Updated: April 3, 2021 9:49:53 pm
Dalit politics in Tamil Nadu have reached a crossroads. While the major parties go the extra mile to adapt to Dalit icons and are receptive to Dalit concerns, they are also slowly reducing the voter base of independent Dalit parties in the state. The dominant parties in the state distrust an independent Dalit political identity and would prefer to subsume them using a mix of co-optation, corruption and sometimes coercion.
In Tamil Nadu, there are three main castes of Dalits. First of all, the Parayar caste is predominantly in the northern and central parts of the state, and is represented by Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, the VCK led by Thirumavalavan. The Pallars and associated castes now called Devendra Kula Vellalar are found in the southern and coastal delta districts of the state and are represented in part by Puthiya Tamilagam (PT) led by Dr. Krishnaswamy. The Arundhathiyars are much smaller compared to the other two and lack an established political team to represent them. Both the VCK and the PT have fairly established political party structures in their respective regions of influence and are active throughout the year.
Estimates put the total Dalit population of Tamil Nadu at around 20 percent, while tribes make up about one percent of the state’s population.
Dalits in Tamil Nadu predominantly vote for established political parties such as DMK, AIADMK, Congress and the Communists, but they also vote in smaller numbers for Dalit-led parties such as the VCK and the PT. There are also some Dalit political parties led by a single leader with influence in only one or two constituencies of the Assembly. But they don’t matter much electorally.
The Parayar in northern and central Tamil Nadu are politically confronting the Vanniyars (designated as the most backward caste), with their own political party, the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), while the Devendra Kula Vellalar are confronting the community. Thevar. in the south, they are well represented in both AIADMK and DMK. The Arundhatiyars are fewer in number, politically marginalized, and do not confront any major CBO community.
The main political parties in Tamil Nadu are all run by the OBC community and are well represented in the party structure. Dalit leaders within the main parties have a marginal presence, but due to a strong party structure in the DMK and AIADMK and charismatic leadership, Dalits in the state have voted primarily with the main parties.
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Dalit parties mostly fight in alliance with mainstream and established political parties, as every time they compete on their own, they fail to make an impact. This is partly due to the scarcity of resources to fight costly elections and also because other communities have not accepted alliances or political formations led by Dalits. In the 2016 Assembly polls, the VCK was part of a third front, contested around 25 seats and failed to win a seat. Puthiya Tamilagam also went blank despite being part of the DMK alliance. Furthermore, the two main Dalit parties in the state disagree on many issues and neither do they elect the same alliance partners. In the 2011 Assembly elections, while VCK was in the losing DMK alliance and went blank, PT was in the winning AIADMK alliance and won two seats.
This time, VCK has six seats in the DMK alliance, while Puthiya Tamilagam, seen in alliance with AIADMK in the 2019 parliamentary elections, does not find a place in the alliance now and is competing on his own.
In 2021, the Union Government has gone ahead with the announcement that the Pallar and other associated castes would be renamed Devendra Kula Vellalar from now on. This was an aspirational identity issue festering with the community for a long time and they seem to be happy with the AIADMK and BJP governments for taking it forward. However, it is unclear how it will affect their vote, given that Puthiya Tamilagam is competing independently.
While VCK, in addition to its Dalit politics, talks about Tamil pride, Dravidian issues and has an anti-agitation center approach, and is closer to DMK’s politics, Puthiya Tamilagam talks about how to be on the programmed caste list it has not helped the community politically. and would like to move to the OBC list. While VCK avoids the BJP, Puthiya Tamilagam is seen with the BJP and is grateful to the saffron party for sympathizing with their cause.
Since Dalit politics in the state is fractured, these parties also face a new threat that many small parties appear to face in the state. It is the insistence of the main parties that the smaller parties, including the Dalit parties, dispute the symbol of the main parties. If there is a way to lose political identity, this is it. Major parties like DMK and AIADMK argue that, given close contests, smaller parties that compete with not-so-popular symbols run the risk of being overrun.
Although VCK leader Thirumavalavan is well known throughout the state, VCK has done its best to expand its presence as a pan-Tamil party growing beyond its Dalit roots, it has not paid enough dividends. While VCK has articulated on various issues affecting the state, and is seen as a traveling companion by a mainstream political party such as the DMK and the communist parties, the fact is that Thirumavalavan has a hard time winning the elections and wins by margins. very narrow. , as much. In the 2019 parliamentary elections, he won the Chidambaram constituency in the DMK alliance by a margin of around 3,200 votes, while neighboring constituencies saw DMK candidates winning seats by margins of more than 2,00,000 votes.
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