Tiruppur MP urges inclusion of Erode’s Malayali community in list of Scheduled Tribes

Tiruppur MP advocates for inclusion of Erode's Malayali community in Scheduled Tribes list for educational and job reservations.

Tiruppur MP K. Subbarayan has urged the Union Government to include the Malayali community in Erode district, which is currently classified as Other Castes (OC), in the list of Scheduled Tribes (ST).

Members of the community, numbering over 32,000, reside in Kadambur hills in Sathyamangalam taluk and Bargur hills in Anthiyur taluk. While they are categorised as OC in Erode, their counterparts in other districts are categorised as STs and are eligible for reservations in education and government jobs. Including Erode district’s Malayali community in the ST list required an amendment to the existing law.

In a petition submitted to Minister of Tribal Affairs, Jual Oram, in New Delhi recently, the MP said that the State government had already sent its recommendation to include the ‘Malayali’ community in Erode district in the ST list. A letter by G. Laxmi Priya, Secretary to the Government of Tamil Nadu in September 2023, provided comprehensive social and anthropological details about the Malayali tribes in Erode district.

The letter also clarified the distinction between the ‘Malayali’ tribe and the Malayalam-speaking people of Kerala. The MP reiterated that the Malayali community in Erode district is a tribal group with unique cultural traits. He emphasised that the constitutional commitment to extend benefits to this marginalised section of the society has been inordinately delayed. “Justice delayed should not be denied justice,” he pointed out, warning that further delay would deprive tens of thousands of deserving people of their constitutional rights.

Mr. Subbarayan urged the Minister to accept the documentary evidence and recommendations submitted by the Tamil Nadu government and take appropriate steps to include the Malayali community of Erode district in the ST list. He also called for the necessary amendment to be passed under Article 341(2) and 342(2) of the Indian constitution.