An X (formerly Twitter) account named "The Dalit Voice" (@ambedkariteIND) recently shared a post featuring an image of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay alongside Rajmohan.
The caption makes a bold historical claim: "For the first time since Independence, a Dalit leader has been appointed as Education Minister. Tamilnadu CM Vijay has appointed Rajmohan, who comes from the Dalit community, as the state's Education Minister".
WHAT IS THE TRUTH?
To find the truth behind this viral post, we carefully analyzed the bold claim made by the X account "The Dalit Voice". The post stated that CM Vijay's appointment of Rajmohan was the very first time a Dalit leader was made Education Minister in Tamil Nadu since Independence. To verify this, we checked the state's political history and looked into the cabinet appointments of previous state governments.
During our fact-checking process, we found that the viral claim is entirely false. When we analyzed the records of the AIADMK government, we discovered that former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa had already appointed P. Benjamin as the state's School Education Minister. This historical fact proves that a leader from the Dalit community had already held this exact portfolio long before the current administration.
Furthermore, we checked more recent political events to see if there were other similar appointments. We found confirmed news reports showing that during a cabinet reshuffle in September 2024, Chief Minister M. K. Stalin appointed Govi Chezhiaan to the education cabinet. With this appointment, Govi Chezhiaan officially became Tamil Nadu's first Dalit Higher Education Minister.
By cross-referencing these historical records, it is clear that the viral post is spreading a fabricated, narrative-driven claim. The assertion that Rajmohan is the "first since Independence" completely ignores the actual history of Tamil Nadu politics, where leaders like P. Benjamin and Govi Chezhiaan have already successfully held the Education Minister position.
CONCLUSION
The claim that TVK's Rajmohan is the "first Dalit Education Minister" in Tamil Nadu is entirely false. Leaders from the Dalit community, such as P. Benjamin and Govi Chezhiaan, have already held both the School and Higher Education portfolios in the past.