It has been more than 50 years that the Dravidian politics is ruling the entire state of Tamil Nadu. While Tamil Nadu CM’s son Udhayanidhi Stalin’s recent remark on Sanatan Dharma has caused a stir in the northern part of the country, it has merely made a dent in Tamil Nadu politics. Is it only because the DMK rules the state politics or it is because the entire Dravidian politics is about this narrative?
History of Dravidian Politics
EV Ramaswamy Naicker or Periyar is hailed as the father of the Dravidian politics. He had founded the Self Respect movement to fight against casteism, religion and gender norms. Justice Party was formed in 1916 on the lines of Periyar’s movement. The now MK Stalin-ruled Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) traces its roots from the Justice Party and has always positioned itself as an anti-caste party. Since the Dravidian politics have always been about Sanatan Dharma and Brahminical domination, that’s why Udhayanidhi’s remarks have not made an impact in his home state. Political analysts say that Dravidian parties have been saying so for more than 70 years.
Is Dravidian Politics really an Anti-caste movement?
What Udhayanidhi Stalin said may be in line with the idea of Sanatan Dharma in Tamil Nadu but it cannot be justified in north. Now, since DMK is part of the I-N-D-I-A, it must do politics that is suited to the entire country, not only Tamil Nadu. It also points towards the possibility of DMK trying to pin Dravidian politics as an alternative for the hindutva ideology.
If one looks at the Dravidian politics advocated by Periyar, and the one advocated today by the Stalin family, there are stark differences. While Periyar was in favour of a casteless society, DMK is in favour of non-Brahmin supremacy. From a socio-political lens, if you call yourself an anti-brahmanical party, you are ultimately projecting yourself as a caste-based political party.
Undoubtedly, DMK has taken progressive steps in Tamil Nadu including self-respect marriages, succession rights for women etc. But their idea of Sanatan Dharma is full of problems which can be detrimental to the unity of the country, especially if its takes the centre stage in national politics.
The DMK had earlier positioned itself as ‘we don’t believe in god’, however, in the Stalin era, CM’s wife Durga has been spotted visiting temples and even Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, a minister in Stalin’s cabinet has been spotted wearing a sacred thread on his wrist. In politics, everything keeps changing. When there was no threat of BJP, DMK had the option of tweaking its own ideology of atheism. However, today, when Annamalai is getting traction, DMK has gone back to promoting its oldest ideology of opposing the Sanatan Dharma.
When DMK had to maintain its vote-bank politics, Annadurai had relaxed his Periyar-stand of atheism as noted by some political analysts. However, now that the party found itself in a political soup, it is justifying Udhayanidhi’s remark by bringing topics like casteism and Brahmin supremacy into the forefront. As they say, to remain in power, you gotta do what you gotta do!
