Periyar to PTR, the trajectory of the humble slippers in Dravidian politics

On August 13, some of the cadres of Tamil Nadu BJP in Madurai allegedly threw a slipper on state Finance Minister P Thiyaga Rajan (PTR), which fell on his car. The incident happened when PTR was returning after laying a wreath on the coffin of Lakshmanan, a soldier killed in a terror attack in Jammu. Subsequently, R Saranya, a BJP functionary, was arrested.

Later, an audio of an alleged phone conversation between state BJP chief Annamalai and Madurai rural district secretary Maha Suseendran was leaked. The audio clip allegedly suggested the incident had been planned beforehand. Though Annamalai has accepted that the voice heard on the audio is his, he insisted that some parts of the audio have been manipulated by the DMK.

The incident has sparked off a verbal spat between DMK and BJP leaders. While PTR said that Annamalai sought publicity with the martyr’s body and accused him of “engineered” slipper-throwing on a car with the national flag, Annamalai retorted that PTR was not worthy enough for his chappals (slippers).

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It is no wonder that this slipper-throwing incident has heated up the current political atmosphere in the state. If one goes back in time into the political history of Tamil Nadu, one would find that slippers have played an interesting role, particularly in Dravidian politics.

One slipper, one statue

In 1944, after attending a meeting at Manjakuppam in Cuddalore district, Periyar, rationalist and founder of Dravidar Kazhagam, the parent body of the DMK, was returning to his room in a vehicle at night. Using darkness as an opportunity, some miscreants threw a slipper on Periyar.

Senior journalist P Thirumavelan describes what happened next: “Periyar thought, ‘What can I do with just one slipper?’ and asked the driver to return to the same place where he was targeted. He got down from the vehicle and searched the place in the dark. A few minutes later, he found the second slipper. Periyar said, ‘The man who threw his one slipper on me, cannot use another slipper. It was of no use to him. So, I was sure that he would have thrown his other slipper in the same place. Now this pair of slippers could be useful to someone’. Years later, in 1972, a statue of Periyar was erected. This inspired the poet Karunanandam to write these lines: ‘Seruppondru veesinaal, Silaiyondru mulaikkum‘ (If you throw a slipper, there a statue will arise).”

Reason for breakaway

The hurling of a slipper also became a reason for the rise of a breakaway party from the DMK. Generally it is thought that when actor-cum-politician MGR floated his AIADMK party in 1972, it was the first time DMK split. However, there was a precedent. More than a decade earlier, in 1961, EVK Sampath, the nephew of Periyar and also one of the founding members of the DMK, parted ways from the party and launched his own Tamil Thesiya Katchi along with lyricist Kannadasan and Pazha Nedumaran.

There was a behind-the-scenes tussle between Karunanidhi and Sampath on who would be the next in command to lead the party after CN Annadurai, the general secretary. From 1949 to 1955, Annadurai was the general secretary. VR Nedunchezhiyan became the general secretary between 1955 and 1960. To reduce the tension between Karunanidhi and Sampath, Annadurai again helmed the party from 1960 till his death in 1969.

“In February 1961, a slipper-hurling attempt was made against Kannadasan in Trichy. To condemn that, Sampath went on a fast-unto-death and ended it only after much cajoling by Annadurai. In April, Sampath was attending a DMK history book release function but Annadurai did not participate. This chain of reactions pushed Sampath to break away from the party,” wrote T Jayaraman, a Tamil nationalist ideologue.

Respect for cadre

DMK patriarch and former chief minister M Karunanidhi won his first state assembly election from Kulithalai constituency of Karur district in 1957. A cadre named Govindasamy from Thirumalainathanpatti village asked Karunanidhi to build a dam across Kudaganaru river, so that about 6,000 acres of land could be irrigated. Karunanidhi took up this issue with the then Congress government which was ruling the state. However, nothing came of it. An upset Govindasamy then decided not to wear slippers till the dam was built.

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“In 1973, when Karunanidhi became the chief minister for the first time, he built the dam. Because of that, about 5,339 acres in Karur district and 3,663 acres in Dindigul district benefited. But even after that, Govindasamy did not wear slippers till 1996. That year, during the assembly election campaign, Karunanidhi took a pair of slippers and personally put them on the feet of Govindasamy in a public event,” writes author Puliyur Murugesan.

This incident went viral decades later, in February 2020, after then environment minister Dindigul C Sreenivasan allegedly instructed a tribal boy at Theppakadu Elephant Camp in the Nilgiris district to take off his footwear so that he could visit a nearby temple barefoot.

Then and now

On September 5, 1972, during the birth anniversary celebrations of freedom fighter VO Chidambaram Pillai, his statue was unveiled by then prime minister Indira Gandhi at Thoothukudi Port campus (now VO Chidambaranar Port Trust). Then chief minister Karunanidhi was also part of this programme.

On the route to the port, DMK had put up banners demanding Indira Gandhi to provide state autonomy to Tamil Nadu. This reportedly incensed members of opposition parties. As a result, slippers were hurled towards the stage at VOC college grounds where the DMK had organised a public meeting that night.

In response, DMK functionary MS Sivasamy, who had organised the meeting, removed his slippers and aimed them at the miscreants. Karunanidhi then reprimanded Sivasamy and said that none of his cadres should indulge in such “uncultured activities”.

In the recent PTR-Annamalai episode, the latter has reportedly said that he is not Jesus who would show his other cheek if one slaps him on one cheek.

“We will not take a soft approach to politics here. We will go aggressive and there is no change in my style and the party’s approach. I want my cadre to be aggressive since every political party, including the DMK and its allies, are against our party,” Annamalai said while addressing reporters in Chennai.

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In response, while DMK sympathisers are engaging in war of words with the BJP, most of the DMK party heads, ministers, second-line leaders, legislators and MPs are keeping their composure. It appears that they have taken a cue from their leader’s teaching during the Thoothukudi incident.