Sense of superiority based on birth should be continuously challenged, says new CPI State Secretary

M. Veerapandian, the newly elected Tamil Nadu State Secretary of the Community Party of India (CPI), on Sunday said laws alone could not eradicate deep-rooted caste pride from the minds of the people. He argued that only the continuous inculcation of social science, aimed at challenging the sense of superiority based on birth, could bring about a meaningful change in society.

“I do not say that a law is not necessary. Law offers protection for those who face suppression and violence. The vital point is to subject caste to questioning. Social science, questioning the superiority based on caste, should be taught in classrooms,” the 63-year-old Veerapandian, a native of Vyasarpadi in Chennai, told The Hindu. His comments were in response to the demand of the Left parties and the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) to enact a law to prevent ‘honour’ killings in Tamil Nadu.

Mr. Veerapandian was the deputy secretary of the party before his elevation. He was active in the All India Students’ Federation, the student wing of the CPI, and the All India Youth Federation, its youth wing, before becoming a full-time worker of the party.

Mr. Veerapandian, who has replaced R. Mutharasan as the State secretary, said Tamil society, endowed with ancient culture, literature, and tradition, would reach great heights if the caste system was eliminated. “It cannot be done easily. Only a cultured mind can transcend narrow sectarian ideas such as nationalism, casteism, and religion-based identities. It is our duty to inculcate a cultured mind to remove deep-rooted caste prejudices,” Mr. Veerapandian, the son of an inter-caste couple, said.

Communal forces

He said Tamil Nadu was facing a threat from communal forces wedded to the idea of fundamentalism. “Tamil Nadu is a modern State known for its tolerance towards differing ideas. Even if Tamil Nadu does not accept an idea, it respects it. But all its lofty ideals are under threat from fundamentalism. Parliamentary democracy is being challenged. We have to protect it,” he said.

Asked whether the Left forces had the strength to foil the attempts of communal forces, Mr. Veerapandian said numerically, the Communist parties might not have the strength, but their local units across the country were vibrant and capable of challenging communal forces. “Whenever Indian democracy and the country’s unity are under attack, the first voice comes from the Communists. Parliamentary democracy is protected in the country because of the Communists. That was why the late Communist leader Inderjit Gupta won the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award in 1992,” he added.