Tamil Nadu, once the leader of Dravidian movement for the whole country under that great Periyar EV Ramaswamy – ranked second among the three greatest revolutionaries of independent” India – is today actually under a counter- revolution. Periyar wanted his Dravida Khazhagam movement to confine itself to social and cultural revolution and avoid parliamentary politics But Annadurai, his chief lieutenant, disobeyed Periyar and started the Dravida Munnetra Khazagham (DMK) and became the first Dravidian Chief Minister of TN. He was followed by Karunanidhi and to outwit him, a film actor, the late M.G. Ramachandran, formed his rival party, Anna DMK, now headed by the Bangalore papathi Jayalalita, whose party was defeated by Karunanidhi, now facing dismissal as this goes to press. Anna gave the first blow to Periyar’s Dravidian national movement. MGR killed it and Kanunanidhi buried it. The three non-Brahmins only strengthened Brahminism. We had pronounced our verdict on the rise, fall and slow death of the TN Dravidian movement on several occasions. Now a leading lawyer of TN and a close confidant of Karunanidhi himself comes out with the following damning indictment of DMK regime under a penname. Tamilians, the purest Dravidians of India, are disgusted with the two Khazagams. They are now seeing a ray of hope in the up-and-coming revolutionary party of PMK comprising SC/ST/BCs and Muslims/Christians in TN under the leadership of Dr. Ramadoss who has given a unique combination of Ambedkar’s, Periyarism and Marxism to his new party attracting not only the Tamil Dalits, BCs and Minorities but also the Lankan Tamils fighting for self-determination. – EDITOR.
Once again, the Dalit Voice has proved right as it revealed the “secrets of M. Karunanidhi (MK) again becoming the Chief Minister” (DV, Feb. 16 1989 p.9). This article correctly exposed MK for pampering the papans just to get into power. Now these very papans of TN boldly claim that it was because of them and their leader, Kanchi Sankarachari, that MK could capture the power. They did not do it out of love for MK. They demanded their price for their support and got it. What was the price MK paid them at the cost of the avarnas of TN? It is no longer a secret. The followers of Periyar EV Ramaswamy, the father of Dravidian nation, are fast getting disillusioned with MK. The rise of the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) headed by a revolutionary leader, Dr. Ramadoss who is fast rising as the third force in Tamil Nadu, is an indication of this frustration.
Veeramani let down: What are the grave errors of MK? He filled up top posts in TN govt. with papans like Guhan, Dr. Ramamurthi, G. Ramaswami, T.T. Vasu etc. This single fact has disillusioned the Dravidians. Former Speaker of TN Assembly P.H. Pandian had written in a leading weekly questioning MK: “What happened to your sons of the soil slogan?” In that article, Pandian had given numerous instances of papans being given key positions in the Government. Certain departments which are under the direct control of MK are handed over to papans.
So too the Planning Commission and other Boards. The powerful Dravida Khazagham daily, Viduthalai, wrote several times protesting this trend urging MK not to pamper the papans. That is why MK frowned upon the Viduthalai and its editor, Veeramani, who is heading the powerful DK founded by Periyar.
Papan Wives: MK continued to pamper papan writers like Sujatha, Sivasankari etc. papan film actors like Kamalahasan and actresses like Lakshmi etc. In turn, they invited MK and got periodical assurances of his loyalty to Aryan varnashrama dharma. Staunch DK people and Pediatrist’s are wondering if the papan wives of MK are responsible for the undue papan influence on the Chief Minister.
MK has appointed one papan “Savi’ to head the Tamil Nadu Isai Nataka Academy. This Savi and other savarna writers now and then write articles praising MK extolling his “capabilities” sky-high. In fact, this Savi is writing a story serial in his weekly and dedicating it to MK. Such funny things are happening in TN presided over by a Dravidian CM who belongs to an Untouchable (temple piper) Jati.
