POLITICAL UNITY AND DIVERSITY

IN TAMIL NADU

Student Name: Poovizhi Kalyani M

Year/Class/Section : 2022/ I BA LLB/ A
 CONTENTS

S.NO TITLE

1. ABSTRACT

2. INTRODUCTION

3. POLITICAL PARTIES IN TAMIL NADU AND THEIR

PROMISES

4. JALLIKATTU PROTEST – UNITY IN DIVERSITY

5. CONCLUSION

6. BIBLIOGRAPHY
 I. ABSTRACT

India is a secular nation, people there practice the many religions of their choice. The
inhabitants of this place appreciate one another and live in an atmosphere of love and
fraternity despite having diverse cultures, languages, and religious beliefs. Here in this
research paper, we will see the political unity and diversity in Tamil Nadu, where Dravidian
politics is famous because of the Dravidian parties Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Anna
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and other political parties prevailing in Tamil Nadu. Primarily
in this paper, we will see what these political parties together have contributed to their people
that is in simple terms we will see the promises made by these parties for the well-being of
the people of the state and a case study on the Jallikattu protest and the Cauvery water
dispute-how the political parties united together despite having their differences i.e. unity in
diversity in political parties. This will help us to get a clearer picture of how the political
parties achieve “unity in diversity”.

Keywords: unity, diversity, political party, Dravidian parties, Jallikattu protest, Cauvery
water dispute.

II. INTRODUCTION

India is a varied nation. We observed many cultural, religious, linguistic, and functional
groupings in the country as a result of a period lasting migration, starting, and transfer.

With this inflow, we observe the emergence of faith from the ancient to the Vedic periods.
When the Aryans settled in the land, they established a separate civilization with entirely
different behaviors. Hinduism evolved not just as a religion, but also as a way of life for all
people. Furthermore, with the migration of significant religious communities like as both
Islam and Christianity, cultural fusion occurred, resulting in tolerance and unity throughout
the country. Small religions such as Judaism are also embraced with a strong sense of unity.

Speaking of diversity our country's indigenous faiths, including Buddhism, Jainism, and
Sikhism, played an important role since they are constantly focused on erasing disparities and
promoting love. Other ethnic and regional groups embraced the new way of life, and culture
of "unity among variety in India" began to emerge. Our country is currently undergoing
transition and development. Despite the existence of conflicts of opinion among various
factions, this never leads to schisms in the country's core. We have always respected our
predecessors' legacy and will continue to do so in the future. Acceptance, tolerance, and
correction are all sentiments that flow through our veins.

The Constitution of India was drafted while learning from our past hardships and experience.
It was evident from the British colonial period that unity is the biggest strength of our diverse
country. There shall not be a feeling of alienation in any section or subsection of our society
as it may prove very dangerous for it. 1 It is critical for any culturally and multi-religious
country to maintain harmony among varied communities and it is not easy for a single body
to maintain and manage such groups which led to and became one of the factors of the
emergence of political parties.

A political party is an organization that organizes candidates to run in elections in a certain

country. It is usual for members of a political party to possess similar political beliefs, and
parties may advocate certain ideologies or policy goals. These political parties act as bridges
between the people and the government.

Every political party has its ideologies and models based on which people associate with it
and support the same. Despite having different ideologies, methods, and representations
political parties at some point in time unite together for the well-being of people or to protect
their interests when it’s at stake for example the Jallikattu protest of Tamil Nadu where major
political parties joined hands together in banning Jallikattu event as it hurts the sentiments of
the Tamil people who have this tradition practices for decades.

1
(Thakur, 2022)
 III.POLITICAL PARTIES IN TAMILNADU AND THEIR PROMISES

There are over 30+ registered political parties in Tamil Nadu among them the Dravidian
parties have their dominance in the state. Their ideas and approach have covered a massive
crowd almost from all sections of society.

Source: theprint.in (MNM's Kamal Haasan, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin, ADMK chief Eddapadi
Palaniswamy and DMDK chief Vijayakanth Background: Former CMs J Jayalalithaa and M Karunanidhi |
Image by Ramandeep Kaur | The Print)

As mentioned earlier every political party has its agenda which is proposed and fulfilled
when its represented candidate wins the election. An example of an agenda is given below.

