The Centenary of Dalit Temple Entry, an event to commemorate 100 years of the entry of Dalits into the Tiruchanoor Temple, will be held from October 11 to 13 in Tirupati.
Addressing a press conference here, senior Congress leader from Andhra Pradesh and former MP for Tirupati Chinta Mohan said that on October 13, 1925, Murugan, a Dalit, entered the temple and offered arati, and was subsequently jailed. He was later released after C. Rajagopalachari, on knowing about the incident, came to Tirupati to argue his case and secured his acquittal.
Later, in a historic move Mahatma Gandhi too staged a satyagraha in front of the Tiruchanoor temple along with 33 Dalit persons and ensured their entry into the temple.
Dr. Mohan said leaders of various organisations and parties have been invited for the event.
The former Union Minister accused theBJP-led Union government of rushing through the Delimitation Bill, stating that it would do injustice to southern States. He said the move could create an imbalance between North and South India and may lead to unrest. He said Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Jawaharlal Nehru and others of the Constituent Assembly had fixed the number of Lok Sabha seats after much thought.
He accused the SC, ST Finance Corporation in Andhra Pradesh of doing little for the welfare of Dalits.
