Annamalai goes Dravidian way to strike a chord with the Tamil masses

Social justice. Dravidian. Hindi imposition. These terms that constitute the character of Dravidian majors DMK and AIADMK now resonate in the statements and public speeches of Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai.

In the past few weeks, Annamalai, a Karnataka-cadre IPS officer before he took voluntary retirement in 2019, has pleaded more than once that he does not know Hindi, and he would oppose if the language were imposed on Tamils. To top it all, the 37-year-old, a native of Karur in western TN, called himself a “black Dravidian” last week.

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Ever since he took over the state unit in July 2021, Annamalai has been taking a swipe at the Dravidian majors by prefixing the word real before social justice in his statements and tweets about measures taken by the BJP Government at the Centre for the betterment of socially backward sections.

Annamalai’s actions lead to a pertinent question being asked – is he attempting to embrace the Dravidian identity – a gamble that none of his predecessors took – to strike a chord with the Tamil masses, the majority of whom are still deep-rooted in the Dravidian ideology?

‘I don’t know Hindi’

In fact, from declaring that he “will not fit into the Dravidian mould” to calling himself a “dark Dravidian”, Annamalai has made several U-turns in just a few months, possibly realizing that the BJP has to be “localized” in Tamil Nadu where its goal, for now, is to emerge as the principal challenger to the ruling DMK, and the Hindutva brand of politics might not take-off.

Though the BJP is consistently raising the issue of religious conversion – it came under attack from various quarters for “politicizing” the suicide of a minor girl early this year – the party seems to have understood that it has to offer something from the local political menu to be heard.

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By reiterating that he does not know Hindi and he is also a “Dravidian” because his complexion is “dark”, Annamalai is trying to shed the “outsider” tag that the BJP has acquired in Tamil Nadu and reach out to the people by projecting himself as one among them.

That those who are opposed to Hindi shouldn’t necessarily be only from the Dravidian parties (read DMK) but can also be from the BJP is the message Annamalai wants to deliver as Hindi imposition is still a live wire – language was and continues to be an emotive issue in the state.

Why the new strategy?

Annamalai’s statements on Hindi baffled many given the BJP’s obsession with the language and the importance given to it despite opposition from several quarters – the timing was also important as it came after Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s pitch for Hindi as India’s link language.

The statements or utterances are part of a carefully orchestrated strategy by Annamalai, with blessings from top leaders, to make inroads into the Dravidian land. Every strategy devised in the past to bring Tamil Nadu into the “mainstream”, including convincing people that learning a third language (Hindi) wasn’t harmful, fell flat.

Will the latest attempt help? Senior journalist R Bhagwan Singh replies that Annamalai has a huge challenge in delivering the “borrowed Dravidian bravado”, especially on the issue of “imposition” of Hindi.

“Hindi imposition and identity form the foundation of Dravidian politics. Annamalai has done the right thing in devising the strategy to hijack these Dravidian slogans. He is taking a huge risk. But the challenge before him is that he must deliver on the borrowed Dravidian bravado. He has a huge homework ahead, halting the Hindi-only circulars from Delhi to start with. His statements have to go deeper than the tongue,” he told DH.

BJP’s current position in TN

Tamil Nadu, in fact, is the last ideological fort that the BJP is yet to breach. The party feels there is enough space for it to grow especially after the death of Dravidian stalwarts M Karunanidhi and J Jayalalithaa.

After winning four seats in the 2021 assembly elections, the BJP’s voice is much more audible inside and outside the House, much because ally and

principal opposition AIADMK is too quiet on many issues. The BJP went on its own in the urban local bodies by grabbing 5.41 per cent of votes, though the party contested only in 45 per cent of the total seats.

Not stopping here, as part of the strategy, Annamalai is also attempting to portray that the BJP isn’t opposed to Tamil by quoting extensively from the rich literature in his tweets about the cultural landscape of the Tamil Nadu, playing much to the gallery.

Another political analyst, who wanted to remain anonymous, said the BJP, for the people to believe the party, should replace the suffix ‘ji’ with the Tamil prefix ‘Thiru’ while addressing party functionaries to start with.

BJP and Annamalai realize it is a long haul for the party in Tamil Nadu. Will the Dravidian mask help the party win over the Tamils? Only time will answer.

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