International Journal of Applied Social Science RESEARCH ARTICLE Volume 6 (3), March (2019) : 713-721 ISSN : 2394-1405 Received : 21.01.2019; Revised : 07.02.2019; Accepted : 21.02.2019 Changing facets of Tamil Nadu Politics: Emergence of Hindu Nationalist Party in Dravidian Land1 ARUN KUMAR G. Doctoral Candidate Department of Political Science, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad (Telangana) India ABSTRACT Tamil Nadu politics, since Independence largely dominated by the Congress party. It was in state power till it was thrown out by the regional Dravida Munnetra Kazhagamin 1967. For the last six decades, the state was continued to rule either by the DMK or by the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. The Dravidian party’s hegemony was challenged in the late 1980s, due to the new entrants of parties. The newly started Hindu nationalist politico-religious organisations also posed challenges to Dravidian parties. The new “Hindu wave” created following the demolition of Babri Masjid gave new lease of life to the Bharatiya Janata Party in the state. Subsequently, the BJP became an important party in a highly competitive bi-polar politics. This paper attempts to explore the changing politics of Tamil Nadu and the future of the BJP in Tamil political space. Key Words : AIADMK, BJP, Congress, Dravidian parties, DMK, Tamil Nadu INTRODUCTION lost its significance as the important “balance party” in the two-party state system. Further, new entrants of Political discourse in Tamil Nadu was, for the last 6 political parties, like the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) of decades, marked by the Dravidian political parties. The Vanniyars, Viduthalai Chiruthaikal Katchi (VCK) of state was either ruled by the Dravida Munnetra Paraiyars and Puthiya Tamilagam (PT) of Pallars, had Kazhagam (DMK) or All India Anna Dravida Munnetra affected the mainstream Dravidian parties as well. In Kazhagam (AIADMK). There was no scope for the new this fragmented political system, the Bharatiya Janata parties, particularly for the national parties, to register Party (BJP) proved its strength in the parliamentary and the growth in the state. Ever since the Congress party assembly elections of 1996. The BJP increased its political was overthrown from power in 1967, no national party presence in the parliament following the destruction of dominated the state politics. However, Congress continued Babri Masjid, Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) in 1992. It created to do “balance party” role throughout the 1970s and the new Hindu wave across the country. This reflected 1980s. In the bi-polar state politics (between the DMK in Tamil Nadu as well. The BJP, for the first time in the and the AIADMK), a powerful national party (the state, won in Padmanabhapuram (Kanyakumari) Congress) plays a pivotal role in the formation of the constituency in 1996. After this election, both the DMK government in elections. Even though the Congress lost and the AIADMK competed with each other to have an power, it played an important role, in keeping the DMK alliance with the BJP. This paper attempts to explore out of power, by its alliance with the AIADMK. how a Hindu nationalist party like BJP is getting a foothold At this juncture, due to the entry of the new political in the state where the Dravidian parties were still parties, in the fragmented political system, the Congress dominating the Tamil political space. This paper attempts 1. Earlier version of this paper was presented in 57th All India Political Science Conference, Chennai on December 15-17, 2017 How to cite this Article: Arun Kumar G. (2019). Changing facets of Tamil Nadu Politics: Emergence of Hindu Nationalist Party in Dravidian Land. Internat. J. Appl. Soc. Sci., 6 (3) : 713-721. ARUN KUMAR G. to explore what factors have helped the BJP to become the BJP-AIADMK alliance was routed in all 39 an important factor in the state in that period? This paper constituencies in the state. After 2004 debacle no major also attempts to analyse the BJP’s growth in all these party had an alliance with the BJP, however, the BJP years and its sustainability in state politics. managed to getan alliance with the seven different parties The Dravidian movement came into being in the and made ‘rainbow alliance’ in 2014 parliamentary early twentieth century with a radical social agenda of elections and won in Kanyakumari. However, this victory emancipating the backward and lower caste people from was not all of a sudden, since 1991 the BJP was gaining Brahminical domination. It played a pivotal role in momentum in the state. Although it could not convert its developing a pan anti-Brahmin consciousness in Tamil influence into electoral victory, the BJP made a significant society. The movement owing allegiance to atheistic impact in some constituencies. principles critiqued the institution of caste and religion. The Dravidian Movement is among Asia’s oldest and Review of literature: most durable ethnonational movements (Subramanian, How has the Hindu nationalist BJP registered growth 2011, 15). It demanded a separate country ‘Dravida in the state