CM Stalin Champions Equality on Ambedkar Birth Anniversary

Speech delivered by the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Thiru.M.K.Stalin, at the Samathuva Naal function commemorating the birth anniversary of Dr.B.R.Ambedkar, organized by the Department of Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare at Kalaivanar Arangam, Chennai.

Respected Thiru Prakash Ambedkar, who has graced this distinguished event,
Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister Thiru Udhayanidhi Stalin,
Hon’ble Ministers present on the dais, Thiru E.V. Velu, Thiru Mathiventhan,
Hon’ble Member of Legislative Assembly and Tamil Nadu Congress Committee President
Thiru Selvaperunthagai, representing MLAs,
Hon’ble Member of Parliament and Leader of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, my dear
brother Thiru Thol. Thirumavalavan, representing MPs,
Thiru A. Raja, Deputy General Secretary of the DMK and Member of Parliament,
Hon’ble Ministers who are participating via video conference,
Esteemed Members of Parliament and Legislative Assembly,
Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Council Members of the Greater Chennai Corporation,
Chief Secretary Thiru Muruganandam, IAS,
Principal Secretaries Thiru Rajaraman, IAS and Tmt. Lakshmi Priya, IAS,
Senior Government Officials,
Respected beneficiaries who have gathered to receive welfare assistance,
Friends from the press and media,
Respected elders and mothers,
Warm greetings to all of you.

I begin my address today by paying tribute to the revolutionary leader, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, whose birthday we are commemorating as Samathuva Naal (Day of Equality). As praised by our beloved leader Kalaignar: “From the depths of servitude, from the sweat and tears of the oppressed, A blazing sun rose to change their plight — that great soul was Ambedkar! The warrior who lifted the banner for those trampled upon! The new Buddha who roared like a storm and shook the world — Ambedkar!”

Today marks a historically significant day — the birth anniversary of a revolutionary who challenged caste discrimination, untouchability, and social injustice and rewrote history with his activism. That is why under our Dravidian model governance, we have declared the birth anniversary of Thanthai Periyar as Social Justice Day, and today, the birth anniversary of Dr. Ambedkar, as the Day of Equality.

We began this day by taking an oath of equality at the Ambedkar Memorial and arrived here with the resolve that our society must move swiftly towards equality and that the idea of social change must take root in the hearts of all. The Dravidian movement has always upheld and celebrated Dr. Ambedkar. Thanthai Periyar published the Tamil translation of Ambedkar’s Annihilation of Caste as early as 1930. During the agitation to name the Marathwada University after Ambedkar in Maharashtra, it was Tamil Nadu under Kalaignar who first named a law college after Dr. Ambedkar in India. We have continually reaffirmed that Dr. Ambedkar symbolizes our identity. His grandson, Thiru Prakash Ambedkar, who has voiced the concerns of the marginalized in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, has honored us with his presence and speech today. I express my heartfelt gratitude to him. Before attending this event, I had the honor of inaugurating a student hostel named after one of Tamil Nadu’s foremost leaders, M.C. Raja, in Saidapet.

He was the first nominated member from the Scheduled Castes in the Madras Legislative Council and played a pivotal role in bringing their grievances before British authorities. A reformer of the Adi Dravida Mahajana Sabha, a founder of the Justice Party, and a former minister in the 1937 interim government of Madras Province, M.C. Raja’s legacy lives on. This newly inaugurated hostel will provide aspiring students with a place to pursue education with dedication.

One need only look at this stage to see how transformative such initiatives have been. My dear brother, Thiru Thirumavalavan, once resided in this very hostel. While reminiscing during our visit, he said it felt as though he could spend another five years studying there. Today, he stands as a respected leader, thinker, and teacher of politics and social science. I am proud to announce here that a life-size statue of the great leader M.C. Raja will soon be installed at the front of the hostel. Under the Dravidian model government, we have achieved countless milestones. As a result, the number of Adi Dravidar and Tribal students in higher education institutions in Chennai continues to rise annually. The M.C. Raja hostel will undoubtedly be of great support to them.

Following the path laid by Periyar, Ambedkar, Anna, and Kalaignar, our government is working as a social justice-driven administration implementing integrated welfare schemes for the advancement of Adi Dravidar and Tribal communities.

To highlight a few key achievements of our government:
● Establishment of the Tamil Nadu Adi Dravidar and Tribal Welfare Development Planning Act and State Commission to ensure optimal allocation of funds proportional to population percentages.
● Launch of the Ayothidasa Pandithar Housing Development Scheme with Rs. 1,000 crore to improve basic amenities in Adi Dravidar habitations.
● Annual allocation of Rs. 10 lakh each to ten villages promoting caste-harmony and social cohesion.
● Recent increase in this fund to Rs. 1 crore per panchayat under the Social Harmony Award Scheme.
● In the past four years, 6,977 awareness programs on social justice and equality have been conducted.
● The Dr. Ambedkar Foreign Education Scholarship Scheme currently supports 174 students pursuing postgraduate and research programs abroad.

We firmly believe that the development of a community is reflected in how its students are supported. Hence, we not only introduce various educational schemes but also build many hostels to support them. As Dr. Ambedkar rightly said, “The progress of a society is measured by the progress of its women.” Hence, we launched the Nannilam land purchase scheme to help women agricultural laborers from the Adi Dravidar community become landowners.

Over the last two years, 625 beneficiaries have received subsidies worth Rs. 30 crore under this scheme. The Free Bus Travel Scheme for Women, a flagship initiative of our government, has particularly benefited our sisters from the Adi Dravidar community. To enhance women’s livelihoods, we have raised the subsidy limit under the TAHDCO scheme from Rs. 2.5 lakh to Rs. 6 lakh. Under the Ambedkar Entrepreneurship Development Scheme, we have supported 3,950 entrepreneurs with Rs. 630 crore in loans, of which Rs. 403 crore is subsidy. Among them, 1,000 are women entrepreneurs. Under the Sanitation Workers’ Entrepreneurial Development Scheme, 468 beneficiaries have received Rs. 89.71 crore in subsidies. The Tholkudi scheme has been implemented for the livelihoods of tribal people with an annual allocation of Rs. 250 crore over four years, totaling Rs. 1,000 crore.

On this Day of Equality, I affirm with conviction that the Dravidian model government will always stand by the bright future of Adi Dravidar and Tribal communities. We have shattered the barriers that prevented entry to schools, streets, and temples under the name of caste through our policies, struggles, and continuous awareness efforts. We have brought education, employment, governance, power, and administration into the hands of the oppressed. Democracy has taken root across all domains — that is the transformation achieved by the Dravidian movement.

Our aim is to instill the belief that we are all Tamils — one people. The journey toward an egalitarian society continues. Let us remain inspired by the guiding light of leaders such as Jyotiba Phule, Ambedkar, Periyar, Anna, and Kalaignar. Let us dissolve communal hatred and uphold human compassion on this birth anniversary of Dr. Ambedkar.

Jai Bhim!
Thank you! Vanakkam!
Issued By: – DIPR, Secretariat, Chennai – 9