More than two years after being elected as the president of C. Mutlur panchayat near Chidambaram in Cuddalore district, P. Vedanayagi, a woman belonging to the Scheduled Caste, has claimed to be a victim of continued caste discrimination and non-cooperation since assuming charge.
Though the gram sabha meeting on the occasion of Independence Day on Tuesday was held peacefully, a section of villagers led by six out of the nine ward members boycotted the proceedings over the panchayat’s refusal to pass a resolution in support of a road roko protest against the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) over construction of a subway.
A senior official said there was disagreement between the panchayat president and the vice-president over the subway issue and it was being projected as a caste problem.
However, speaking to The Hindu, Ms. Vedanayagi accused the six ward members of not allowing to function her independently and contended that she was even prevented from placing a name board at the panchayat office. “I have been facing humiliation and had received threatening calls over placing a chair and a table at my office. They [the six ward members] were unable to digest that a Scheduled Caste woman had been elected as the panchayat president. The panchayat vice-president and her son have been instigating the locals against me. Though there have been several such unsavoury incidents, I tolerated them since I wanted to discharge my duties effectively and have peace in the village.”
The problem surfaced over the construction of a subway to connect the eastern and western sides of the panchayat. Though the panchayat took up the issue with the district administration and the NHAI, the latter said that a subway was not feasible on the four-lane highway passing through C. Mutlur.
“However, the six ward members turned against me and accused me of working against the subway proposal.... There was no perceptible change in their attitude. They have even submitted a no-confidence motion against me to the Collector, alleging financial irregularities,” she said.
She further said that she enjoyed the trust and confidence of the people who elected her to the post and maintained that she would deliver the goods. But it is a pity that caste feelings are being whipped against me, which is a fallout of their narrow outlook, she added.