In Dec. 1989, the Tamil Nadu Brahmins Association (TAMBRAS) conducted its state conference with much fanfare at Tiruchy. All the Brahmin big-guns were present and they all publicly praised MK. They even passed a resolution congratulating VP Singh for appointing Murosoli Maran as a Union Minister who is a close relative of MK. At the Tiruchy conference speakers openly flaunted their poonool and spoke about its power to make and unmake history. The cine-world magnate “GV” criticized non-Brahmin doctors and said they are incompetent and “some of them do not know even now on which side of the body the heart lies”. Film star, “Delhi Ganesh” went to the extent of saying that MK had no brains and he was working with the brains of Guhan (his papan advisor). Since the resentment over MK’s hobnobbing with the papan grew in TN, the DK was forced to often point it out. Even DMK ranks became restive over the failure of the govt. on several issues. Hence MK at a cost of Rs.70 lakhs conducted a conference at Tiruchy proclaiming it to be a “turning point conference” just to assuage the feelings of the Dravidians and hoodwink the DMK workers. MK said his party was started as a social reform organization. But later got reduced as a mere electoral outfit. He assured that he would take the party back to the old position of social reformation. The party ranks, however, were not much satisfied with this verbal assurance. They wanted MK to prove it by actions which were lacking. Not only he betrayed the Tamil cause but also the cause of Tamils of Eelum. His soaring ambition and his unquenchable thirst for power is now well understood throughout TN. In fact, the “Congress strategy paper” issued during Aug. 1989 when Rajiv Gandhi was in power had given details as to how to manage their local problems in TN.
It said “In Tamil Nadu, the Congress (I) will keep the pressure on Karunanidhi. It calculates that his singular concern is to ensure that he does not lose the chief minister ship again. This being the case, pressue will persuade him to desist from going all out with the opposition”.
Lankan Tigers: The Congress in TN is considered a papan party and as such the papans as a community know how to tackle MK. Therefore, the entire papan press continues to raise a hue and cry, raising a bogey of separatism and violence in TN, especially in the wake of the heroic fight of the Liberation of Tigers (LTTE) against the Sinhala chauvinists. MK obliged the papan and banned the Tanjore conference of Nedumaran to declare TN’s right of self-determination. The conference was to be presided over by Shanmuga Sundaram, a noted Dravidian leader of Bangalore, with Dr. Mitra from Andhra Pradesh as the chief guest. MK got the conference pandal dismantled. All the photographs kept in the exhibition were seized. Scores of leaders and hundreds of volunteers were arrested including Nedumaran and Dr. Mitra etc. He didn’t stop at that. Just before the BJP executive meeting at Madras, he arrested organizers of the Tanjore conference under the National Security Act just to please the papans. This detention was challenged in the High Court. Nedumaran appeared before the Detention Review Committee consisting of three High Court Judges. All the confiscated photos exhibited at the Tanjore exhibitions had been published in MK’s paper Murasoli. MK also detained Nagai Mugan under NSA just because he had met Simranjit Singh Mann. The most despicable Act of MK was that he arrested dozens of wounded and sick Tiger cadres in TN hospitals. There are dozens who are now rotting in the jail while DMK men charged with bomb explosion, causing death etc. are allowed full freedom. The most famous case is the detention of Palani Baba, a revolutionary Muslim leader, in Tiruchy jail. That is why the TN papans and their organ, Hindu, the “Mount Road Mahavishnu,” are immensely happy. The President of TAMBRAS Balasubramanian publicly gave MK a certificate.
The rabid communalist, AS Raman, regularly writes pro-MK articles. The Hindu papan editor, N. Ram, writer Manian who is the arch-enemy of Dravidian movement, the late TR Ramaswamy (TRR) became best friends of MK. TRR was once the arch-foe of MK. Now his Makkal Kural daily has become a great supporter of MK. S.N. Narayanan wrote in the Alive (Nov. 1989) ‘Kalainjar MK is wisely consolidating his position and is poised to be the chief minister for life, literally and metamorphically like the Dravidian predecessors”.
