CHENNAI: PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss on Friday alleged that dalits were being reduced to a “mere vote bank” under DMK regime, saying no real welfare reaches them.Anbumani launched his campaign for the upcoming election for his candidate K Balu after offering prayers at the Thiruporur Kandaswamy Murugan temple. “DMK is using dalits for votes without delivering justice or dignity. It has been allocating six to eight seats for VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan, which will not lead to empowerment of dalits. In the Cabinet, DMK gave limited importance to Scheduled Caste ministers by making them sit in the last row,” Anbumani said at the campaign, recalling the seats given to Puratchi Bharatham MLA Poovai M Jagan Moorthy and Tamil Manila Bajuhan Samaj party founder Porkodi Armstrong.
“There are more than 62,000 crimes against children in five years, including 27,000 Pocso cases, averaging 35 cases a day. The state has become unsafe for women and children,” Anbumani said. “Social justice declined in DMK after the demise of the late chief minister M Karunanidhi,” he added.