Site icon The Commune

Atrocities committed on Dalits by DMK

Harishankar Nagarajan

The DMK and its sympathizers planted in several domains including mainstream media, keep thumping their chest about how DMK is the only party that upholds social justice and stands shoulder to shoulder with the downtrodden. However their fabricated false history and the halo that they have built around themselves is now being shattered, thanks to the information revolution and social media. But one need not take the trouble to go back and research about their history to understand their casteist, despotic and oppressive mindset. Of late, their own senior leaders have been spilling it out in the open. Here is a list of some of the instances of DMK’s atrocities on Dalits for which they have got a free pass.

1. Kizhvenmani massacre

C.N. Annadurai, who took over as DMK’s first chief minister after fierce language movement against then ruling congress party in the year 1967.However sooner towards the end of 1968 the infamous incident of lynching and burning of 44 agricultural labourers belonging to the Scheduled Caste over wage struggles happened in Kizhavenmani village. Women’s rights activist and writer Mythily Sivaraman’s book “Haunted By Fire” captures how DMK for the sake of getting other caste vote, completely left the victims and tried to erase this incident from public memory. On January 12, 1969, their ideological icon ‘Periyar’ did not even condemned the incident. He said that wage is not something that can be demanded, but is fixed by the market. Till now the DMK and its stooges do not utter a word or look the other when this is brought up. Worse, the even lie or be in denial about it.

2. Humiliating Dalit woman leaders

During Karunanidhi’s second term as Chief Minister, Dalit woman leader Sathyavani Muthu resigned from the ministry and left the DMK to start her own party Thazhthapattor Munnetra Kazhagam. Ten MLAs, two MLCs and an MP jointly signed a resignation letter in support of Sathyavani Muthu but later retracted owing to political pressure.

Sathyavani Muthu

At the time of leaving the party, she angrily told “We will form a new party, sit on the opposition benches, and fight for the rights of Schedules Castes. We will not let them be exploited and humiliated endlessly“. Also in her speech she said after Dr. Ambedkar nobody has in right intention has helped Dalits. Sathyavani later joined the AIADMK and served as Central Minister in Charan Singh government.

3. Other instance Dalit leaders discriminated by the party

The DMK’s history of discriminating Dalit leaders traces its history to the period of its parent organization Justice Party under ‘Periyar’ E.V. Ramaswamy. M.C. Rajah severed ties with Justice Party over its treatment of Dalits.

MC Rajah

 

Former MP, the late C. T. Dhandapani was publicly insulted on the basis of his caste by the then local minister Pongalur Palanisamy and his wife both of whom belonged to the Kongu Vellalar Gounder community, an OBC caste.

CT Dhandapani

Dalit leaders like Parithi Ilamvazhuthi who ironically defeated Sathyavani Muthu in 1984 elections quit the party in 2013 and joined the AIADMK citing lack of respect in the party.

Parithi Ilamvazhuthi

V.P. Duraiswami who is now with the BJP quit the party for the same reasons.

This discrimination continues till date even at the grassroots with Dalit leaders being meted out with unfair treatment.

4. Manjolai massacre

After very brief hiatus, DMK came back to power in 1996. Karunanidhi took over as CM for the fourth time. The years between 1996 and 2001 remains one of the darkest period in Tamil Nadu with respect to caste clashes. With renewed focus on reservation after Mandal commission, Karunanidhi was unable to handle the pulls and pressures of each caste group all across southern Tamil Nadu. It eventually headed to towards attack on Dalits on various places by dominant caste groups. There are lot of literature available detailing each and every caste based incident which happened in Southern districts during the period of 1996-2001.

One such  bloody incident when the law and order went for a toss state is the Manjolai massacre. On 23 July 1999, a large number of labourers from the tea estates of Manjolai (mostly Dalits) congregated in Tirunelveli and marched towards the collectorate demanding the release of a number of estate workers, who were arrested earlier for staging protest demanding better wages. The workers were being paid Indian ₹70 per day then and they were demanding the wage to be increased to ₹100. The workers were also demanding maternity leave, periodical breaks for women during the eight-hour-long duty. They were also opposing the decision of the estate owners to force workers to stay in sheds with poor facilities and deny right to rear cattle or even raise gardens. A large contingent of stone throwing and lathi-wielding police brutally assaulted the protesters forcing them to run towards the river.

As police continued to chase them to the river, many got into the river and drowned. It resulted in death of 17 labourers, including two women and a two-year-old child, when they got into the river to escape.

A Tamil language documentary titled ‘Oru Nathiyin Maranam’ (Death of a River) released in 1999 exposes the DMK government’s negligence on the life of tea estate workers life and safety.

5. Sidelining Dalit representatives

Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) leader Vanniyarasu in an interview to a Tamil news channels had said that during the 2009 Lok Sabha elections the VCK had asked for contesting from a general (unreserved) constituency to which Karunanidhi had supposedly said “You gus don’t aspire for general seats”.

The DMK practices casteism and untouchability even in allotment ministerial births to their own party people and alliance parnters. While dominant caste groups are given weighty portfolios, Dalit leaders are given portfolios of Animal Husbandry and Adi-Dravidar Welfare. This was echoed by even VCK founder leader Thol. Thirumavalavan in the year 2011.

6. Scanty representation of Dalits in the party

The population of Dalits is around 1.40 crore in Tamil Nadu but their representation in DMK’s powerful body is only 1.65% during the year 2018. There has never been a Dalit who had helmed the party. Until A. Raja was elevated to ‘Deputy’ General Secretary, the Dalits were never put in higher decision making bodies. The party’s much coveted and powerful post of District Secretary remains confined to dominant caste groups. Only 1 District Secretary out of the 65 is a Dalit.

