States: Tamil Nadu; Burning ambitions

India Today
October 19,1998

TAMIL NADU
Burning Ambitions

Tamil Nadu reels under caste clashes again as the Dalits and their rivals from other castes try to assert themselves with dubious political designs.

By D Aravindan and L R Jagadeeshan

Burning Ambitions Tamil Nadu has always been a hotbed of caste politics. Last week, as Ramanathapuram and Paramakkadi areas in the southern part of the state went up in flames, resulting in the death of 10 persons, it was another grim reminder that violence in the name of caste-and religion-can break out at the slightest provocation in the state.

All it took this time was for the Puthia Tamizhagam (PT), a statewide grouping of Dalits, to exhort its members to carry weapons to meet the threats of the rival Kallars, Maravars and Thevars. "If one Dalit member is hit," PT President Krishnaswamy thundered at a party conference, "we must account for four of them." The ground had truly been prepared.

The ominous tone of that statement was enough for the Thevars to rally together and hurriedly float the Thevar Confederation (TC), an umbrella organisation for their disparate groups. It then went on to organise a conference in Ramanathapuram town on October 4. A few days before the conference, posters of lethal weapons were found pasted on the town walls. The message was not lost on the Dalits. It had more than the desired effect.

What followed in the next couple of days was a free-for-all with large-scale arson and looting. Somewhere along the line, the Dalits gathered support from the Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam (MMK)-the fact that both the pt and the MMK are fighting the Thevars has resulted in a newfound bonhomie between the two groups-giving the caste clashes a communal colour. By the time the police brought the clashes under control, 10 lives had been lost, scores of villagers on either side injured and property worth Rs 50 lakh damaged.

Tamil Nadu provides the perfect backdrop for such recurring violence. An indecisive ruling party, a needling opposition, aggressive caste dons and an inefficient police force form a deadly combination that allows a free run to troublemakers. Not that caste clashes did not take place in the past. In fact there have been worse incidents than Ramanathapuram: in the Mudukalathoor flare-up during Kamaraj's rule, hundreds were hacked to death; 25 Dalits were burnt alive in Keezhavenmani during Annadurai's time; 50 people were killed in the Villupuram Dalit clashes during the tenure of MGR. While these incidents were curbed speedily by the police, of late clashes have been spreading rapidly, continuing for months on end.

Many believe this is due to the patronage given to the warring caste groups by political parties. DMK leaders say the present riots are only part of a series of clashes that have been going on for the past two-and-a-half years. "The clashes were engineered by some people sitting in Chennai ..." says Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, squarely blaming the opposition AIADMK for the riots.The AIADMK, on its part, denies any such links. Jayalalitha has lost no time in demanding the army's deployment in the tense areas and, more important, Karunanidhi's resignation over the issue. In a statement, party presidium chairman V.R. Nedunchezian lambasted the DMK for its "baseless" inferences saying it was only a ploy to cover up its own failure to maintain law and order.

This in turn has raised questions over the efficiency of the state police. Even as Director-General of Police F.C. Sharma stated that "the situation was back to normal and peace prevailed in Ramanathapuram", the headman of a Dalit village was hacked to death. The villagers are accusing the police of not making adequate arrangements in view of the tense situation. They even claim that the district superintendent of police and collector were on leave on the day of the conference.

As charges and counter-charges fly thick, political observers prefer to look at the sustained clashes from another significant angle: the sudden assertion of the downtrodden Dalits. While the rivalry between the Thevars and the Dalits has been on for decades, it is only in the past few years that the Dalits have started hitting back. The turning point was an attack by the police on Kodiyangulam, a Dalit village, in August 1995. A police battalion led by a Thevar officer raided the village, allegedly setting fire to houses, even sexually assaulting women. When the ruling AIADMK went out of its way to protect the officer and justify the raids, Dalit leaders, in particular Krishnaswamy, put up a concerted fight, turning to the DMK and the communist parties for help.

Overnight, Krishnaswamy was seen as the saviour of the Dalits and he won in the 1996 assembly elections. This year's Lok Sabha polls too proved that his caste base remained strong. The pt contested from 17 constituencies. Though it could not win any seat, it cornered 3 per cent of the total votes polled.

With the Thevars too rallying together under one body, it is clear that the caste groups of Tamil Nadu are nurturing political ambitions in right earnest. The dubious caste leaders have now gained political respectability and are even dictating terms to the established parties. Eleven years ago, S. Ramadoss was a little known leader of the Vanniyar caste. But once the Vanniyar sangham that he headed displayed its clout by organising a statewide road-block in 1987, he became a much sought after politician. Krishnaswamy today is in a somewhat similar situation. Leaders of major political formations in the state love to hate him but privately most want to ally with him. That's caste politics in Tamil Nadu. Unfortunately, if this trend does not end, there will only be more ramanathapurams.

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