Jayalalitha and Dravidian movement: How politics in Tamil Nadu became art of managing contradictions

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*
Many in media were shocked to see the last remains of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha being buried and not cremated as per the Hindu customs. Actually, the hype of media reached its crescendo and they were well prepared for a grand brahmanical ceremony, but unfortunately their wish could not be fulfilled.
Those who know the legacy of Periyar and Dravidian movement will understand that all of them followed a legacy defined and articulated by Periyar.
Jayalalitha was a non-Tamil and brahmin, yet part of the AIADMK through its thick and thin. Even when it was well known that she diluted the whole Dravidian ideological legacies, the concept of welfare measures are part of this historical legacy and that is why Tamil Nadu remain one of the best Indian states in terms of welfare measures of the people.
The whole concept of Mid Day meal in India actually came through MGR's successful programme in Tamil Nadu. Even today, the meals provided in Tamilnadu remain better than other states.
Many a time, the media convert the entire issue of Tamil Nadu politics as influenced by the film stars without understanding the whole legacy of the Dravidian movement.
People might not even remember Jayalalitha as a film star but the legacy of Dravidian movement was with her even as I said, she diluted it and compromised with the brahmanical forces many times but then politics is the art of managing contradictions.
Jayalalitha reduced her ministers to nothing. Paneer Selvam was a pale shadow of her. Most of the ministers would just stand in front of her. But then it is politics which worship the power.
Jayalalitha was humiliated when MGR passed away and was merely an óutsider'even when every one knew that she was his political heir who he groomed. The coterie planted MGR's wife Janaki Ramachandran as chief minister and publicly humiliated Jayalalitha. That public humiliation perhaps made her more aggressive and revengeful.
While I do not subscribe to many of the freebies that she gave to people as that was nothing but a growing trend of bribing the voters but in some way good too when politicians are amassing huge wealth, living king size life, palatial bungalows, shamelessly spending money on their personal grooming then, one feel atleast, people are getting something.
Its people's money but my one request to freewallahs as well as to the people who feel elated over that is that why don't they ask to give land to the landless and house to homeless in their manifestos. Can any political party do it? It will fulfill the dreams of our constitutional forefathers of housing for all. It will relieve people and make their positive energy used elsewhere.
Politicians made people virtually beggars. For media it become an spectacle to suggest how many lakhs converse.. what a great leader one was and how much popular one was... let me say, people in India have enough time for all politicians, film stars, cricketers... and even when crooked dies people will go in millions. It is only when some body really good dies that we dont even remember. How is that a leader die and people become 'helpless'? Leaders are becoming larger than life and people powerless and helpless. This is not a great sign of democracy. Such larger than life images of politicians only hurt democracy.
Can we see some day a public figure die and cremated silently. Is there a need for grand function? But then it is the best period to market your religious belief, plant political agendas on non political people who look for a miracle.
Jayalalitha lived in style and never believed in any niceties and lived life on her conditions. It was she who on a midnight knock got an old Karunanidhi arrested from his house. Many of today's mass leaders rarely came from the mass movement. They don't remain leaders but much bigger like Gods and Goddesses and we start worshipping them.
Political people worshipping their leaders only reduce democracy to biggest farce when these power elite use democracy to subvert law and enjoy power without any accountability. There are many 'great' leaders and when they pass away you will see the same kind of rhetorics and dramas as we saw in Chennai.
The grand spectacle was in Chennai today, in Mumbai several years back, may be in Lucknow, Patna, Delhi, Hyderabad or elsewhere tomorrow... people have never been a problem in this country.. they come in the largest numbers... the only time they won't when you want to do some really good work.
Whatever may be her wrongs, Jayalalitha allowed ensured that in Tamil Nadu the political power remain with the Dravidian parties. With Jayalalitha's passing away the Hindutva groups are now cosying up to her party. We hope the Dravidian legacy will remain strong in Tamil Nadu as any alliance with Hindutva will ultimately finish them politically in the state.
Regional parties must learn from the experiences that BJP always started with a junior partner in many states but become senior partner after several years through various mechanism of using contradictions.
This is a crucial phase of Tamilnadu and we hope both DMK and ADMK retain their respective identities, but there is every danger at the moment where powerful drawing room mechanism might play games and push ADMK to the lap of Hindutva forces which would be the most dangerous thing. Jayalalitha did not do despite her soft corner for brahmanical rituals and practices.
Tamil Nadu's political formulations now need careful observation and we hope politicians will show maturity to their ideologies and provide a pro people inclusive governance.
---
*Source: From the author's Facebook timeline

