The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the root cause of the Delhi riots, is having a major impact in Tamil Nadu. A shocking development of the Act is not the resentment against the Government of India but the communal polarisation that has set in the State, known for communal harmony and revolutionary social justice.
The rallies and demonstrations staged against the CAA by members of the Muslim community are being sponsored by extremist Islamic organisations like the Socialist Democratic Party of India (SDPI), Popular Front of India (PFI) and Tamil Nadu Thowheed Jamaat (TNTJ). “There are 23 Islamic organizations in Tamil Nadu which finance and lead the rallies staged in regular intervals. What is causing concern is the kind of slogans raised during these gatherings. We can understand the kind of sloganeering against the CAA and the Government of India. But most of the slogans are provocative and inflammatory. They are all against one particular community,” said an intelligence official.
Kolakala Srenivasan, author and columnist, said a line of divide is clearly visible in the relations between Hindus and Muslims in Tamil Nadu. “This is the first time we are seeing a demarcation between the two communities. The anger against the CAA has led to communal polarization,” said Srenivasan.
Coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode, Tirunelveli, Ramanathapuram, districts with considerable Muslim population substantiate fear expressed by Srenivasan. The social gatherings which used to feature both communities have become a thing of the past. The ‘we’ and ‘they’ divide is clearly visible. T Palanivelu, a businessman based in Chennai who has commercial interests in these districts says that members of the Muslim community are showing apprehension in dealing with Hindus. “I blame the political parties for the same. This is not the way to fight any kind of draconian laws,” said Palanivelu.
Krishna Pillai a farmer from Tirunelveli says the division is complete in his district as well as in Kanyakumari. “We have decided to boycott shops owned by Muslim community. The Islamic hardliners are encouraging their community members not to have any kind of dealings with Hindus. What else do you expect from us?” asked Pillai.
Even as Hindus have launched an un-declared social and business boycott of the Muslim community, the Sangh Parivar organizations are in the process of setting up small kirana shops in areas where the Hindus do not have any provision stores or super markets. “In course of time, we will have our own super market chains too,” said Arjun Sampath, president, Hindu People Party.
Sampath said this is a reaction to the “blockade” enforced by the Muslim community on the Hindus.
Though the Centre claims that Delhi riots have subsided and the region is limping back to normalcy, situation in Tamil Nadu is in the reverse process. “Till now the agitations remained peaceful. But what next is a major question,” said Malan, political commentator.
Indications are that the agitations against CAA would continue in Tamil Nadu in days to come. Thamimun Ansari, Manithaneya Jananayaga Katchi, an extremist Islamic organization in the forefront of the agitation declared at Coimbatore that the agitation would continue till the Centre repeals the CAA.
“If the Centre and the Tamil Nadu Government continue to ignore us, we will launch a jail bharo agitation across the State,” said Gulam Dasthakir leader, Tamil Nadu Thowheed Jamath.