Source: Swarajya (https://swarajyamag.com/insta/tamil-nadu-dmk-president-unveils-partys-vision-document-

promises-rs-1000-per-month-to-every-woman-household-head-if-voted-to-power)2

2
(Tamil Nadu: DMK President Unveils Party's Vision Document, Promises Rs 1000 Per Month To
Every Woman Household Head If Voted To Power, 2022)
Similarly, every party has its promises made to the public. There are certain issues that
almost every political party has covered in their agenda the most popular and most spoken
one in Tamil Nadu is cancelling NEET exams, promising on resolving the Cauvery water
dispute, etc.,

According to The Hindu article which was published in the year 2018 The DMK's invention,
the Cauvery Rights Retrieval Rally has produced unusual solidarity among the DMK and the
other political parties involved. Even the CPI(M )'s branch, which has had a tumultuous
history with the DMK, has solidly backed M.K. Stalin's endeavor.

The Congress, the CPI, the CPI(M), the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), the
Manithaneya Makkal Katchi, and a few other tiny groupings are now broadly supportive of
the DMK. Nonetheless, the PMK, DMDK, and TMC are forging their path.

While hasty elections to the Tamil Nadu Assembly are not imminent, the issue concerns
whether these major parties would continue to collaborate on an anti-BJP platform and fight a
poll together.

According to VCK (Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi) general secretary Ravikumar, the parties'
unity on the Cauvery issue is likely to persist, to the BJP's harm. He warns that the DMK
should not interpret anti-BJP emotions as the only support for its activities. According to him,
such an interpretation may have an impact on the movement's cohesion. "I could see a wave
of opposition to the BJP in Tamil Nadu and the AIADMK administration, which is perceived
as the Centre's silent collaborator in all its initiatives," Mr. Ravikumar adds.

Mr. Ravikumar, revealing the undercurrent of divides among the State's parties, says, "I
wonder why Mr. Stalin has offered support to the bandh organized by the PMK on Monday
since the latter's purpose is to truly break the current unity among us." What stopped the
PMK from joining us in our protests if it truly cares about Tamil Nadu's rights?"

Former DMK minister Thangam Thennarasu, on the other hand, insists: "Though the whole
campaign is geared at protecting Tamil Nadu's rights, our leader has not only been able to
bring major political parties together on a single platform but has maintained their unity on a
critical topic." Certain promises are fulfilled whereas certain promises which way promised
way back are not being fulfilled because of political obstruction, failed administration,
corruption, etc.
 IV. JALLIKATTU PROTEST – UNITY AND DIVERSITY

A CASE STUDY

Jallikattu also known as yeru thazhuvudhal and manju viratu in many parts of Tamil Nadu. It
is a traditional event that is conducted during the Thai month i.e. in January. Certain breeds
of cows are popularly known and trained for such events some of them are the Kangayam
breed and the Pulikulam breed. These crowds are released and the participants of this event
try to control these cows by holding their humps based on the duration of controlling the cow
the participants are awarded. It is a rich event where the winners are awarded luxury items
such as gold, cars, bikes, etc to celebrate their victory and these awards are considered a
symbol of heroism.

Source wiki media commons 3

The reason for banning Jallikattu was because there have been incidences of damage and
death related to the sport, both to players and to the animals compelled into it, animal rights
organizations have advocated for a ban on the activity, which has resulted in it being banned
by the court multiple times in recent years. However, in response to public outrage at the
prohibition, a new rule was enacted in 2017 to allow the sport to continue.

Upon banning the Jallikattu event a widespread protest across Tamil Nadu took place to
remove the ban on Jallikattu as it is a part of the Tamil tradition and culture. This hurt the
sentiments of any Tamil people as for some families it is more than tradition and culture in
3
(File: Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu.jpg - Wikimedia Commons, 2022)
simple terms it’s their pride which they had to ultimately give up all of a sudden due to this
ban. People from different parts of Tamil Nadu joined together and started their protest on
Marina Beach, located in the capital city of Tamil Nadu ( Chennai). Jallikattu is an
opportunity for farmers to show off their strength, the strength of their bulls, their love for
their livestock and how well they have cared for them, and a chance to choose the most
powerful bull to breed their cows with. The bull is a part of the family for Tamilians, and it
helps them build their identity as industrious, self-sufficient, and powerful Tamilians.

