DMK, PMK and others took exception to Tamil Nadu Governor for saying Karl Marx’s theory is the root cause of division in the society. Educated people keep quoting western thinkers and philosophers as if there is nobody from this country.
Instead of this, DMK’s mouthpiece, which used to write editorials with the choicest expletives on Governor Ravi, this time DMK Higher Education Minister K Ponmudi, who, if we go by his past statements, perceives Governor as his personal enemy, made the frontal first attack. He started teaching a lesson to him besides making a scathing attack. PMK founder Dr Ramadoss and others too joined the bandwagon in condemning the Governor. What made them get so angry?
TN Governor RN Ravi said, “Our educated people keep quoting western thinkers and philosophers as if there is no body from this country. They quote Abraham Lincoln for promoting democracy” of the people, by the people, for the people”. But forget that the same person didn’t allow women to vote, and he did not consider blacks as human. They praise Lincoln for abolishing slavery, who said, “I would be the last person to abolish slavery”. It is recorded history. This is nothing but the colonisation of our minds”.
Governor Ravi said, “After independence, we were supposed to rebuild our country in a way the soul of our country demanded, but we lost track. We kept parroting the same colonial attitude, and our policies were heavily skewed towards western ideas and ideologies. “Theology, Darwinian theory, Karl Marx theory, and Rousseau’s social contract theory-that caused damage to our national growth”.
Elaborating further, Ravi said the ‘Bharatiya Darshan” believed in the survival of collectives with compassion, Karl Marx’s theory, and perpetual conflicts between haves and have-nots raised. As per the theory, ‘have nots’ has to prevail, and this idea spreads like a virus. This model created divisions between and within different segments. It triggered perpetual conflict in society”.
RN Ravi said, ” Colonised minds controlled India’s intellectual space” and that Karl Marx, Rousseau, and Abraham Lincoln were “worshipped” at the expense of Indian scholars such as Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya.
“For a long time, Upadhyaya’s ideas were suppressed because he was associated with the Jan Sangh, an organisation that was untouchable to the ruling class of India. His integral humanism may appear philosophical, but if you explain it to an ordinary person, they can understand it,” Ravi said.
The DMK and its allies, who were waiting for an opportunity to pounce on the Governor and drag him to verbal dual if he made truth or debunked their false narratives and exposed the chink in their armour, found the mention of Karl Max made them jump to air and down as if he had done a haven falling act.
In his rebuttal, Ponmudi said, “Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi made inappropriate remarks about Karl Marx, the father of socialism. Periyar was the first to publish the Communist Party Manifesto in Tamil, which was written by economist Karl Marx and his friend Friedrich Engels. Periyar and Anna were the ones who worked for the ultimate goal of the Dravidian movement, classless equality, as advocated by socialism.”
In a statement issued by Minister Ponmudi in this regard, Ponmudi said, “The people of Tamil Nadu are watching that RN Ravi, who has been appointed as the Governor of Tamil Nadu, continues to act like a political party figure instead of acting as a general for the state.
“The Governor, who has accepted the position and responsibility according to the constitution, is acting like a policy secretary of a party, talking about Sanatana Dharma, contrary to the principle of secularism emphasised by the Constitution of India. It is his practice to speak religiously at functions held in educational institutions. As if Vedalam has climbed the Moringa tree again, Governor Ravi, speaking at a university function, has made unnecessary comments about the Universal Mother – Karl Marx, the father of the ideology of Communalism,” he said.
The Minister said, “Father Periyar and Philosopher Anna carried out the ideal of class-less equality as the ultimate goal of the Dravidian movement. As a means for that, Muthamizharinagar artists chose the path of social justice laid by them. Karl Marx the one who gave the concept of common property with a broad human view that people should be given rights and opportunities without any discrimination on the basis of birth, caste, color, gender or money.
Karl Marx’s principles are bitter medicine for those who want to defend Varuna beda ( caste discrimination) with Patham basali (Obsolete) ideas. The Governor talking as if he could not swallow it and vomited it is not beautiful and not proper for the position he holds!”
Like many in the DMK, he too without fully reading the comments of EV Ramaswamy naicker (Periyar) Ponmudi quoted him in his attack on Governor, assuming he was doing a great service to him. Thanks to BJP state president K Annamalai, who was the first to defend and quick to point out the follies in Pomudi and Periyar’s speeches and writings, which were critical of Communism and communists.
There is a long list to cite how Periyar hated anything like Communists and their theories. The founder of the Dravidar Kazhagam, who left behind several thousands of crores of wealth, not only made vulgar comments in Tamil language, Thirukkural, Brahmins, Dalits, Tamilians, and even DMK leaders who would exchange their wives for favours and power. DMK emerged from the DK following Periyar’s marriage to a woman half his age.
