On the morning of May 29, the locality of Pazhanganatham in Madurai, one of the oldest cities in Tamil Nadu, witnessed a spectacular turnout of thousands of people. They had arrived from different places in all manner of vehicles. But there was one thing common to them – all of them were wearing red shirts, which proclaimed their unity of purpose. On one side men and women grouped together and on the other a group of youngsters were warming up to play the parai, or drum.

Affiliated to or supporters of Marxist, Dravidian and Ambedkarite groups, they had converged on Pazhanganatham to voice their protest against the aggressive efforts of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to further its Hindutva ideology in Tamil Nadu in recent years with the help of the All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), which was in power in the state till May 2021.

Primarily political movements which stay away from the electoral process, they had come together for the Red Shirt rally under the banner of the Periyariya Unarvalargal Kootamaippu (Coalition of Periyarists), or Kootamaippu for short. Periyar, with his Dravidian, anti-caste ideology, has remained unrivalled in his contestation of Brahminical hegemony in the state.

The fact that the rally had been planned in the historically politically significant city of Madurai, known for its Sangam Age achievements and for the latest discoveries at the Keezhadi excavation site, told its own story.

This was not the first rally of its kind that the Kootamaippu, a coalition of more than 140 organisations, had planned. The Red Shirt rally, highlighting the importance of Marxism in the ideological battle to counter Hindutva in the Tamil political landscape, was preceded by a Blue Shirt rally in Coimbatore in February 2020 to mark the Ambedkarite surge against Hindutva ideology and a Black Shirt rally in Trichy in 2018 to stress the need for Periyarist ideology to take on right-wing political ideology.

Together, the rallies, spread over five years, essentially conveyed one single message: the need for Ambedkarite, Marxist and Periyarist ideologies to come together to resist the growth of right-wing forces in Tamil Nadu. The colours red, blue and black signified Marxist, Ambedkarite and Dravidian ideologies, respectively.

The journey of coming together on a common platform

Much thought has gone into this coordinated effort. In fact, the aggressive strategies of the BJP government at the Centre played the role of a catalyst in this endeavour – be it the imposition of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) in 2017, which triggered protests in Tamil Nadu on the grounds that it would work against the prospects of state board students, or the state BJP unit’s attempt to give a communal colour to tragic incidents like the suicide of a 17-year-old earlier this year in Thanjavur to push its interests.

The leaders of the various political movements felt that Periyar’s ideology was the best weapon available to fight the BJP. Activists like Thirumurugan Gandhi of the May 17 movement (a movement working for the rights of Tamils), and leaders like Kudanthai Arasan, Nagai Thiruvalluvan, and Ilamaran, who head pro-Tamil outfits, among others, came together to form the Kootamaippu in 2017.

By then, the AIADMK government had foisted 40 cases against Thirumurugan Gandhi, including one under the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). After 53 days of imprisonment, he secured bail. It prompted the Kootamaippu to plan a rally to emphasise the need for Periyar in Tamil Nadu. On December 23, 2018, a day before the death anniversary of Periyar, the Kootamaippu held its Black Shirt rally in Trichy. The event saw a footfall of about 35,000 people who ideologically supported Periyar and emphasised the federal rights of Tamil Nadu. Black is the colour associated with Periyar and his ideas.

Periyar as the inspiration to counter Hindutva

It was not for nothing that the various political movements which were determined to counter the BJP turned to Periyar. He is the foremost symbol of challenge when it comes to countering the Brahminical agenda of the BJP. Periyar defined Brahminism as the biggest evil of the Indian subcontinent and spoke at length about the Brahminical nexus that dominated the state apparatus and its agencies at every level.

After coming to power at the Centre in 2014, the BJP, with its politics of hate directed against the minorities and abuse of power, formed governments in several other states of the Indian Union. Many regional parties deliberately fell into the social engineering trap that the BJP had set up in its electoral politics. Only a few states managed to stall the BJP juggernaut. Tamil Nadu and Kerala top the list.

Seen against this backdrop, the political momentum created by the Black Shirt rally, the first among the three rallies, was significant, for a rally which aimed at campaigning for Periyar’s politics culminated with the participation of Ambedkarites and Marxists as well.

Tamil Nadu’s Ambedkarite politics is different from north India, which broadly seems to have two different patterns – one that joins hands with neo-liberalism and Brahminism to oppose the Marxists, and the other opposes neo-liberalism and Brahminism to ally with the Marxists. And no one can deny that the former pattern paved the way for the resounding failure of Dalit parties in the northern states.

If the situation in Tamil Nadu is very different, it is because of the efforts of the Dalit leader Thol. Thirumavalavan and founder of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, says Thirumurugan Gandhi. Thirumavalavan, a Member of Parliament, declared Marxism, Ambedkarism, Periyarism, women’s liberation and Tamil nationalism as his party’s core doctrines. He embraced Periyar’s anti-Brahminism politics.

In 2020, a virulent campaign was unleashed against Thirumavalavan by the BJP for his critique of the Manusmriti. Undaunted, he embarked on a campaign to explain how the Manusmriti discriminated against women in ways that were demeaning. Even Hindu women in Tamil Nadu sided with Thirumavalavan.

For that matter, Thirumavalavan has never missed a chance to expose those Dalit movements and parties that allied with Brahminism. In a recent interview, he pointed out the hypocrisy of such movements and parties by saying that “those who oppose Dravidianism should also oppose Iyodhee Thass Pandithar’s teachings. But they will oppose only Periyar.” (Iyodhee Thass Pandithar is considered a pioneer of the Dravidian movement.)

In Tamil Nadu, this political clarity, that opposing Periyar leads directly or indirectly to aligning with Brahminism, has always been there. This clarity is what helped the blue shirt rally at Coimbatore in 2020 to garner massive public support. Though the then AIADMK government, which was in alliance with the BJP, denied permission for the rally, the Kootamaippu put up a legal battle and secured permission.

It is not that Marxists and Periyarists have always seen eye to eye on issues. Periyar was critical of the Marxists’ lack of understanding of caste and the idea that eradication of class would eradicate caste as well. The Marxists later changed their position. Although some Periyarists continue to be critical of the Marxists, the Communist parties did not hesitate to join the rally.

In fact, Tamil Nadu has seen constructive discussions between Periyarism and Marxism in recent times. The Red Shirt rally, organised by the Kootamaippu, was flagged off by the Madurai MP Su. Venkatesan, who hails from the CPI (M). Speaking at the Red Shirt rally, Kolathur Mani, leader of the Dravida Viduthalai Kazhagam said, “Even while designing the flag of the Dravida Kazhagam, Periyar kept a red circle at the centre of the black flag. Periyar’s wish was that red would grow into a red flag.”

The biggest achievement of the Red Shirt rally was not just the large presence of Left organisations and its sympathisers but also the huge turnout of Periyarists and Ambedkarites. Tamil Nadu has shown that the only way to politically dismantle the BJP’s fascist Hindutva agenda is to have a coalition of Ambedkarist, Periayarist and Marxist movements. Tamil Nadu is showing the way to defeat the four varnas with three vannams, or colours.

(Rajasangeethan is a journalist, translator and cultural activist in Tamil Nadu. Courtesy: The Wire.)