The Identity Politics of “Beef Eating” – The emergence of a New Ideology of AIADMK?

The Issue:

‘Nakkheeran’, a bi-monthly Tamil Magazine one of the leading seller of “Investigative Journalism”, has published a report in its magazine dated 7^th January 2011 that Jayalalitha, the Leader of the ruling AIADMK Party and the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu is a “beef eater”. This news report has sparked immediate state-wide protests with her Party Cadres who demanded not only withdrawal of the magazine from the market and also arrest of the editorial team of the Tamil Magazine. One of the senior leaders of the Party have today come out in press and started that “Jayalalitha is a Vegetraian. She is not a beef eater; the magazine Editorial team shall be encountered in a legal manner. (http://www.deccanherald.com/content/217515/magazine-remark-jaya-draws-flak.html).

Key Questions that Emerge around the Protests

This incident might draw the attention of any one on any one of the following:-

1.      Why has Nakkheeran published such an Article, targeting the personal life style of Jayalalitha? What is the need for that? And also a larger question arises as to what extent media can enter into the privacy of a popular personality.

2.      How to understand the “Protests” of Party Cadres for their volcanic eruption that “Amma”, does not eat Beef and the statement issued by Mr.C.Ponnaiyan, a senior Leader of AIADMK that “Amma is Vegetrian; not only Amma is Vegetarian , even MGR is Vegetraian. Both MGR and Jayalalitha have not eaten Beef. This is a malicious campaign against Amma and another important question

3.      Why is beef eating is viewed as such a denigrating allegation and is this charge warrants really that much emotional response among party Cadres – whether it is really agitation on their free will or to please Amma?

What is the Scope and Extent of Media?

Before examining the above questions in a sequential manner, let me first view the whole issue of protests as a counter action of an irresponsible act on the part of the Tamil Magazine. Whatever Justification they have, this news item of Jayalalitha’s food style is completely unwarranted and uncalled for. Whatever protests that had followed suit including vandalising the Office of the Magazine and from burning the magazine publicly by the Party cadres, this is a case of “Void Ab- initio”. Nakkheeran Magazine has certainly bitten more than they could chew. It is at this point, I wish to recall the ‘issues raised by Justice Markandey Katju on Media Behaviour especially the News Media. It is unfortunate that though the press fulfils popular choice and reaches out to the bedrooms and the personal lives of celebrities, the question also leaves very little doubt about the mindset of the people and the money spinning attitude of the Media. Unless making invasion of Privacy as a Legal Offence as it exists in Western Countries, there could not be a solution for such things. In fact, the sensation that this unethical invasion of privacy creates completely eclipses the hidden act of criminality – which was also apparent with One Swamy Nithyanandha in a compromising position with his own devotee, roughly a year ago. To understand the premise of media’s intrusion, let me illustrate the case of Swami Nithyananda before going deeper into this “Beef Eating Row”.

Moral Adjudication – Is it the Cup of Tea of Media?

In the case of Swamy Nithyananda and his devotee in a compromising position, which was deliberately aired again and again by television channels, setting aside all the theories of conspiracy that centre the God Man, the real point of contemplation is “Who should be bothered of Swamiji’s Sex Scandal?” whether it is the General Public, or Media or his own devotees or people of Hindu Religion?

How “Nakkheeran”, the Tamil Magazine’s Act becomes an Offence

Undoubtedly, the Swamiji has a contractual obligation to his devotees who washed his feet and remitted money for his spiritual services resting in a “belief”, that he is a “Bramachari” and a icon of “Discipline” in a popular belief that Swamji’s are Super Humans. Hence, the episode has no reason or logic for people or media to pass judgements. When even that is considered as a heinous crime (despite the act committed by Nithyananda, considering the video is not morphed) committed by the media, certainly what has been published by Tamil Magazine Nakkheeran is prima facie far devastating and indeed a moral and a legal offence against Ms. Jayalalitha, who unlike the Swamiji, has no moral or legal binding to the people, press, party or any one on her personal life style. To investigate what she eats is not the cup of tea of any one and neither is it an important issue for the people of Tamil Nadu. Undoubtedly, the Tamil Magazine has blundered.

