The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Thirumavalavan elected VCK president

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Nov 13, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Thirumavalavan elected VCK president

Special Correspondent

Announcement of nominees to other posts by December
Party pulls out of rally to condole Thamilchelvan’s death

CHENNAI: Thol.Thirumavalavan was elected president of the Viduthalai Chiruthaikal Katchi at the party’s central committee meeting recently.

“With the party undergoing a total internal restructuring, it has been decided that the leadership will, henceforth, be held by a person at the level of president rather than general secretary. Nominees to other posts will be announced in the first week of December,” Mr. Thirumavalavan told reporters on Monday.

The party was open to enrolling representatives of communities other than Dalits as its members, as it did not wish to be labelled a caste-based outfit.

Due to “unavoidable reasons”, the party pulled out of Monday’s rally to condole the death of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam political wing leader S. Thamilchelvan, Mr. Thirumalavan said.

He appealed to parties not to politicise the death. “Mourning Thamilchelvan is not the same as sympathising with the LTTE.”

Mr. Thirumavalavan demanded that the Farooqui committee, enquiring into the attack on Congress president M. Krishnasswamy, should also probe the murder of Vincent, a Dalit teacher, who died in a communal clash in Sivagangai district following the attack on Mr. Krishnasswamy. The Government should give a solatium of Rs.2 lakh to Vincent’s family, apart from sanctioning a government job for his wife.

The Government should convene an all-party meeting to discuss the Mullaperiyar issue, he said.

The party would observe Ambedkar Memorial Day on December 6 in Chennai.

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