reason. Opputtu is a variant of Holige made with rice, chickpea, palm or cane jaggery, cardamom and ghee. Caste issues The caste plays an important role in the Kongu region's mythology and history. Common myths and ideas contribute to the formation of a caste identity, which political leaders use to create shared identity. Incidents of persecution against Dalits, ranging from violent assault to discrimination based on caste is widespread in the Kongu region. Caste related atrocities are frequently reported from the Kongu region. According to Lakshmanan, a professor at the Madras Institute of Development Studies, "In comparison to the southern or northern districts, the socio-economic and political divide between Dalits and other intermediary castes is enormous in the Kongu area." Evidence, a Non-governmental organization called the Kongu region the "honour killing capital of Tamil Nadu" and said that the area is disturbingly gaining notoriety for honor Killings. Statehood demand There is a demand for the formation of Kongu Nadu, which would include sections of Tamil Nadu's southwest, Karnataka's southeast, and Kerala's east. In 2021 the Bharatiya Janta Party's (BJP) Coimbatore North district decided to separate the area into a new state. Later BJP claimed that have no plans to separate Tamil Nadu. A caste based political outfit Kongunadu Munnetra Kazhagam and a caste organization Kongu Vellala Goundergal Peravai also supported the demand. References Regions of Tamil Nadu Proposed states and union territories of India