Spectre of anti-Dalit violence back in TN as polls near

After the large-scale violence against Dalits in Dharmapuri in November last in which more than 260 houses in three colonies were torched down, the spectre of anti-Dalit violence is back in Tamil Nadu. The latest is a clash on Friday at Marakkanam on the East Coast Road (ECR)—the highway between Chennai and Mahabalipuram—in which two people died, many injured and a few state transport buses were torched. It’s still not clear what exactly led to the clash, but predictably, it was between the PMK (Pattali Makkal Katchi) workers, who were on their way to a youth festival in Mahabalipuram, and residents of a Dalit village that was on their way.[caption id=“attachment_735049” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Political violence in Tamil Nadu. Firstpost[/caption] The violence involving the Dalits in the state is intensely political and is gaining momentum as the Lok Sabha elections get closer. And mostly, it’s an unequal conflict dominated by the PMK, historically known for its strident anti-Dalit politics. The VCK (Viduthalai Chiruthaikal Katchi), the rival party that represents the Dalit interest, is no match to the PMK’s socio-economic and political might. Quoting the police, The Times of India, said the clashes on Friday erupted when some Dalits questioned the PMK workers who stopped their vehicles and took alcohol near their village on ECR. When confronted, the PMK workers assaulted them and left. Demanding police action, the Dalits blocked traffic on the ECR which stranded a large number of PMK men who were proceeding to Mahabalipuram for their festival. They clashed with the Dalits and allegedly rampaged their village. According to the The Hindu, “The violence-hit colony is located about 100 metres off the ECR and the rioters had run through the vegetation to reach the place and let loose violence. The locality is almost bereft of male members as they are either undergoing treatment elsewhere or have gone to safer places.Women residents told the collector that the attack on their colony had become a recurring phenomenon." The PMK leader Ramadoss lost no time in alleging that the Dalits attacked the PMK and it was pre-meditated. He said he has concrete evidence to prove his charge. The VCK leader Thirumavalavan lobbed the same charge back at the PMK. He said the attack was preplanned by Vanniyars, the caste that makes the PMK. DMK chief Karunanidhi appealed for calm and peace while the police registered several cases. Other parties haven’t said anything! For people who follow the anti-Dalit politics of the PMK, the Marakkanam incident—coming closely on the heels of the violence in Dharmapuri and constant diatribes by the PMK against the Dalits—was not surprising at all. If the PMK’s traditional political strategy has been to mobilise its electoral catchment of Vanniyar votes, this time around, it wants to go bigger and harness the anti-Dalit sentiments of other backward castes (OBC/MBCs) too. Having made a stand that it won’t align with both the Dravidian parties in the state, the PMK has to demonstrate that its might is bigger than the 7-8 per cent vote-share it has so that it can snap a deal in the nick of time. Ramadoss has said that his party will lead the “new front” in the state and will get at least 10 Lok Sabha seats. To reach there, there is no route other than fuelling the latent anti-Dalit sentiments of other OBCs/MBCs. The party had accused Dalit boys of plotting to lure girls of Vanniyars and other intermediate castes in a conjecture similar to the “love jihad” paranoia against Muslims in some parts of the country. He also charged that the Dalits were filing false cases against them and hence wanted the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act amended because it was being misused by Dalits. To broad-base this anti-Dalit constituency, in December he brought together a number of backward castes which apparently had similar sentiments. The youth festival in Mahabalipuram last week was aimed at mobilising other backward castes too. In a clear attempt to gain trans-border and national support to his divisive politics, he also paraded Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in Chennai, whose Samajvadi Party plays a similar anti-Dalit political card in Uttar Pradesh. Akhilesh didn’t hide the motive behind their holding hands when he said that the next prime minister will be from the backward castes. It really defies socio-economic logic when the PMK or the Vanniyars play victim in a state where Dalits, including school children, are frequent targets of violent crimes and communal exclusion, particularly in the belts where they are targetted by the two politically powerful backward castes. Incidents such as Villupram (1978), Kodiyankulam (1995), Melavalavu (1997), Gundupatti (1998) and Thamiraparnai (1999) are serious blots to the state’s communal record. Despite an Act to protect them, very few have been punished for anti-Dalit offences. As seen elsewhere in the country, the diabolic of communal polarisation is a sinister enemy to India’s democracy. It’s violent, dangerous and leads to inter-generational rancour. If the government and police in Tamil Nadu are not extra vigilant, the attrition will only escalate when the poll dates are announced because the animosity is manufactured.