Comments

The golden crop: How turmeric is transforming women's lives in tribal India

By Vikas Meshram* When the lush green fields of turmeric sway in the tribal belt of southern Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat, it is not merely a spice crop — it is the golden glow of self-reliance. In villages where even basic spices once had to be bought from the market, the very soil today is yielding a prosperity that has transformed the lives of thousands of families. At the heart of this transformation is the initiative of Vaagdhara, which has linked turmeric with livelihoods, nutrition, and village self-governance — gram swaraj.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Authoritarian destruction of the public sphere in Ecuador: Trumpism in action?

By Pilar Troya Fernández The situation in Ecuador under Daniel Noboa's government is one of authoritarianism advancing on several fronts simultaneously to consolidate neoliberalism and total submission to the US international agenda. These are not isolated measures, but rather a coordinated strategy that combines job insecurity, the dismantling of the welfare state, unrestricted access to mining, the continuation of oil exploitation without environmental considerations, the centralization of power through the financial suffocation of local governments, and the systematic criminalization of all forms of opposition and popular organization.

Echoes of Vietnam and Chile: The devastating cost of the I-A Axis in Iran

By Ram Puniyani The recent joint military actions by Israel and the United States against Iran have been devastating. Like all wars, this conflict is brutal to its core, leaving a trail of human suffering in its wake. The stated pretext for this aggression—the brutality of the Ayatollah Khamenei regime and its nuclear ambitions—clashes sharply with the reality of the diplomatic landscape. Iran had expressed a willingness to remain at the negotiating table, signaling a readiness to concede points emerging from dialogue.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

False claim? What Venezuela is witnessing is not surrender but a tactical retreat

By Manolo De Los Santos The early morning hours of January 3, 2026, marked an inflection point in Venezuela and Latin America’s centuries-long struggle for self-determination and independence. Operation Absolute Resolve, ordered by the Trump administration, constituted the most brutal and direct military assault on a sovereign state in the region in recent memory. In a shocking operation that left hundreds dead, President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores were illegally kidnapped from Venezuelan soil and transported to the United States, where they now face fabricated charges in a New York federal detention facility. In the two months since this act of war, a torrent of speculation has emerged from so-called experts and pundits across the political spectrum. This has followed three main lines: One . The operation’s success indicated treason at the highest levels of the Bolivarian Revolution. Two . Acting President Delcy Rodríguez and the remaining leadership have abandone...

The selective memory of a violent city: Uttam Nagar and the invisible victims of Delhi

By Sunil Kumar* Hundreds of murders take place in Delhi every year, yet only a few incidents become topics of nationwide discussion. The question is: why does this happen? Today, the incident in Uttam Nagar has become the centre of national debate. A 26-year-old man, Tarun Kumar, was killed following a dispute that reportedly began after a balloon hit a small child. In several colonies of Delhi, slogans such as “Jai Shri Ram” and “Vande Mataram” are being raised while demanding the death penalty for Tarun’s killers. As a result, nearly 50,000 residents of Hastsal JJ Colony are now living in what resembles a state of confinement.

The price of silence: Why Modi won’t follow Shastri, appeal for sacrifice

By Arundhati Dhuru, Sandeep Pandey* In 1965, as India grappled with war and a crippling food crisis, Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri faced a United States that used wheat shipments under the PL-480 agreement as a lever to dictate Indian foreign policy. Shastri’s response remains legendary: he appealed to the nation to skip one meal a day. Millions of middle-class households complied, choosing temporary hunger over the sacrifice of national dignity. Today, India faces a modern equivalent in the energy sector, yet the leadership’s response stands in stark contrast to that era of self-reliance.

Love letters in a lifelong war: Babusha Kohli’s resistance in verse

By Ravi Ranjan* “War does not determine who is right—only who is left.” Bertrand Russell’s words echo hauntingly in our times, and few contemporary Hindi poets embody this truth as profoundly as Babusha Kohli. Emerging from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Kohli has carved a unique space in literature by weaving together tenderness, protest, and philosophy across poetry, prose, and cinema. Her work is not merely artistic expression—it is resistance, refuge, and a call for peace.

Search This Blog