He has to be immediately booked under the manual scavenging act 1993. Or maybe they will wait and delay taking action unless we all protest and fight against this,” he told reporters.

Stating that the said offence is non-bailable with a 1-year prison time, Annamalai said, “On one hand we all keep saying that manual scavenging must never happen in our country and on other hand, a person from an SC community is being made to do this. The MLA must also be booked under the Prevention of atrocities against SC/ST act. The DMK thinks they can do whatever they want in a public forum.”

The BJP Tamil Nadu chief DMK leader slammed DMK leader Ebenezer and said, “Just because the MLA wanted to feel like a hero in front of his constituency people, a common man is suffering.” Putting an onus on Chief Minister MK Stalin, Annalamai said, “I demand that MLA Ebenezer immediately be booked under these two acts (Manual Scavenging Act 1993 & Prevention of atrocities against SC/ST act) and arrested. Only if this is done, we can accept that this CM is for the people and is really fighting for social justice. Else, it will yet again prove that DMK is a caste-based party.”

‘Not a drainage, it’s a drinking water clogging’: DMK MLA claims
A video has gone viral wherein Chennai’s RK Nagar MLA is seen inspecting a water pump and then a person allegedly a corporation worker is forced to clean the blockage using his bare hands. However, MLA Ebenezer claimed that it was not an act of manual scavenging as it was not a drainage but drinking water clogging.

Notably, activist Shalin Maria Lawrence tweeted that DMK MLA forced a corporation sanitation worker to clean a sewer with his bare hand. Responding to her tweet, MLA Ebenezer threatened her saying he will lodge a complaint if she did not remove “MLA forced a corporation sanitation worker” from her tweet.

Courtesy : Republic world

Note: This news piece was originally published in republicworld.com and used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes exclusively for Human Rights