Thirumavalavan's 'Political Game Play'

Thirumavalavan's 'Political Game Play'

We are all aware that for the past month, until August 13, sanitation workers have been protesting in front of the Ripon Building, demanding permanent employment and opposing the privatisation of sanitation work.

Currently, these sanitation workers earn a monthly income of ₹25,000. However, with the privatisation of these services, their income will be reduced to ₹15,000.

In support of these demands, many private organisations met with the protesting sanitation workers in front of the Ripon Building and extended their support.

As this protest was seen as a disruption to the Independence Day celebrations, a DMK supporter filed a case. The supporter claimed that the protest was obstructing access for train commuters trying to reach Central Railway Station.

The court's verdict was that the protest should be moved to a different location to avoid disruption. Consequently, on the night of August 13, after Chief Minister Stalin finished watching the movie 'Coolie', the police forcibly removed the sanitation workers from the Ripon Building premises.

During this entire protest, both the Leftist Communist parties and Thirumavalavan, who is often called the protector of the oppressed, remained silent.

After the government forcibly ended the protest, the sanitation workers were left with no other option and had to start working under the private company's contract for the reduced wage.

The disappointing part is that while it would have been acceptable if Thirumavalavan had simply not supported the protest, he went a step further and expressed the opinion that the jobs of these sanitation workers should not be made permanent.

His argument was that if the jobs were made permanent, the workers and their future generations would be confined to the same low-status work and would not be able to achieve higher positions in society.

However, the reality is that only by securing permanent employment with a good salary can these sanitation workers afford to send their next generation to get an education and pursue higher-paying jobs. This is the truth of the matter. The Communist parties also reiterated this view.

Many oppressed people see Thirumavalavan as a divine saviour. But because of his alliance with the DMK, he appears to be catering to them by speaking out against the permanent employment and wage increase for sanitation workers.

It is a sad state of affairs that the compulsions of the alliance have forced him to act against his own stated principles, leading to this kind of 'Political game play' of his.