7. Usurping Panchami lands

Panchami land is the land assigned to be distributed for the Scheduled Caste people in Tamil Nadu during the British rule in 1892. It can neither be sold nor re-classified. There are lot of instances of panchami land being appropriated by DMK workers and leaders. In 2019 there was serious allegation raised that the Chennai office of DMK mouthpiece Murasoli is constructed on Panchami land. The Murasoli building is located in Kodambakkam, one of the prominent areas in Chennai. It was PMK founder leader DR S. Ramadoss who raised the issue, a few days before the bypolls to Vikravandi and Nanguneri constituencies .Responding to Ramadoss’s charge, Stalin shared the 1985 deed of the Murasoli land. But BJP’s Tada Periyasamy,  said only the original documents dating back to 1923 permanent register can prove if Murasoli office is located in Panchami land or not. After few months of grabbing headlines the entire issue is now in back burner with DMK unable to prove anything on it is not a Panchami land. The case is now pending with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes.

8. “If Dalits are judges today, it is the ‘alms’ given by the Dravidian movement”

Speaking at an event in the DMK youth wing headquarters, in February of this year, the DMK MP had said it was due to the alms (picchai) given by the Dravidian Movement that persons from SC community became judges.

A case was slapped on the DMK MP under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act. The Madras High Court hearing the case told the DMK’s Rajya Sabha MP and Organizing Secretary RS Bharathi that he should make responsible statements considering befitting of the position he holds.

9. “Are we depressed class people to be treated this way?”

In May 2020, DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran speaking to reporters after meeting the Chief Secretary to submit the petitions received under DMK’s propaganda banner “Ondrinaivom Vaa” said  “Engalai moondram thara makkal pol nadathinaargal. Naangal enna thaazhthapatta aatkala?”(They treated us like third-class people. What are we? Depressed class people?)”

These are very few instances where DMK has neglected Dalit interests for the sake getting into power with majoritarian caste votes.Dalit parties which are aligned with DMK has to seriously think about the interests of Dalit people in mind and should oppose DMK for its caste majoritarian politics.

10. “How dare you speak up against me?”

In June 2020, a DMK office bearer in Tiruvannamalai district thrashed a Dalit youth belonging to Dravida Kazhagam (DMK’s parent organization) and verbally abused him using casteist slurs.

The accused Karunanidhi, leader of Parayampattu gram panchayat beat up Ramkumar a young graduate belonging to the same village and who was a youth wing leader of Dravida Kazhagam’s Tiruvannamalai unit.

Ramkumar was a riding his bike near the banks of the village lake at around 10 AM on May 15. Karunanidhi riding pillion with another man named Dharman is said to have come in the opposite direction and collided on Ramkumar’s bike. Ramkumar had responded angrily saying that both the parties would have been hurt badly if they had come in speed.

“Can’t you see me and Thalaivar (leader) coming? You should have made way on seeing us” Dharman is said to have responded using abusive language. Ramkumar had then gotten into a war of words. Irked, Karunanidhi got off from the bike and started beating Ramkumar with slippers hitting his face and chest.

“How dare you raise your voice and speak against me? Should have thrown you guys outside the village a long time back. Since that wasn’t done, you got enough courage to speak up against us is it?” said Karunanidhi using casteist slurs.

Karunanidhi’s brother Parthasarathy who was passing by started using casteist slurs against Ramkumar without inquiring into the incident “You earn your livelihood by beating drums. Don’t even have the ability to pay back debts! How dare you speak against my brother?” Parthasarathy is reported to have said who also started thrashing Ramkumar.

Coming to know of the incident Ramkumar’s mother hurried to the spot who was also beaten with slippers by DMK man Karunanidhi and his brother.

Ramkumar is later said to have reported the incident at Thachampattu Police Station where his complaint was initially rejected. After a long hiatus, an FIR was registered. Later, Thachampattu Block Councillor Ramanan of the DMK had threatened Ramkumar to withdraw the case.

The Thachampattu Police registered cases against 6 members including Karunanidhi.

11. Dalit cadre made to carry slippers of DMK MLA

In July 2020, a video of a Dalit office bearer of the DMK, carrying the slippers of DMK MLA from Ambur A.C. Vilwanathan went viral.

The DMK MLA had gone to visit the rain-damaged barrier at Ponnappally village of Arangaldurgam Panchayat in Thirupatthur district on June 30. A few DMK members, including Venkatasamudram Panchayat Secretary Shankar, accompanied him. The area being slippery, the DMK MLA had removed his slippers to walk freely. The DMK MLA can be seen walking ahead while Sankar follows carrying the MLA’s slippers in his hands. Sankar belongs to the Scheduled Caste community.

Sankar had however refuted the criticism mounted on the MLA saying that the he was not asked by the MLA to carry the slippers. Sankar added that it was him who carried the slippers voluntarily.

12. Dalit panchayat leader made to sit on the floor by DMK office bearers

Rajeswari (37), the a Panchayat President of Chidambaram South Thittai Panchayat in Cuddalore district was made to sit on the floor by Panchayat Secretary Sindhuja and Vice President of the Panchayat Council Mohanraj belonging to the DMK.

In the panchayat meeting held on July 17, Rajeswari was made to sit on the floor while the other members sat on chairs. She was also not allowed hoist the National Flag on Independence Day.

Rajeswari hails from the Adi Dravidar community. Both Sindhuja and Mohanraj were charged under the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Rajeswari later joined the AIADMK.

These are just the tip of the iceberg. The list however is never ending. The Dravidian idea of social justice is nothing but social justice for the already wealthy and powerful dominant caste and not for the oppressed and downtrodden.

Exit mobile version