Be that as it may, we try to list some of the comments and writings Periyar made on Communists.
These are gleaned from the book “collected works of Periyar EVR” by Dravidar Kazhagam’s present president K Veeramani.
Periyar said Communism is a useless ideology, saying, “Talking Communism without eradicating caste is like discussing higher education without the rudiments of learning. Communism is a sham and that their only agenda is to criticise the rich while ignoring Brahminism and Varnashrama Dharma, which people like Rajaji and political parties like the Congress” promotes.
He claimed that Brahmins dominate trade union leadership positions, saying, “The Congress party leader is a Brahmin. The leader of the socialists is a Brahmin. The leader of the communists is a Brahmin. The leader of the Hindu Maha Sabha is a Brahmin. The leader of RSS is a Brahmin. The leader of the Trade Union is a Brahmin. The President of India is a Brahmin. They are all one in the heart of hearts”.
Periyar described Communists as exploiters, similar to foreigners, saying,” The communists have their office at a place like Mumbai or Delhi; they are only interested in exploiting us like the other foreign controlled parties. Janaskthi’s [CPI journal] editors are Brahmins and wherever Brahmin goes he is likely to support caste differences”.
EV Ramaswamy Naicker said that the introduction of Communism into India would result in the exploitation of people who did not own land. He commented, “There can be no scope for Communism in a country without common ownership and rights. If attempts are made to bring in Communism in a country, which does not have common ownership and rights, it will only give room for those who already enjoy more rights to reap the benefits of Communism”.
Another comment is, “One day or other, the cooperative spirit will reign supreme making the society march on towards progress. It is not necessary that Communism should be fostered for that. Without talking a word about Communism, you can make the society progressive with the help of mere co-operation.”
While addressing a gathering at Trichy on February 21, 1943, Periyar said, “All the talks on Communism in our country are bogus. Our youths must keep away from such talks. What is the work they do? Their eyes are always on the leaders of the Justice Party (In 1944, Periyar transformed the Justice Party into the social organisation Dravidar Kazhagam and withdrew it from electoral politics). Their work is to criticise Muslims and rich people.
They are not worried about the evil casteism or reactionary propaganda of Gandhi. They are not worried about Rajaji, who wants only the Brahmins to live happily. They are not worried about the Congress party that upholds the Varnasrama Dharma. They are not worried about khadhi being symbolic of a barbarous age. The communists are dominated by the evil forces cited above. So I appeal to the youth to be aware of these communists. Communism here, as it is, is a sugar-coated poisonous pill. Beware!”.
When DMK’s founder Annadurai was the CM, Dalits who protested against the Government were massacred on December 25, 1968; instead of criticising the perpetrators of the crime, EV Ramasamy Naicker criticised Communists who were with the Dalits during the protests.
A few days after the killing of dalits, Periyar spoke at a public meeting on January 12, 1968. He said, “The Communists were responsible for the Nagai Taluk massacre (referring to Keezh venmani near Nagapattinam). They were responsible for the deaths of 42 people who were burnt alive.”
He blamed the Communists and asked Dalits to live within their means rather than protest for wage raises. He said, “Without telling you how the workers should live with what they have, the Communist comrades are trying to create riots and revolutions in Tamil Nadu and overthrow this regime. The textiles cost increased because the dalit men and women started using dresses’.
These are only the tip of the iceberg of how EV Ramaswamy Naicker rated the left parties. Whatever may, both Karl Marx and Periyar have a striking common appearance viz’ their unkempt white long beard’.
Not only Periyar but others also wrote and spoke about the left ideologies. Writer Aravindan Neelakandan in one of his books, writes “Karl Marx as saying, “The destruction of Indian industries was revolutionary. Destruction of the age-old industries of Indians is a necessity to destroy the self-reliance of Indian villages. This tendency of Karl Marx was referred to as a “white European cultural tilt” by sociologist Joyce A Lautner.”
What they preach and practice are diametrically opposed to the Dravidian stockists, comrades. They would cry for freedom of expression when they were out of power, and when they were in power, they would crush the voices of opposition and criticism. They are most intolerant if someone makes comments about their style of functioning.
In Tamil Nadu Government was very fast in taking action against you tubers and leaders of opposition viz BJP, Hindu Munnani, VHP, but the same Government are yet to take action against speakers of hate mongers on Hindus, their culture and their gods. Those who made nasty and, vulgar and threatening comments against TN governor, PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah are roaming free.
“So Minister and others should read the Periyar’s works, understand its contents fully, then speak instead of having a knee-jerk reaction. Governor is a learned person and if he speaks he would do it only with some research,” said Balaji, a swayamsevak.
Leave a Comment