CHENNAI: Are Dravidian majors hindering the growth of Dalit leaders? Critics say that data shows this claim may well be true.
An analysis of candidates fielded by DMK and AIADMK in 2016 and 2021 shows that both parties confine Dalits to reserved constituencies.
Even then, in 2016, DMK fielded only 37 Dalits in reserved seats, and left the remaining nine to its allies. AIADMK, meanwhile, got all its allies to face polls on its ‘Two Leaves’ symbol.
This year, DMK has fielded its candidates only in 21 reserved constituencies out of a total of 46 (44 for SCs and two for STs), while AIADMK has done better by fielding 30.
Not only do they hive off reserved seats to allies, this time they have also denied tickets to sitting Dalit MLAs, says a former Dalit MLA from one of the Dravidian parties on condition of anonymity.
“AIADMK denied ticket to 48 MLAs. Of them, eight were Dalits (20%). DMK denied ticket to 13 sitting MLAs, of which six were Dalits (nearly 50%),” says the ex-MLA.
“Some of the seats of sitting Dalit MLAs were given away to alliance partners, some to new faces.”
The former legislator goes on to say that a closer look at the data shows that party leaderships are preventing Dalit MLAs from emerging as influential leaders.
“For instance, the ruling party had denied tickets to 48 sitting MLAs in this assembly polls. In these 48, in 30 seats either a former MP or MLA given ticket. In these 30, only one is from the Dalit community.”
On the other hand, DMK, gave Thali Assembly constituency, represented by its MLA Y Prakash to CPI in the seat-sharing.
“So Prakash has been given a ticket in the neighbouring Hosur constituency. But, a similar yardstick has not been adopted for any Dalit sitting MLA, including former minister and Keelvelur MLA Mathivanan,” the former MLA alleged.
Critics point out that across Tamil Nadu, it would be hard to count more than a handful of Dalits who have entered Assembly or Parliament more than three times.
Parithi Ilamvazhuthi of DMK, P Dhanpal of AIADMK, AS Ponnamal, Maragadham Chandrasekar and Tenkasi Arunachalam of Congress are some of those who have been elected to the Assembly more than three times.
Former MLA Se. Ku. Tamilarasan, president of the Republic Party of India (RPI), alleges that this behaviour is not restricted to elections but occurs even within the party.
“Dalits have less chance of becoming union, town or district secretaries in the Dravidian majors. If any Dalit manages to reach such a post or anything higher, they will make him step down in the next party election, saying that the position should be shares by all. At the same time, caste Hindus will enjoy the same position for decades,” he claims.
“They speak a lot about social justice but, in practice social justice is only for BCs and some MBCs, not for SC and STs,” he says.
Dalit advocate Palanimuthu points out that even when the Dravidian majors claim to have so many Dalit MLAs, they hide the fact that all of them would be from reserved constituencies.
Indeed, in the last decade, it was only the AIADMK that fielded one Dalit candidate in the Pallavaram general constituency in 2011.