where Dravidian parties are still dominating Nadu’ for Dravidians. Later the movement abandoned the political space of Tamil Nadu? How Hindu nationalist the principle of atheism under the leadership of Annadurai organisations developed their base where Tamil/Dravidian after he floated the new party DMK in 1949. His attitude nationalist sentiments were still strong? The available towards religion can be encapsulated in the slogan “One literature on Hindu nationalist movements has failed to Caste, One God”. The Dravidian movement witnessed answer these questions. Therefore, the main purpose of significant changes in its nature and content over the the research is to fill the identified gaps in this area. period. Entry of the AIADMK and the Marumalarchi Wide arrange of research works has done on the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) by M.G. various works of the Sangh Parivar associations at the Ramachandran and Vaiko in 1972 and 1994, respectively national level and state level. Many scholars have written had diluted its principles and had weakened the movement extensively about Sangh Parivar organisations work as well. among Dalits, tribes and marginal section of the people The weakening of the Dravidian movement (Narayan, 2009). The BJP and other Sangh Parivar coincided with the emergence of the Hindu nationalist organisations work in central India, Madhya Pradesh from organisations in the state. The state, hitherto free from 1925 to 1996, the different strategies they employed in communal violence witnessed its first major communal this period to mobilise masses were documented violence against Christians in Mandaikadu (Kanyakumari) comprehensively by Jaffrelot (Jaffrelot, 1996). The Sangh in 1982. Since then, though it was not as frequent as in work in states like Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, north Indian states, Tamil Nadu saw increased violence Maharashtra and other techniques followed in this state against religious minorities over the last three decades. to strengthen the Sangh work has been analysed in detail These issues were successfully capitalised by the Hindu and how the communal problems in these states were nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in immediate successfully translated into votes by Sangh associations elections. However, the success over communal violence were highly documented (Jayaprasad, 1991, Mathur, 2008 was limited to two districts (Kanyakumari and and Hansen, 1996). Coimbatore) and the BJP failed to do the same in other Due to the historical weakness of the Hindu parts of the state. Since then no mainstream political party nationalist organisations in Tamil Nadu, many scholars made an alliance with the BJP all these years. have ignored the growth of the Sangh Parivar Increasing weakening of the Congress to capture organisations. Over the issue of Hindu nationalist BJP’s the power at the centre after 1996 and the emergence of growth in Tamil Nadu, scholars have differences of the BJP as a strong contender for political power had an opinion. Some scholars are opined that there was no rise impact in Tamil political space as well. The DMK and of the Hindu groups in Tamil Nadu. Scholars like Pandian the AIADMK, principal political parties in the state (2012), Rajadurai and Geetha (2002) and Subramanian competed with each other to make an alliance with the (2011) belong to this category. They have argued that BJP in various elections since 1998 and the trend was all since the electoral strength of the BJP largely depends well till the 2004 Parliament elections, and in that election, on its electoral ally and the impact of the Dravidian Internat. J. Appl. Soc. Sci. | Mar., 2019 | 6 (3) (714) CHANGING FACETS OF TAMIL NADU POLITICS: EMERGENCE OF HINDU NATIONALIST PARTY IN DRAVIDIAN LAND ideology controls the Hindu groups. They are also arguing Dravidian movement claimed itself as a sole representative that though ‘Vinayakar Chathurthi’ was famous in Tamil of the Dravidians of southern India, but in reality, it was Nadu, but it was largely participated by the common largely confined to Tamil speaking districts of the Madras people who do not have any affiliation with the Hindu Presidency (the then Madras Presidency was included Munnani or any other Hindu organisation. present-day Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and some parts Scholars like Fuller (2001) and Harris (2002) argue of Kerala and Karnataka). that since the activities of the Hindu organisations have Following Independence and after the reorganization increased considerably in the forms of Thiruvilakku puja of the states, Tamil Nadu politics was dominated by the and other temple festivals and the Dravidian party cadres Congress party. The Congress party ruled the state also widely participated in that festivals and these uninterruptedly from 1952 onwards until it was festivals showa rise of the Hindu organisations in the overthrown by the DMK in 1967 elections. The DMK state. Fuller and Harris also pointed out in their articles came to power in 1967 and it was in state power till that the various strategies of Hindu organisations to 1976.