For almost a century, Tamil Nadu had been relatively free from the kind of caste and communal violence that periodically rocked other parts of India. The eight-decade-old Dravidian movement had targeted the very apex of the caste system—the Brahmins. As a consequence, all the early leaders were from the marginal communities and this kept the vested interests of historically powerful communities in check.
The 1991 elections changed the equations completely. J. Jayalalitha came to power with a huge majority and became the second Brahmin, after Rajaji, to head the state government. As an addendum came the extra constitutional authority of Sasikala. The lady, who wields tremendous power due to her proximity to the chief minister, belongs to the powerful Mukkulathoor community, which has under its umbrella four major subcastes—Devars, Agamudaiars, Maravars and Kallars. Says a senior bureaucrat: "Today, the AIADMK means theAiyars and Iyengars, and also the Aga-mudaiars, Devars, Maravars and Kallars. It is truly a Brahmin-Mukkulathoor parivar."
Why is that surprising? Because the Mukkulathoors have always been hostile to the radical federalism advocated by the Dravidian parties. This backward community was the only one from Tamil Nadu to join Subhash Chandra Bose's Indian National Army. The former INA cadres later formed a political party—the Forward Block—led by Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Devar. The party subscribed to a sort of spiritual Indian nationalism, as opposed to the DMK's unremittingly Dravidian ethos. Its strong nexus with the RSS resulted in the1958 Mudukalathar riots, the first ever caste riot in Tamil Nadu. It was the emergence of a secular politician like Kamaraj within the Congress and the DMK'S supremacy that checked the Block-RSS combine's growth.
But the Jayalalitha government reversed the trend with a marriage of convenience with the OBC community. One of her first decisions was to rescind the policy adopted by her mentor M.G. Ramachandran. In 1982, MGR had ordered the removal of caste names from all streets, districts and other public places. Jayalalitha made it a point to attach caste names to all the new districts she created.
The Mukkulathoors, accounting for 10 per cent of the state's population, suddenly became its most powerful community. Their interests were articulated within the AIADMK by Revenue Minister S.D. Somasundaram. And interestingly, since 1991 as many as 70 per cent of the state officials nominated as promotees to the IAS are Mukkulathoors.
Another cause for concern is the gross communalisation taking place within the police. Says Dr K. Krishnaswamy, president of the Federation of Devendrakulla VelaLars: "The police in the southern districts is full of Mukkulathoors." In the recent recruitment of 10,000 constables to the state police, over 5,000 are from that single community, he claims. "I have all the records. If any Central investigating agency is willing to take up the matter, I am ready to provide the details," he adds.
The Mukkulathoor ascendancy has resulted in over 25 caste wars in the last four years. While 17 of these were against the Dalits, eight were against powerful upper castes. Significantly, this caste polarisation has the tacit approval of the BJP-RSS combine.
In 1994, Jayalalitha openly joined the Mukkulathoor bandwagon. On October 19, she unveiled a statue of Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Devar in Madras. And on October 30, she did what no other politician of any standing would have dared to do. She attended the guru puja for Muthuramalinga Devar at his birth place in Pasumpon. The guru puja is actually a community gathering where a centralised directive is issued regarding who the community should support in the elections.
As is evident, the fortunes of one community are in the ascendant. This prioritisation over the rest of the population is not only resented by the people of Tamil Nadu, but has also created a fear psychosis. Says Krishnaswamy: "The September riots won't be the last one. Many will follow. We are living in fear." And it is not just Sasikala and her family but her entire community that forms the backdrop to this ominous scenario.
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