The Puthiya Tamizhakam (PT) will organise six phased agitations across Tamil Nadu, beginning August 5, demanding to bring six sub-sects in Scheduled Caste, under common name of Devendra Kula Velalar.

PT founder president and MLA, K. Krishnasamy told reporters here on Tuesday that the decision to this effect was taken at a Party’s political high level committee meeting.

Stating that the Party was fighting for this demand for the last two decades, when both the Dravidian parties were in power, Mr. Krishnasamy claimed that this was one of the major demands when his Party entered into alliance with AIADMK in the 2011 Assembly polls.

Though DMK Government had constituted a committee under Justice Janardhanan to look into this matter during 2006-2011, it lost power in the following elections and the report did not see the light of the day, which otherwise would have solved the problem, he said.

The party waited for the last four years in the hope the Government would come out
with a Gazette notice, to bring Pallar, Kurumbar, Kaladi, Mooppan, Devendra Kulathan
and Pannadi, which have a six to eight per cent population in Tamil Nadu, under the
common name Devendra Kula Velalar, Mr. Krishnasamy said.

Stating that this would have no bearing on the castes in terms of additional benefits or loss to the Government, he recalled that late chief minister, M. G. Ramachandran named many castes under common names of Vanniyar, Nadar and many castes coming under one name of Thevar, Mr. Krishnasamy said.

As part of the agitation, the Party would organize a massive demonstration in Madurai
on August 5 and the following agitations would be decided in due course, he added.