CHENNAI: VCK MP Ravikumar has recently made a call to consolidate 60 sub-castes of Dalits in Tamil Nadu under the 'Adi Dravidar' identity. The idea was to create a common identity for Dalits, excluding Arunthathiyars and Devendra Kula Vellalars. However, a section of Dalit activists warn that such a move will sharpen the divisions within the oppressed castes thereby weakening Dalit activism.
The VCK’s move is also dubbed as an attempt to consolidate the Dalit vote base with an objective to strengthen the party's bargaining power in the alliance with the Dravidian majors. This comes in the backdrop of Puthitha Thamizhagam party's campaign to regroup six subcastes into Devendra Kula Vellalars and delist them from the Scheduled Castes category, which is meant for Dalits.
“Constraints in electoral politics is no excuse for promoting division within Dalits,” says M Mathivannan, Writer and President of Tamil Nadu Sakkiya Arunthathiyar Sangam, one of the activists who worked with the State government for reservation for Arunthathiyars.
The Adi Dravida identity used to refer to all the castes listed under SC category and it should not be reduced to an identity for referring to a group of castes, excluding Arunthathiyars and Devendra Kula Vellalars, opines Mathivannan.
To a query on Ravikumar’s argument that Arunthathiyars excluded themselves from combined political dialogues with the rest of the Dalits, Mathivannan said how provision of quota alone could exclude communities from political discourse.
"Arunthathiyars were given preferential treatment among dalits because of extreme backwardness. In absence of qualified candidates from the community, the jobs are offered to persons belonging to SC. The VCK’s move is unacceptable."
Noting that no political party can claim de-facto control over numerically smaller castes, Mathivannan said the VCK’s attempt cannot be ignored as mere election gimmick and it will have a crippling effect among dalits. “A large chunk of Arunthathiyars rallied behind Thirumavalavan when VCK was launched. VCK should not undermine the necessity of unity among Dalits.” Echoing similar views, M Punitha Pandian, Editor of ‘Dalit Murasu’ magazine questioned the rational behind demand for common identity for 60 castes given that there was no official proposal to exclude Devendra Kula Vellalars from SC list.
“A natural social coalition exists among dalits and it should not be weakened under any circumstances,” added Pandian. Pandian said dalits have got greater responsibility of democratising the society. “Dalit parties should adopt inclusive method of politics and cannot operate with selfish motives. Adi-Dravida should continue to remain a common identity for all 76 castes under the SC list."