Tame this fundamentalism now

The DMK government headed by M. Karunanidhi was dismissed twice in the past under Article 356 of the Constitution, on charges respectively...

The DMK government headed by M. Karunanidhi was dismissed twice in the past under Article 356 of the Constitution, on charges respectively of corruption and of the breakdown of the constitutional machinery due to unchecked LTTE activity. Perhaps for the first time in his long and chequered career the present Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu will have completed a full term when Assembly elections are held in March or April. The political immaturity of his arch rival Jayalalitha, Congress factionalism and the quixotic composition of the Lok Sabha are probably among the contributory factors.

The DMK, which rose to prominence on the plank of social justice, has held sway for decades by targeting Brahmins as the perpetrators of social injustice. Now that the enemy has been weakened and driven to the rest of the country and abroad (Brahmins may soon become an extinct species in Tamil Nadu calling for serious efforts at conservation, thanks to the 69 per cent reservation in the state and the global employment opportunities thrown open by information technology), the DMK has found a new icon to enlist support: Tamil language and culture. One doesn’t know whether Jammu and Kashmir has really benefited from the special privileges conferred by Article 370 but in Tamil Nadu something similar to those seem to have been in vogue for some time. Nowhere else do we have 69 per cent reservation and a single-language policy aggressively marketed by the state government.

Every caste except Brahmins, and those with non-Tamil roots, seems to enjoy one caste quota or the other. Yet this has not promoted unity or cohesion among non-Brahmin communities, leading to frequent caste clashes and proliferation of caste-based parties and organisations demanding exclusive reservation benefits. A study of the beneficiaries of reservation in admissions to professional courses in Tamil Nadu may show that many are from an affluent background.

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The next issue is language policy. Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala follow a three-language policy: mother tongue, Hindi and English. In most northern states, a two-language policy is promoted. But in Tamil Nadu what originally started as a two-language policy, namely English and Tamil, has now become a single-language policy, the promotion of Tamil and Tamil alone. Notices and circulars by state agencies, city corporations, electricity authorities and water supply and sewage boards are communicated only in Tamil. Even the questionnaire for the 2001 Census is being prepared only in Tamil. The state government passed an order on Tamil as the compulsory medium of instruction in educational institutions and, despite being snubbed by a high court judgment, had the cheek to take it to the Supreme Court. This in addition to many other state government orders which discriminate in practice against linguistic and religious minorities.

One more instance of the growth of anti-national and separatist tendencies in Tamil Nadu is the recent MDMK conference at Erode where the LTTE and its leader were eulogised as Tamil heroes. The press carried pictures of party cadres proudly displaying photographs of the banned LTTE chief. No arrests were made, conveying the impression that the state government condoned such activities. If the killers of Rajiv Gandhi are glorified as Tamil heroes, what about those innocent Tamil civilians and police officers who died with Rajiv Gandhi in the Sriperumbudur blast? Are they Tamil villains just because they died serving the cause of national duty?

What we are witnessing is the rise of Tamil fundamentalism. Unchecked, this can lead to the separation of Tamil Nadu from the rest of the country. Can the rest of India be a mute witness to the cultural and linguistic purge in Tamil Nadu? It is not as though the central government is ignorant of what is going on in the state. It is only reluctant to apply itself seriously to the state of affairs in Tamil Nadu due to its political compulsions. That it is possible to force the Tamil Nadu government to fall in line was proved in the uniform sales tax issue when the Union Finance Ministry threatened to deny central financial assistance to the state. A degree of arm twisting could force the state to come around. Those who derive their power from the Constitution must be made to use it responsibly and in the best interests of the nation.