Former Avinashi MLA A.A. Karuppasamy staged a protest in front of the collectorate accusing officials of the cooperative department of caste bias. Karuppasamy, a Dalit, was recently suspended from the post of chairman of Alandur primary cooperative society. He claims officials from the cooperative department are targeting him for actions taken by his predecessor.
Karuppasamy alleges that loans were distributed to several people during his predecessor’s tenure, but she did not collect money or sell jewels of borrowers who did not repay the loans. The jewels were later sold for a very low price, resulting in a loss to the society. However, he claims he is being singled out for the loss to society.
The former MLA goes on to further explain that recently a saleswoman of a PDS shop operated by their society was caught by the public for the illegal sale of rice and pulses. Karuppasamy dismissed the woman, who belongs to a dominant community, and she colluded with officials. They have given false reports accusing him of loss and suspending him.
Karuppasamy submitted a petition to collector T Christuraj during the weekly grievance meeting. Officials dismissed the allegations as baseless and unwarranted, with the Joint Registrar (Cooperative-Tiruppur) R Srinivasan stating, Several malpractices were detected during his tenure, and action was taken based on the report issued by the District Registrar of Cooperative Department. He is diverting the issue to casteism.
The situation highlights the ongoing issue of caste discrimination in India, with Karuppasamy’s allegations being taken seriously by some members of the community. Whether or not there is truth to the allegations remains to be seen, but it is important for authorities to investigate the matter further to ensure that all members of society are treated equally and fairly.
