Joseph Vijay and His New Tamil Nationalism

In the thick of the RSS-BJP (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Bharatiya Janata Party) North Indian normalisation of Hindu Rashtra from Gujarat to West Bengal, a challenge emerged from the South—Tamil Nadu. Joseph Vijay's victory definitely has a new message to the whole nation and the RSS-BJP forces in particular. 

Joseph, the very name is unacceptable to the RSS ideology from its birth. But Joseph Vijay quite proudly took oath as Ninth Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, without any hesitation by using his first name that has an established Biblical history. Joseph was Mary's husband and foster father of Jesus Christ, who saved his life in his childhood and taught him how to read Torah and trained him to be a carpenter.  

Joseph Vijay came to power in Tamil Nadu at a time when Christianity as a religion is on trial with several anti-conversion laws in different states ruled by the RSS-BJP, the amendment Bill on the Foreign Currency Regulation Act or FCRA is on the table of the BJP government to declare Christians almost as anti-nationals. They are presumed to survive with foreign money, buy souls into the fold of Jesus and build properties that deserve to be taken over through “Hindutva legal” means. I am using the phrase “Hindutva Legal” means consciously, because many laws that the BJP government passes bypass the constitutional moral framework. They are meant to suit their Hindutva ideological agendas. The anti-conversion laws and FCRA amendment Bill are part of that “Hindutva legal” means.

For Joseph's ideological campaign, he used five figures which cannot be accepted by the RSS-BJP forces. In the Tamil context, Periyar Ramasamy Naikar, B.R Ambedkar, Kamaraj Nadar, Queen Velu Nachiyar and Anjali Ammal, have a different nationalist ideological message. While three great male icons—Ambedkar, Periyar and Kamaraj -- are well known, the women icons add a new metaphor to his ideology of gender justice.        

Queen Velu Nachiyar, an 18th-century queen of Sivaganga, was one of the first Indian monarchs to wage war against the British. And Anjalai Ammal, a freedom fighter from Cuddalore, is known for her active role in the Indian Independence movement, often called the "Jhansi Rani of South India". 

Joseph Vijay’s party, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), used these two women icons as its female representatives during the election campaign. This female nationalist symbolism played its role among women voters of Tamil Nadu.

WHAT THIS COMBINATION MEANS?

The Ambedkar, Periyar and Kamaraj Combination constructs a new nationalist vision that is totally opposite to the RSS’s nationalist vision of Savarkar, Hedgewar and Golwalkar. They do not recognise any woman nationalist icon because in their vision women are not even part of the sky, in a world where women are considered to be the half of the sky.

The new combination of Ambedkar, Periyar and Kamaraj, who have three different backgrounds with a common thread of inbuilt ideology and practice of social justice is certainly creative. While Ambedkar and Periyar are extensively discussed thinkers, with a lot of literature thought discourse about their life, writings and organisational activities Kamaraj is not so much in the national memory. Even the Congress did not promote him much.

Kamaraj was a Congress leader, known as king maker, with competitive energy that could challenge Chakravarthy Rajagopalachari, who led the Brahmin lobby of India. Popularly known as Rajaji, he wrote commentaries on Ramayana and Mahabharata, became a close follower of Mahatma Gandhi and finally his daughter was married to Gandhi’s son. 

Though Rajaji and Kamaraj were rivals, they remained within the Congress party all their lives. Both of them ruled as state Chief Ministers. However, Kamaraj was the first OBC (other Backward Classes) leader who laid the foundation for a welfare state, particularly by beginning pro-poor education policies. He was the one who introduced the mid-day meal system for poor school children in India. He was kept outside the Dravidian pages of history, though he himself was one of the most respected lowest of the low caste political icons.

Joseph Vijay gave him the place that Kamaraj deserves. Interestingly most Nadars, who were once untouchables, are Christians in Tamil Nadu and Joseph must have found a loving place among them.       

THE NEW MESSAGE

This combination of these five outstanding social justice icons of India sends a new message to the RSS-BJP nationalist ideology that works around the single point agenda of opposing Muslims and Christians of India. 

Ambedkar as anti-caste philosopher and the father of Indian Constitution, with a comprehensive philosophical vision of India, is a challenge to the RSS-BJP ideology, though they pretend to own him.

Periyar is not just a thorn in their ideological bed but a thinker, social reformer and nationalist, who is gaining more acceptability even in North India after the RSS-BJP political forces captured Delhi in 2014.

They could attack Jawaharlal Nehru in Parliament and outside but they cannot attack Periyar even in their electoral campaign, though he was a strong atheist, because his moral and ethical stature is high enough for the Hindutva forces to be cautious. 

Periyar’s image among the entire Dravidian society, and more particularly among women, is un-matched. Tamil nationalism is deeply embedded in his long ideological Dravida Kazhagam movement and all political parties, including BJP, could not openly attack him in Tamil Nadu.

Joseph Vijay owning him, having come from a Dalit-Christian family, background sends a different message while including him in his team of icons with a caveat (unlike Periyar, he believes in God.) That is a clever message.  

JOSEPH AND DALITS

The Dalits of Tamil Nadu were very unhappy with the long rule of the DMK and AIADMK because the Dalit population is about 20% and were neglected. This is the estimate of the 2011 Census. It could be a bit more now. Such a vast population, with a well-educated middle class, was neglected by DMK and AIADMK all these years.

Thol Tirumavalavan’s Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi or VCK has been working among Dalits quite for some time, but it could not galvanise non-Dalit voters into its fold across the state, therefore it remained a small success in very few regions. Joseph Vijay has crossed that barrier and galvanised masses who voted him voluntarily.  

Vijay could convince the Dalits by adopting Ambedkar as his icon and setting up a welfare agenda that gives hope to them. His semi-Dalit blood lineage must have also helped him.

Periyar’s symbolism must have convinced the Dravidian ideological constituency that Joseph Vijay will carve out a new political niche. In any case, the victory of Joseph, with that Christian name at a time when Christians across India are facing persecution, financial difficulties with new strategies like the FCRA Bill by the RSS-BJP government in Delhi to starve them of any foreign assistance to run their medical, educational and orphanage institutions are getting squeezed, is a relief for them too.

Christian service outside their religious fold, cutting across caste, creed, seems to have worked in favour of young Joseph, apart from his film stardom. Let us wait and see how his administration works.  

The writer is a political theorist, social activist and author. His latest book is ‘The Shudra Rebellion’.  The views are personal.