When a young Thol Thirumavalavan thundered ‘Adanga maru, Athu meeru, Thimiri Ezhu, Thiruppi Adi’ (‘Refuse to be subdued, Transgress, Rise vehemently, Retaliate’) standing on the south car street in Chidambaram in 1996, it was considered a pivotal moment in the political awakening of many Dalit youngsters, who had been conditioned to endure oppression. In the 25 years since its foray into electoral politics, Thirumavalavan’s party – the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) – has become a strategic and astute force and the biggest Dalit party in Tamil Nadu but has still failed to contest elections alone or wrest more number of seats to contest from in alliances. Despite the party expanding its political base to the five southern states and being considered an ideological nemesis to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), its current prospects and future trajectory hinges squarely on the persona of one person – Thol Thirumavalavan.
VCK emerged from the Dalit Panthers of India (DPI) movement in Maharashtra, which drew inspiration from the revolutionary Black Panther Party in the United States. VCK also focuses on community organisation, grassroots activism, and challenging systemic injustices, similar to the Black Panthers. It amalgamates the ideologies of Ambedkar on social justice and empowerment for Dalits; Periyar on rationalism, social reform, and anti-caste movement; and Marx on capitalism and advocacy for proletarian liberation. The party believes that only by addressing the multifaceted dimensions of oppression and inequality can one attain liberation.