Caste tensions, forgotten in the melee of growth, industrialization and self-righteous reformism, have once again forced their way to the forefront in Tamil Nadu. A recent clash between Dalits and the police in the southern district of Ramanathapuram has claimed seven lives in the state. The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government, while justifying the police action against mob violence, has announced a judicial probe into the incident and ex-gratia relief for the dead. But this is unlikely to assuage Dalit sentiments, be it in the southern districts or anywhere in Tamil Nadu. Dalits in the state believe that the Dravidian movement, and the two main Dravidian parties that lay claim to this legacy, have served the interests of backward castes such as the Thevars, the Nadars and the Vanniyars, who are superior to Dalits in the caste hierarchy and who continue to oppress them. Even where Dalits have managed to overtake the upper castes by virtue of the State policy of reservations, the upper castes are seen to be denying them social equality by retaining the markers of social distance. The discontent has found expression in violent clashes between Dalits and Thevars in the south and between Dalits and Vanniyars in the north. The tragedy in Ramanathapuram, in fact, is the result of a chain reaction that started with the alleged killing of a Dalit youth by Thevars. The fact that the AIADMK was earlier seen as promoting the interests of Thevars has added to the Dalits’ sense of betrayal and could aggravate this particular situation unless the government is careful.

But it is not the Dravidian parties alone that have let the Dalits down. The peculiar nature of Dalit politics in Tamil Nadu itself has worked against Dalit interests. The Dalits in the state are so keen to hold on to their distinctive caste identities that a pan-Dalit movement seems almost impossible at this stage. Dalit leaders have also shamelessly traded their vote bank for electoral tickets from the main Dravidian parties. The intense competition among rival Dalit leaders for this captive vote bank could be behind the renewed aggression of Dalits in south Tamil Nadu. The government has to realize that it is not enough to keep Dalit leaders in good humour. It has to make a more serious effort to eradicate inequality, both economic and social, and to address Dalit grievances, both actual and felt.