Dravidian model or ideological dilemma: DMK sees new turn in politics

CHENNAI: A saffron dhoti clad Minister sporting a white beard performed an arathi to a milch cow as priests offered flower petals to shower on the animal. As the Minister religiously followed the instructions of the priests one by one, obedient followers of the Minister watched the gau pooja (worship of cow) with devotion, all under full media glare. Not so long ago, a scene to this effect would have easily prompted onlookers to only think of far away Uttar Pradesh led by Yogi Adiyanath or one of the states ruled by the cow-deifying BJP and their ilk.

However, the times have changed in Tamil Nadu and this worship happened at Thirukadaiyur in Nagapattinam district and the Minister was none other than state HR & CE Minister PK Sekarbabu, who had reiterated more than a few times in the recent past that the Dravidian model government led by Chief Minister MK Stalin was also a spiritual one. Such an open display of religiosity appears to be the template of the contemporary DMK led by Stalin. The devotion or the demonstration of it suggests a significant digression from the established rationalist principles of Periyar, the ideological forefather of DMK.

From M Karunanidhi wondering which engineering college Lord Ram studied, the DMK has traversed a long way forward to its Minister publicly worshipping cows. Undoubtedly, the Minister’s audacity suggests that they have the sanction of the party high command, especially the DMK first family. Even Stalin has affirmed quite a few times that his government would not be a deterrent to anyone’s bhakti and that too while reiterating that his government was modelled on the Dravidian model.

Ideologically DMK leaders who were gob smacked by the ideological drift under the leadership of Stalin privately admitted that worshipping cow was not the model the ideological mentors of DMK had envisaged.

A DMK senior unwilling to be quoted conceded that the acts of a few Ministers was antithetical to the secular and progressive ideals that cobbled up an alliance of a nationalist Congress, socialist leaning Communist and Ambedkar following Dalit parties.

In granting permission to Pattinapravesam of Dharamapuram Atheenam, cancelling the biryani festival over beef ban row, retracting on the Ayodhya Mandapam issue and vowing not to go against the interest of Deekshithars of Chidambaram Temple, the DMK has more than sufficiently disappointed its ideological allies like Dravidar Kazhagam, which did not hesitate to publicly criticise the DMK. Equally discomforting for the DMK was the furore caused by beef ban in biriyani festival among the party sympathisers on social media.

While facing flak for taking political stands desired by the saffron brigade, the ruling party has launched initiatives to popularise the Dravidian model. The DMK was learnt to have partnered with Suba Veerapandian led Dravidar Iyakka Tamizhar Peravai, to popularise Dravidian principles among god-fearing populace. The DMK and the Peravai led by Suba Veerapandian were learnt to have appointed office-bearers for the newly floated Dravida Natpu Kazhagam (Dravidian Friends Forum) and invited members to join and propagate social justice, secularism and democracy laced with Periyar’s rationalist principles without antagonising god-fearing Tamils.

A DMK functionary associated with the initiative said that the party has planned to capitalise on the renewed interest for Dravidian movement and Periyar among the youth. The friends forum has been created to further strengthen the ideological base, which is essential to counter the right wing narrative of the BJP, he said.

Not all in the Dravidian constituency were impressed by the DMK’s Dravidian or ‘D’ plan to popularise Periyar among believers. The DK led by K Veeramani is said to be sulking at the ‘compromise’ made by DMK to promote the movement. However, the DMK seems convinced that it was essential to blunt the BJP’s “anti-Hindu propaganda against the ruling party.”

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