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The Studies that are conducted by  S.Viswanatha (Author of the book Dalits in Dravidian Land) and Hugo Gorringe (Author of  Untouchable Citizens Dalit Movements and Democratisation in Tamil Nadu) is significant and noteworthy as far as Dalit politics in Tamil Nadu is concern.  These studies brought out the Dalit situation in one of more modernized and progressive states in the country, Tamil Nadu.  S.Viswanatha has chronicled the dimensions of the Dalit situation in the state and found that  Dalits still are facing deprivations and discriminations in social and political arena.

The discriminations are not only in social life but also in political sphere.  Often their right to vote is taken through violent means.  For instance, during the 13th and 14th Lok Sabha elections in Cuddalore district, a strong vanniar strong hold, witnessed violence in which many places the Dalits were prevented from exercising their franchise or already their votes were polled by other caste Hindus.  It is significant to note that the Election Commission has identified Cuddalore and Chidambaram Parliamentary constituencies has ‘highly sensitive’ constituencies and sent addition police force to conduct elections in 1999, 2004 and 2009 Parliament elections.

Reservation of posts in the three-tier Panchayat structure for women and the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes is one of the major features of the Panchayati raj institutions that were put in place in 1996 under the Tamil Nadu Panchayat Act, 1994.  Sections of caste Hindus, particularly in southern districts, known for frequent incidents of caste-related violence, have resented reservations for Dalits from the very beginning.  In the four villages, where Dalits are in a minority and depend on caste Hindu landholders for their livelihood, various methods have adopted to stall the elections.  First they prevented Dalits from filing nominations.  Later, fearing the wrath of the administration, “community leaders” fielded Dalits of their choice as candidates, helped win, and then made them resign soon after assuming charge.  This has been the case in Pappapatti.  The caste Hindu standpoint was that a Dalit could not be accepted as the panchayat president.  “If they become presidents, we may have to show respect to them in village festivals and public functions.  This we cannot do” is the common refrain.  No nominations were received in Pappatti, Keeripatti, Nattarmangalam and Kottakatchiyendal Panchayats from the President’s post in the 1996 elections.  In the past, both districts have witnessed caste-related violence involving Dalits and Mukkulathor, the predominant caste Hindu community.  The caste Hindu majority of the villages were intolerant of a Dalit heading their Panchayat and they warned Dalits heading their panchayat and they warned Dalits of serious consequences if they dared enter the fray.  Apart from this, the murder of the Dalit president of the Melavalavu village panchayat in Madurai district within months of his election in 1996 also deterred Dalits in the four villages from taking part in the democratic process.

In 2001, caste Hindus in the four villages repeated the same strategy of forcing Dalits out of the fray.  In the subsequent elections held along with “casual elections”, Pappapatti and Keeripatti opted to participate in the process, but only to make a mockery of it by forcing the winners not only to resign but also to plead with the state government to de-reserve their panchayat.   But after the DMK came to power in 2006 the government has made some efforts to conduct elections to these panchayats and elections were held and dalits candidates won the elections and they are continuing as presidents of these panchayats.

Situation in Reserved Panchayats

The recent study, by a Madurai based Human Right organization, revealed that “untouchability” prevailed in one form or the other in 70 per cent of the 83 reserved village panchayats in the district.  Answering a printed questionnaire, the panchat presidents acknowledged that atleast 25 forms of ‘untouchability’ exist in their village.  Even the caste did not allow the dalit panchayat presidents to head the village panchayat.  In the official meeting the vice-opresidents mostly the caste Hindus, occupy chairs and dalit president sit on the floor as “mute spectators”.  Even some of the dalit Panchayat presidents were not given the chance to host the National Flag during the Independence day functions.

The same situation prevails in the neighbouring Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram and Virudhunagar districts.  Presidents of atleast 17 reserved panchayats have complained of untouchability and caste based discrimination in their villages.  In a printed format, they have acknowledged discrimination at teashops, restriction in access to public places and residential coloni9es of caste Hindus.  After the news published in the newspaper there was no reaction, either condemning or organizing agitations, from the two prominent dalit political parties.  It was left parties who successfully organized agitations against this discrimination and, it seems, most of the Dalits outfits had not taken this issue very seriously.  Apart from responding to incident of caste violence against Dalits, wherever they take place, Dalit parties ought to have addressed this kind of political discriminations in elected bodies, especially in Panchayat Raj