“A Dalit Cannot Easily Become CM In Tamil Nadu”: VCK Chief Thirumavalavan On Caste Reality Behind CM Speculation
VCK Chief Thol. Thirumavalavan has said that despite Tamil Nadu projecting itself as the land of social justice and Periyarist politics, caste realities continue to prevent a Dalit from easily becoming Chief Minister in the state.
Speaking about speculation that sections within the AIADMK were projecting him as a potential Chief Ministerial candidate, Thirumavalavan dismissed the talk as mere gossip and said he viewed it humorously rather than politically.
“Even though Tamil Nadu politics says this is the land of social justice, says this is Periyar’s land, this is still a state that has not freed itself from caste hierarchy. Here, it is not so easy for a Dalit to simply become Chief Minister. I am someone who fully understands that,” he said.
The VCK leader said he was fully aware of the “ground reality” of Tamil Nadu politics due to his decades-long political experience.
“I have been in public life for 35 years, nearly 40 years. I have been in electoral politics for 25 years. It has been 25 years since I entered electoral politics. So I know what the ground reality is. I will not go into an imaginary life just because somebody says something,” he said.
Thirumavalavan also rejected suggestions that he was seeking power or bargaining for positions amid the post-election political developments.
“If my only desire was position, couldn’t I have stretched my hand before TVK or Congress? I have many well-wishers and friends there,” he said, adding that his party had not approached anybody seeking positions or political accommodation.
During the interaction, Thirumavalavan also revealed details of conversations involving Aadhav Arjun regarding support for the government formation process. According to him, the argument placed before him was the need to create a “secular front government” with the support of Congress, Left parties and others.
However, he made it clear that his ideological criticisms of parties and leaders had not changed despite the tactical political decision to extend support in the current political situation.
“When he said that, I told him: all these days we have criticised you saying you are a BJP-supporting party or movement… I have criticised Seeman and Vijay as children nurtured by the RSS. I have that doubt. So the criticism we made then is different, and the decision we are taking today to support them is different,” he said.
He further stated that the criticisms and assessments made earlier still remained unchanged.
“In the present crisis situation, we are supporting them. The criticisms we spoke or the assessment we made still remain exactly the same. We have no change of opinion in that,” he said.
Thirumavalavan also defended the delay in his party taking a decision on extending support, saying the VCK functioned through internal democratic consultation rather than unilateral leadership decisions.
“Our party may not be a national party. But we have our own structure. We have our own procedure. Only by following that procedure can I take a decision. I am not an autocrat. Whatever decision is taken in our party, we discuss it democratically and then take it,” he said.
Responding to a question on whether support would be reconsidered if the AIADMK extended support to the government in the future, Thirumavalavan said the matter would again be discussed within the party leadership.
“That is — AIADMK was called a corrupt party. By whom? By Vijay. AIADMK is a party that travelled with the NDA. It is a party that even today has intense friendship with the BJP,” he said.
At the same time, he added that if some individuals from the AIADMK broke away and chose to support the government, his party did not immediately see it as a problem, though the matter would still be discussed internally by the party’s high-level committee.
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