MK was so mean as to bitterly criticize DK leader Veeramani, prior to the Assembly election, just to win over the papan support. He repeatedly assured the papans that Veeramani was no longer with him. Though Veeramani continued to be a great supporter of MK, he was badly let down thus proving our contention that to retain power MK would stab anybody in the back. In some of his speeches Veeramani had to lament this betrayal by MK.
Bid to break DK: In the past two years, MK was taking steps to break and finish Dravida Kazhagam, the very parent organization of his DMK party itself. He had influenced several leading DK workers to break away from DK and form rival organizations. He is giving financial, organizational and propaganda support to such break away groups. He weaned away a number of DK front-ranking speakers to his party. He made a few top DK leaders to revolt against Veeramani. This brought immense joy to papans and they gave good publicity for the MK-Veeramani differences.
The communal forces are today very happy. MK asked the police to tackle the DK volunteers for the alleged cutting of papan poonools. Because of all these things the papan of TN have started hailing MK as the saviour of the Aryans.
Power drunk, MK has started mercilessly tackling the Tamil Ealum forces and putting them in the jail.
He did nothing to promote Tamil interest among the Tamils living abroad like Singapore, Malaysia, Burma Mauritius etc. They need help and support to promote their language (Tamil) and culture but he is not bothered. It is also well known that MK was the cause for the Cauvery River water debacle.
Greatest crime: His greatest crime was in badly letting down the Lankan Tigers. He succeeded in confusing the TN people as to who were the real freedom fighters in Tamil Eelum. His present activities are not only not conducive to Eelum Tamil Liberation struggle but also will very much affect TN’s future as well. For example, he ruthlessly suppressed all the Tamil national groups. His attitude towards Tamil Eelum became all the more dangerous in view of the fact that the RAW is promoting disaffection among various language sections of TN.
He got his party constitution amended by inserting the word ‘uniformity’ (orumaipadu) of India will be defended by the DMK. The late C.N. Annadurai had been opposing any move for taking steps to destroy the diversity of India. Destroying the diversity would put an end to the various ethnic identities found in India by allowing the Aryans to swallow the rest. But MK by this action has gone against the Dravidian principle of diversity for which Periyar and Annadurai lived and died.
Ban on Pattimanram: In his Tamil daily, Murasoli, the official organ of the DMK, he has started publishing articles and reports praising the Ramayana. Temple authorities often invite MK and his wives. He has started consulting astrologers and inaugurating Navaratri festivals. What came as a surprise and shock is the ban on the popular DK propaganda public debate on the Ramayana and Mahabharata called Pattimanram. This was very much resented to by the DK and rationalists. MK also sidelined noted DMK Parliamentarians like Gopal Asami for supporting Eelum Tamils and Tigers. The one-crore signature petition to be submitted to the UNO was entrusted to a papan called Radhakrishnan.
MK is unashamedly exhibiting his clannish mentality by attending his own Jati (Isai Vellalar) conference every year. This has a very bad effect on so many other Dravidians who have forgotten their tiny Jati’s in the overall interest of Dravidian national unity.
To please the papans, he declared that henceforth in all the temples there would be Bharata Natyam, which was banned long ago during the Justice Party rule to liberate the thousands of Devadasi (Untouchable) girls from prostitution. Devadasi is a Hindu social custom that sanctions prostitution of Untouchable girls in the name of religion. These girls cannot marry but work as prostitutes around temples. Though MK belongs to the same jati he re-introduced this wretched system in temples. Veeramani took strong objection to this move but MK had no answers to it.
