TN Dalits make history: Dr. Krishnaswamy emerges as new leader
Bangalore: The Aug.6, 1997 massive Dalit rally in Madras – the first in the history of Tamil Nadu – has slaughtered the entire corrupt and coopted leadership of the state’s single largest community comprising 25% of its population and threw up an entirely new, young, dynamic leadership under Dr. K. Krishnaswamy, MLA, a practising medical doctor at Coimbatore.
The birth of this new leader is the result of a three-month-long bloody caste war in Southern TN – between the aggressive Backward Caste Thevar’s and a Dalit “sub caste” called Pillars, renamed Devendra Kula Vellalar’s (DKV). The Thevar’s are supported by all political parties, the State Govt. headed by the Cut- Throat and also all Brahminical toilet papers.
Conspiracy of silence: So far, over 110 people have been killed in this caste war but an all-round Hindu conspiracy of silence has suppressed this single biggest man-slaughter.
Dalit Voice has correctly predicted all these developments. (DV Edit June 1, ’97: “A Dalit subcaste ac- quires identity, becomes proud & pride turns it militant’). As usual, DV has proved right.
Fake Dravidian parties: Aug.6 thus became a historic day for TN’s frustrated Dalits because:
(1) For the first time the two prominent subcastes – Pariah’s and Pallar’s (DKV) – and others set aside their minor differences and joined under the “Dalit” banner and under the leadership of Dr. Krishnaswamy.
(2) The very magnitude of the rally stunned all political par- ties, so far supporting the aggressors (Thevar’s) and forced them to come to the side of Dalits.
(3) For the first time the aggressive Thevar’s, till recently a menacing criminal tribe, stood isolated. (DV Aug.16, ’97 p.8: “Handguides, militarised Thevar’s used to crush Tamil Dalits”).
(4) Some innocent, ignorant DKVs might have claimed that they were not Dalits and criticised Babasaheb Ambedkar but the Aug. 6 rally falsified all such detractors. The rally was held under the banner of “Federation of All-Dalit Organisations”, headed by Dr. Krishnaswamy.
(5) The rally made it once for all clear that Pereyra’s Dravidian parties (DMK, AIDMK, etc.) are all enemies of Dalits and hence had to be clubbed along with the papans.
(6) Pereyra’s own Dravida Kazashi, now under the leadership of Veeramani, by its silence during this prolonged caste war is now distrusted by Dalits.
(7) The rally also proved right in our usage of the name Cut-Throat who was found more dangerous than the Bangalore Pagati, the tyrant. Dr. Krishnaswamy himself endorsed this point at the rally.
Wanted a Dalit party: The Aug.6 rally thus marks an important event in the history of TN and its 25% Dalits in particular. So, the forces unleashed by the event must be usefully exploited and given a proper direction.
The Editor of Dalit Voice spoke to Dr. Krishnaswamy on the night of Aug.6 and congratulated him for emerging as the new leader of TN Dalits.
Dr. Krishnaswamy has raised great expectations from the tortured Dalits. It is up to him to fulfil it.
As a member of the DV family, he knows how to man- age things and has agreed to fulfil the expectations. He also agreed to call a meeting of representatives of Dalits belonging to all sub-castes and shades to chalk out future plans. We can’t allow the different political parties to take our people for a ride. The TN’s single largest community must have its own political party.
The proposed meeting should plan our path towards liberation. Dalit R. Ezhilmalai adds from Madras:
Slaughter House: The much-feared Dalit Rally of Aug. 6 went off peacefully demolishing all Hindu conspiracies. To destroy the rally itself, all govt. agencies and the media raised a hue and cry about the impending violence if the Dalits were allowed to enter the city which had been the exclusive preserve of Hindus for centuries. But the Dalits proved the Hindus wrong and also made it clear that they were the most peace-loving people on earth.
Tam Nadu had turned into a slaughter house since the early 90s and this man-slaughter reached its peak during the last January. And the Malavika (Madurai dt.) murder of 10 Dalits did not shock the Hindus. The caste war since Jan. 8, 1997 took over 120 lives and thousands of dwellings destroyed and Dalits were forced to migrate.
The Aug. 6 rally witnessed a tremendous unity of all Dalit subcastes. Sensing this unprecedented unity, the Cul-Throat decided to use all means to throttle the rally.,
it was unprecedented in the history of Madras that 20,000 policemen, Swift Action Force, Riot Control Police, Rapid Action Force, two DGPs, 16 IGs, 20 DIGs, several other ACs and DCs, apart from the elite commando force were deployed in the city since the previous evening. All the entry points into Madras, besides thousands of check posts on national highways and arterial roads, rail stations and bus terminals, were manned by uniformed men giving the impression that Madras city was under a siege.
High Court bias: Cases were also filed in the Madras High Court demanding a ban on the rally. But the High Court while permitting the rally laid down 16 conditions which were on ice again unprecedented and proved its clear bias. Braving all types of ordeals, the Dalits from all over the state did rush into the city in thousands which would have been in lakhs. but for the police blockade.
Though several leaders, hundreds of activists and youths were jailed, the rally remained a milestone, proving that the Dalits were a combustible stuff.
The rally was also a clear warning to all Hindus and Dravidian parties that the Dalits were the most important force of TN and those who ignored Dalits would be thrown to the dust bin.