The Politics of Beef Eating

            The very bases of the protest that the depiction of the lifestyle with a food habit ( Eating Beef) raises certain key aspects of the ideological base of the protests and certainly depicts the shift of the founding principles of the AIADMK Party as a Political Party associated with Dravidian Movements founded on the principles of “ Non- Brahmin Movement”. Whether the party cadres were protesting on their own or orchestrated by Jayalalitha, they drive home the fact that

(1) AIADMK is not a Dravidian Political Party and also

(2) Acknowledge the defeat and the outright rejection of the founding Principles of AIADMK and its very subscription to the Dravidian Movement, because “Beef Eating is a sin and a despicable Act” of Hindus with Brahmanical ideology. Veneration of Cow as a scared Animal is a part and parcel of Hindu Ideology, which was the sole target of the founding leaders of Justice Movement the mother of DMK and AIADMK Political Parties of Tamil Nadu. When, by practice or by traditions when a sizable portion of people who are also Hindus by religion are eating Beef ( inclusive of all castes), the protest of AIADMK party cadres depict perhaps the "correction of belief" of Hinduism, advocated by the neo-ideology of Jayalalitha.What is the missing link is that Jayalalitha also do not eat par boiled rice but only raw rice and she also does not eat garlic, onion, spices and other banned substances under Orthodox Hindu beliefs that are declared to be "Rajo" or "Thamaso". This is one of the dangerous experiment of Jayalalitha, if only she is the moral force of the agitations.

The Reconstruction of Political ideology and the Rejection of Dravidian Affiliation of AIADMK

            Thus Jayalalitha, through her silence since the start of this agitation has sent a clear signal that the ideological basis of the AIADMK has been declared Null and Void and also signals “ I am the Party” once more, with even more assertion.

            Hence the second question I have raised about party men swearing oath that Amma is Vegetarian not only confirm the neo-ideology of AIADMK, the very scope of extending its scope to even the deceased MGR, the founder of AIADKMK party and anointing MGR as a Vegetarian re-confirms this neo ideology. Soon many Ministers and MLA’s of AIADMK may renounce Non-Vegetarianism and also start protecting Cows and show-case the same to reaffirm their Loyalty to Amma.

Possible Counter Productive Effects – A Hint to Jayalaitha to Underplay

1. Ms.Jayalaitha, should be aware that beef is the source of protein to a majority of the population including the Dalits, who eat beef since generations and Beef has been in the Food Culture of the Christians and the Muslims and people across the world. The very declaration that “CM is a not a beef eater”, would only create a back lash that she wants to distance herself from the beef eating population, who also form a sizable vote bank of Jayalalitha. They might vote for Beef and not Jayalaitha.
2. Reinforcing her conscious of Brahmanical Identity and reasserting her Hindu Identity at the cost of ill-will of beef eating population is certainly going to prove a diasaster for her political manoeuvres, because people have never forgiven anyone who takes their cultural practice for a ride. By banning animal sacrifice she has already burnt her finger in her previous regime and any further shouting slogans “I am not a Beef Eater”, would spell a doom once again. Infact, the whole episode of encountering the irresponsible act of Nakkheeran Bi Weekly, should have been far saner than this way.

More Sane Way of Encountering

            Instead of coming out and defending Jayalalitha, their leader, her pary cadres and the senior leaders as “ Our Leader is Vegetarian”, “She is not a Beef Eater”, it would have been far sensible if they asserted/roared that “ This is invasion of Privacy and No one whosoever has the right to interfere with Amma’s personal Life”. Instead by making their protest to defend Jayalaitha, they have unwittingly have advocated a “Political Ideology” that is theo-centric and self contradicting to the founding principles of their own Political Party. After this episode, one may ask, what is the difference between AIADMK and BJP? Because ideologically there are more similarities than differences.

            As a student of Political Science, I can say this is a serious blunder if today’s act of Jayalalitha is measured by the yardstick of Machiavelli in his treatise “The Prince”. This might jeopardise her political career if she does not employ proper a proper exit strategy  from this “politics of beef eating”.

Certain Unanswered Questions:

1.      Why the Party Cadres have not reacted this way when their Leader was accused of Corruption and Bribery? Is getting accused of eating Beef is more disgusting than being accused of being unethical and corrupt in Public Life?

2.      How would the beef eating population among the party cadres would react to this protests?

3.      When people have voted Jayalalitha have not bothered whether she eats Beef or not, and Jayalalitha is no way obliged to prove her innocence of not eating beef, what is the necessity for this protests? If not this as her assertion of rejecting the identity of AIADMK, then what else it is ?

            In the couple of days to come, Mr.M.Karunandhi might deliberately kindle emotional politics and would slaughter cows verbally and try to nullify the vegetarian theories of AIADMK Party Cadres and try to capitalise the issue while  Mr.Vijayakanth, the leader of opposition and the founder of MDMK  may revisit the allegations levelled against him as a “Drunkard”, during and before last election campaign

In any case, this incident of protests not only depicts an irresponsible act of Press Media, but also explicitly pictures the inbuilt ideological crisis of a Political party( The AIADMK) that has been called as the legitimate descendant/heir of C.N.Annadurai the founder of DMK. 

            People not only get the Government they deserve but also Politicians!

(Picture Courtesy:www.nakkheeran.com)