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

India's chemical industry: The missing piece of Atmanirbhar Bharat

By N.S. Venkataraman* Rarely a day passes without the Prime Minister or a cabinet minister speaking about the importance of Atmanirbhar Bharat . The Start-up India scheme is a pillar in promoting this vision, and considerable enthusiasm has been reported in promoting start-up projects across the country. While these developments are positive, Atmanirbhar Bharat does not seem to have made significant progress within the Indian chemical industry . This is a matter of high concern that needs urgent and dispassionate analysis.

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

Remembering a remarkable rebel: Personal recollections of Comrade Himmat Shah

By Rajiv Shah I first came in contact with Himmat Shah in the second half of the 1970s during one of my routine visits to Ahmedabad , my maternal hometown. I do not recall the exact year, but at that time I was working in Delhi with the CPI -owned People’s Publishing House (PPH) as its assistant editor, editing books and writing occasional articles for small periodicals. Himmatbhai — as I would call him — worked at the People’s Book House (PBH), the CPI’s bookshop on Relief Road in Ahmedabad.

Urgent need to study cause of large number of natural deaths in Gulf countries

By Venkatesh Nayak* According to data tabled in Parliament in April 2018, there are 87.76 lakh (8.77 million) Indians in six Gulf countries, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While replying to an Unstarred Question (#6091) raised in the Lok Sabha, the Union Minister of State for External Affairs said, during the first half of this financial year alone (between April-September 2018), blue-collared Indian workers in these countries had remitted USD 33.47 Billion back home. Not much is known about the human cost of such earnings which swell up the country’s forex reserves quietly. My recent RTI intervention and research of proceedings in Parliament has revealed that between 2012 and mid-2018 more than 24,570 Indian Workers died in these Gulf countries. This works out to an average of more than 10 deaths per day. For every US$ 1 Billion they remitted to India during the same period there were at least 117 deaths of Indian Workers in Gulf ...

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.

History, culture and literature of Fatehpur, UP, from where Maulana Hasrat Mohani hailed

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Maulana Hasrat Mohani was a member of the Constituent Assembly and an extremely important leader of our freedom movement. Born in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, Hasrat Mohani's relationship with nearby district of Fatehpur is interesting and not explored much by biographers and historians. Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri has written a book on Maulana Hasrat Mohani and Fatehpur. The book is in Urdu. He has just come out with another important book, 'Hindi kee Pratham Rachna: Chandayan' authored by Mulla Daud Dalmai.' During my recent visit to Fatehpur town, I had an opportunity to meet Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri and recorded a conversation with him on issues of history, culture and literature of Fatehpur. Sharing this conversation here with you. Kindly click this link. --- *Human rights defender. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/vbrawat , X @freetohumanity, Skype @vbrawat

Muslim women’s rights advocates demand criminalisation of polygamy: Petition launched

By A Representative An online petition seeking a legal ban on polygamy has been floated by Javed Anand, co-editor of Sabrang and National Convener of Indian Muslims for Secular Democracy (IMSD), inviting endorsements from citizens, organisations and activists. The petition, titled “Indian Muslims & Secular Progressive Citizens Demand a Legal Ban on Polygamy,” urges the Central and State governments, Parliament and political parties to abolish polygamy through statutory reform, backed by extensive data from the 2025 national study conducted by the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA).

As 2024 draws nearer, threatening signs appear of more destructive wars

By Bharat Dogra The four years from 2020 to 2023 have been very difficult and high risk years for humanity. In the first two years there was a pandemic and such severe disruption of social and economic life that countless people have not yet recovered from its many-sided adverse impacts. In the next two years there were outbreaks of two very high-risk wars which have worldwide implications including escalation into much wider conflicts. In addition there were highly threatening signs of increasing possibility of other very destructive wars. As the year 2023 appears to be headed for ending on a very grim note, there are apprehensions about what the next year 2024 may bring, and there are several kinds of fears. However to come back to the year 2020 first, the pandemic harmed and threatened a very large number of people. No less harmful was the fear epidemic, the epidemic of increasing mental stress and the cruel disruption of the life and livelihoods particularly among the weaker s...

Farewell to Robin Smith, England’s Lionhearted Warrior Against Pace

By Harsh Thakor* Robin Smith, who has died at the age of 62, was among the most adept and convincing players of fast bowling during an era when English cricket was in decline and pace bowling was at its most lethal. Unwavering against the tormenting West Indies pace attack or the relentless Australians, Smith epitomised courage and stroke-making prowess. His trademark shot, an immensely powerful square cut, made him a scourge of opponents. Wearing a blue England helmet without a visor or grille, he relished pulling, hooking and cutting the quicks.

Search This Blog