The advocates of Jallikattu say that the Supreme Court cannot abolish a 2500-year-old
custom based on these unusual concerns. If the sport is prohibited, farmers would be
compelled to forsake the breeding of indigenous cattle (Bos indicus bulls such as the
Pulikulam or Kangayam breeds), which is already threatened owing to the widespread usage
of motor vehicles.

The protests are not limited to Chennai; thousands of people have gathered in prominent
locations throughout the state, including Opposite the District Collectorate and Trains in
Salem, MGR Circle in Trichy, Thamukam Grounds in Madurai, VOC Ground in Coimbatore,
VOC Ground-Tirunelveli, VOC Ground in Erode, Vellore Fort in Vellore, Nagercoil,
Thanjavur, and Puducherry. Tamil youth from neighboring states show support for Tamil
Nadu's Jallikattu protesters. Demonstrations were held in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Ahmedabad,
and Delhi. Tamils from all over the world joined the demonstration, including those from Sri
Lanka, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia,
Canada, China, Russia, Switzerland, Ireland, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, the United
States, France, South Africa, and Finland.
Youngsters and students participate in a protest to lift the ban on Jallikattu and impose a ban on PETA, at
Kamarajar Salai, Marina Beach in Chennai on Source: business-standard 4

All political parties of Tamil Nadu joined their hands together to lift the ban on Jallikattu.
Right from the Prime Minister of India Shri. Narendra Modi tweeted “All efforts are being
made to fulfill the cultural aspirations of Tamil people.” 5 To “I am happy with the protest.
For the past two years, I have been talking about such a movement and it is finally

happening,” says former Union minister and PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss .6 After all
the parties uniting together (including the ruling party) opposed the fact of banning Jallikattu
became the talk of the town

After a 15-day-long protest, the Supreme Court released its verdict stating that the state shall
conduct Jallikattu in a controlled manner abiding by the new rules and regulations laid down.
If any of these rules are being violated or not followed the state shall take necessary actions
to stop the event and take necessary actions for the rules violated.

V. CONCLUSION
To quote Mahatma Gandhi “OUR ABILITY TO REACH UNITY IN DIVERSITY WILL BE
THE BEAUTY AND THE TEST OF OUR CIVILIZATION” 7 is said to be true in the case of
Tamil Nadu where the entire state of Tamil Nadu came together despite having their own
regional and cultural differences. This case is a perfect scenario to test the unity among
political parties of Tamil Nadu coming together to protect the interests of the people and their
well-being. This helped me in understanding how political parties despite having different
visions and views come together to achieve a common goal. In my opinion, political parties
should work together irrespective of differences so that a common goal can easily be
achieved which not just leads to unity in diversity among these political parties but also in
societies as political parties often tend to reflect and are a reflection of the society.

4
(Babu, 2022)
5
(Babu, 2022)
6
(Babu, 2022)
7
(TOP 25 UNITY IN DIVERSITY QUOTES (of 152) | A-Z Quotes, n.d.)
 VI. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Thakur, Y., 2022. Unity in diversity in India- Types of diversity in India – Legal Study Material. [online]
Legal Study Material. Available at: https://legalstudymaterial.com/unity-in-diversity-in-india/

Swarajyamag. 2022. Tamil Nadu: DMK President Unveils Party's Vision Document, Promises Rs 1000
Per Month To Every Woman Household Head If Voted To Power. [online] Available at:
https://swarajyamag.com/insta/tamil-nadu-dmk-president-unveils-partys-vision-document-
promises-rs-1000-per-month-to-every-woman-household-head-if-voted-to-power

Thehindu.com. 2022. Unity in diversity, for now. [online] Available at:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/unity-in-diversity-for-now/
article23475968.ece

Babu, T., 2022. How Tamil Nadu came together in defense of Jallikattu. [online] Business-
standard.com. Available at: https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/how-
tamil-nadu-came-together-in-defence-of-jallikattu-117012200012_1.html

Commons.wikimedia.org. 2022. File: Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu.jpg - Wikimedia Commons. [online]

Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jallikattu_in_Tamil_Nadu.jpg

A-Z Quotes. 2022. TOP 25 UNITY IN DIVERSITY QUOTES (of 152) | A-Z Quotes. [online] Available at:
https://www.azquotes.com/quotes/topics/unity-in-diversity.html