Screengrab from video | Photo Credit: Times Now

New Delhi: Amidst a lot of hue and cry over the reservation, a Dalit group in Tamil Nadu has come forward to pull out of the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes list. Usually, groups in India want to get included, not excluded, from the list. In a move which could leave the nation stunned, Devendra Kula Vellalars are ready to give up the Scheduled Castes status.

The group has cited many reasons behind their decision. According to the group, reservation breeds stigma and they are being discriminated by the society. They added that the community is seen as just a vote bank. And as they want an upward mobility and progress, the group has decided to pull out of the SC list.

The protest will be led by the Puthiya Tamilagam party. On May 6, over one lakh people belonging to the Devendra Kula Vellalar community will assemble in Virudhunagar, calling for exclusion from the Scheduled Castes list.

While talking to The Hindu, Puthiya Tamilagam leader K Krishnasamy had last year claimed that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam governments had suppressed the rights of the Devendra Kula Vellalar community. He had added that it was clear that the governments led by both the parties backed Devendra Kula Vellalars just for electoral gains.

A number of cases related to discrimination against Dalits crop up almost every day across various states of India. On Tuesday, a Dalit wedding procession was halted from passing through a locality at Bhilwara district in Rajasthan.