Palani Baba arrest: MK’s all out support to Brahminical forces gave a big boost to Nazis in the State and they are now flourishing with full State patronage. Nazi leaders, especially one Rajagopalan, often makes inflammatory speeches against Muslims and Christians and yet no action is taken against him. But Palani Baba, a leader of poor Muslims, was detained under NSA. Because he brought out a booklet replying to the anti-national activities of the Nazis. This action of MK against Palani Baba has shocked all progressive forces. Even the DK lodged a protest against it. The PMK, the up-and-coming revolutionary party, demanded his release. V.T. Rajshekar, editor of Dalit Voice, addressing a public meeting, presided over by Dr. Ramadoss, founder of the PMK at Periyar Thidal on Nov.25, demanded the release of Palani Baba whom he hailed as a great Muslim leader and suggested Dr. Ramadoss to give Palani Baba an important place in PMK and also a public reception to Palania Baba (on his release from jail) at Madras under the leadership of Dr. Ramadoss. All this prove how unpopular MK has become among the revolutionary forces in TN.
Instead of supporting such forces, MK is buttering the Nazis and their anti-national forces and refusing to withdraw the cases filed against ‘Madurai Adheenam’ during the ADMK regime.
Bharathidasan ignored: This is the centenary year of the great revolutionary poet, Bharathidasan. But the Karunanidhi govt. is celebrating it on a very low-key. He is the poet-laureat of TN and leader of Tamil nationalism and in fact the father of Dravidian movement. But MK is not showing any enthusiasm. During the MGR rule a university was named after Bharathidasan. That university had prescribed some of his poems for students against which the papans had raised certain objections during the Governor’s rule and got it removed from the textbook. Despite demands from many Tamil leaders including the powerful DK, MK is refusing to reintroduce it undr papan pressure.
Promoting sex: MK is owning a dozen papers – dailies, weeklies, monthlies etc. One such, Vannathirai, a film magazine, always publishes pornographic stuff. Till he came to power, it remained a soft-porno magazine. But after he became the Chief Minister, this magazine became an all-out porno puff. Some women’s organizations had held demonstrations before this magazine office. Still, it continues to publish rubbish, vulgar, obscene, nude pictures and nasty writings. As a consequence, many other papers also got bold to follow this pattern and converted themselves into pornographic magazines to compete with MK’s magazines in the market. MK’s weekly magazine, Kungumam, started a supplement of pornographic writings which are translations from Western rubbish and cheap jokes from the Play Boy magazine. Who can stop this vulgarization of Tamil culture when the CM himself sets the example? On the eve of his much publicized “Penta-Feat” in which VP Singh as Prime Minister took part, he gave a new slogan to his partymen: “Dear Brothers, Come to Madras and Praise your leader”
Dr. Ramadoss, the rising star: While MK’s stand on issues like Tamil national interest of BC/SCs, Eelum Liberation etc., minority protection is very doubtful if not treacherous, one voice in the whole of Tamil Nadu is ringing in clear and mistakable terms on all these issues without mincing any words. And that is the voice of Dr. Ramadoss of the revolutionary Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) or Toilers Party. He along with DK leader Veeramani, the seasoned fighter for the rights of Tamil Nadu’s Dravidian and Adi Dravidian forces, can lead Tamil Nadu into a bright future.
MK’s strength was tested during the recent Tamil Nadu Bundh organized by the PMK party and its allies under the guidance of Dr. Ramadoss. The bundh was against the Supreme Court’s stay against the implementation of Mandal Commission’s recommendations. MK had tried his best to scuttle it and arrested about 5,000 PMK workers on the penultimate day of the bandh. Even top leaders of the party like Dalit Elumalai, the party general secretary, was arrested. But the bandh was successful and even the worst enemies of the party admitted it. This is a shame on MK.
Paswanl Ignored: During Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswani’s tour of TN campaigning for the Mandal Commission, MK ignored Paswan totally. This is because of Paswan’s praise for Veeramani for his tireless campaign for Mandal for the past 10 years. This shows how deeply MK hates Veeramani who inspite of knowing it has been tolerating MK.
Meanwhile PMK, Dravida Khazana’s Veeramani, Tamil nationality leader Nedumaran, Muslim leader Palani Baba and all SC/ST/BC groups under Elumalai are all coming together under the leadership of Dr. Ramadoss with the Tamil Tigers supporting the birth of “Tamil Nation” from outside.
