Tamil Nadu assembly elections: Parties eye Hindu votes

Both AIADMK and DMK have considerably diluted the tenet of rationalism that has been central to Dravidian politics. In response, perhaps, to the BJP’s attempt to widen its political footprint in Tamil Nadu in the coming assembly elections by consolidating Hindu votes, the leaders have become more open about embracing religion

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president MK Stalin recently held a silver vel, the spear wielded by Tamil deity Murugan, which was presented to him by temple priests at a village council meeting in Tiruttani district.

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His act drew derision from both the Bharatiya Janata Party and its ally, Tamil Nadu’s ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).

BJP’s state president L Murugan said that the success of their party’s vetrivel yatra (victorious spear march) had pushed Stalin. “Stalin has been cornered and forced to take up the vel... there were people who ridiculed us for taking up the vetrivel yatra for political mileage,” said L Murugan, who heads the BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit. “People will not believe the act Stalin puts on.”

BJP launched the month-long vetrivel yatra across the state in November to tepid response. During the yatra, Murugan vowed to protect Hindus’ interest, accusing the Stalin-led DMK of ridiculing Hindu deities.The DMK conspicuously didn’t react to the yatra. Last month, the Tamil Nadu government announced a public holiday to be observed annually on Thaipusam, a festival for Lord Murugan, on the BJP’s request.

To be sure, both AIADMK and DMK have since the 1980s considerably diluted the tenet of rationalism that has been central to Dravidian politics, and its leaders openly practice religion and perform religious rituals. In response, perhaps, to the BJP’s attempt to widen its political footprint in Tamil Nadu in the coming assembly elections by consolidating Hindu votes, the leaders have become more open about embracing religion.

Chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami, who kicked off his election campaign by offering prayers at a temple in his home constituency, also accused Stalin of “acting” and practising double speak when he held the vel.

“We believe in God and sincerely pray… those who degraded God are today standing with a vel,” said Palaniswami at public rally in Coimbatore.

Stalin shot back, “Does Palaniswami fear that I will finish off his party using the spear...” Senior DMK leaders backed Stalin that he took up the vel for Soorasamharam, comparing the AIADMK leader to a demon slain by Murugan.

“DMK was never against Hindus. It only questioned that the temples should not become an abode for evil-doers,” Stalin said, quoting a famous dialogue from the 1952 Tamil film Parasakthi, written by his late father M Karunanidhi. “The DMK government allotted ₹2 -crore for a gold gopuram (temple ornate) in Tiruttani. For those calling us an enemy of the Hindus — this is a sole answer to that,” said Stalin.

Karunanidhi often had run-ins with Hindutva groups and the BJP when he forbade the party’s youth from applying vermillion on their foreheads or when he questioned if Lord Ram was an engineer who built the chain of shoals connecting India and Sri Lanka.

The DMK’s ideology, born out of the Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) founded by social reformer and rationalist EV Ramasamy, popularly known as Periyar, has changed significantly. Periyar’s successors CN Annadurai (the DMK’s first chief minister in 1967 who died in office two years later) and Karunanidhi were vocal about their credentials as atheists even while their family members were temple-goers.

The dilution was more evident after MG Ramachandran (MGR) founded the ADMK (renamed the AIADMK) with a breakaway faction in 1972 after he was expelled by Karunanidhi. Both MGR and his protégé, the late former chief minister J Jayalalithaa, wore their religious beliefs on their sleeves.

Political analysts say that in a state ruled successively by DMK and AIADMK, which are both secular parties, faith may be a talking point on the campaign trail, but caste interests would sway which way the state votes.

“There is an anti-Hindu campaign going on against Stalin and he is not ready to ignore it. Stalin is openly countering it by appeasing Hindus,” said political commentator Ravindran Duraisamy. “But Tamil Nadu’s social reality is caste-centric and the Hindu sentiment is coupled with caste consciousness.”

“It is common in Tamil Nadu to see a mullah and priest and a protestant Christian on a forum together. It isn’t mere symbolism because all religious leaders here have been involved in democratic politics,” said S Anandi, a Dravidian scholar and professor at the Madras Institute of Development Studies.