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Does caste really count in Tamil Nadu?
B. KOLAPPAN
With the exception of the PMK, caste-based organisations have not been
able to make much headway
CHENNAI: The Assembly election in 2001 saw a new trend in Tamil Nadu.
Besides the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and the two Dalit parties, the
Puthiya Tamizhagam and the Viduthalai Chiruthigal Katchi (earlier
called DPI), several caste outfits "masquerading" as political
parties, came to be accorded recognition by the mainstream parties.
Ten years down the line, only the PMK and VCK, which have emerged as a
major force in the northern parts of Tamil Nadu, have been able to
retain their clout, while the others have either lost their sheen or
merged with one major political party or other.
Makkal Tamil Desam, launched by former AIADMK minister R.S.
Rajakannappan, seeking to represent the Yadavas, merged with the DMK
before going back to the AIADMK. The fate of Thamizhar Bhoomi, aimed
at mobilising the Mutharaiyars, is no different. The founder of the
party, Ku.Pa. Krishnan, is now contesting as an AIADMK candidate. The
New Justice Party of A.C. Shanmugam is also no longer in the picture.
Even Dr. Krishnasamy's Puthiya Tamizhagam, considered trend-setting in
Dalit assertion, which got 10 seats from the DMK in the 2001 election,
has now been forced to content itself with just two seats in the
AIADMK front. This is a big comedown for the party representing
Pallars, a militant, land-holding and better educated section of the
Dalits. Not just the seats, even aligning itself with the AIADMK
should be galling for Dr. Krishnasamy. He had in the past accused the
AIADMK of promoting the interests of Thevars with whom the Pallars
have locked horns in the southern districts for long.
On the flip side, some new outfits, such as the Kongu Nadu Munnetra
Kazhagam (KNMK), seeking to represent the interests of Goundars, have
emerged. The KNMK has been allotted seven seats in the DMK alliance.
All these parties have been inspired by the success of the Pattali
Makkal Katchi (PMK), which had its roots in the Vanniyar Sangam. But
they could not replicate the PMK's success.
The struggle for Most Backward Class (MBC) status was a unifying theme
for the Vanniyars, and Dr. Ramadoss was able to build a political
party following his success in securing 20 per cent reservation for
MBCs. Being the single largest MBC group, this reservation benefited
the Vanniyars most. The geographical contiguity of Vanniyar
settlements also made it possible for the PMK to emerge as a
significant force. It has been able to bounce back from the debacle of
2009 when it lost all the seven Lok Sabha seats it contested, because
of its inherent clout. "We have not confined ourselves only to the
question of reservation. We are also raising our voice for reservation
in private sector and highlighting other issues including political
empowerment of Vanniyars," Dr. Ramadoss notes.
J. Jeyaranjan, Director, Institute of Development Alternatives, points
out that when the scope for job opportunities is more in the private
sector than in the public, mobilising people on communal lines to reap
the benefits of government jobs was no longer possible.
Besides in this era of neo-liberalisation, caste-politics might appeal
to men as they seek political clout, whereas women are keener on the
economic aspect.
"Micro financing institutions, self-help groups and schemes like the
National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) are paving the way
for economic empowerment of women, and so they want the continuance of
the scheme whichever party is in power," Dr. Jeyaranjan says.
He however, feels political mobilisation of Dalits will continue
because as a community "they have miles to go before availing
themselves of the opportunities in any sector, public or private."
"Dalits need state intervention to improve their lot and the pressure
towards achieving could be mounted only though political
mobilisation," he says.
Nadars, a powerful and enterprising community, have also eluded
mobilisation on communal lines. A majority of them voted for the
Congress during late Chief Minister K. Kamaraj's time but later
switched their allegiance to the Dravidian parties.
Former IAS officer M.G. Devasahayam says it is difficult to mobilise
an economically and socially empowered community like Nadars.
"Basically it is a community with individualistic traits. A party with
Nadars as a key vote-bank is unlikely to materialise in the near
future."
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