Catholic bishops of the Tamil Nadu Bishops’ Council (TNBC) met with the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin at the State Secretariat in Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, a southern Indian state. They submitted a memorandum outlining several long-pending concerns related to education, welfare, and social justice.
Among those who met the Chief Minister were Archbishop George Antonysamy of Madras–Mylapore and TNBC President; Bishop Lawrence Pius of Dharmapuri; Bishop Neethinathan of Chengalpattu; Bishop Jeevanandam of Kumbakonam; and Bishop Lourdes Anantham of Sivagangai.
The meeting was coordinated by Fr. Vincent Chinnadurai, former Chairman of the Tamil Nadu State Minorities Commission and Rector of the National Shrine Basilica of St. Thomas, Santhome, Chennai. Minority Welfare Minister S.M. Nasar; Catholic member of the Legislative Assembly Iniyago Irudayaraj; and Fr Joe Arun, SJ, current Chairman of the Tamil Nadu State Minorities Commission, were also present.
In their memorandum, the bishops thanked the Chief Minister for the government’s commitment to social justice, secular values, and the welfare of all Tamil people. They also highlighted several key requests:
• Exemption for minority government-aided schools from Section 19 of the Private Schools Regulation Act, as directed by the courts.
• Extension of educational welfare schemes, such as free textbooks and laptops, to students in minority-run, government-aided institutions.
• Approval and staffing norms for English-medium sections in aided schools, in line with judicial guidelines.
• Strengthening political reservations for Dalit Christians with state support.
• Inclusion of Christian Vanniyars ( a caste group in the state) in the Most Backward Classes (MBC) list, with rights on par with Hindu Vanniyars.
The bishops expressed appreciation for the state government’s ongoing initiatives for minority welfare and urged timely action on the requests.
Chief Minister Stalin assured them that the government would examine the demands carefully and take appropriate measures.
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