Tamil Nadu is gearing up to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi. Ganesh idols have been installed in various parts of the state. Right wing groups have spruced up their plans for a grand celebration. As celebrations were muted in the past two years due to the pandemic, this year, the celebrations are expected to be grand.
Even before the celebrations began, the Kanchipuram Police, which came out with a circular to close biryani and meat shops during Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations from September 2 to 4, near the Sankara Mutt, withdrew it as it created unrest among different sections of the society and drew flak on social media. The Kanchi P1 police inspector J. Vinayagam told the media that the circular was put up without his knowledge.
Meanwhile, at least a dozen of the crucial police posts in Chennai city and its suburbs and few other districts are lying vacant. The Vellore range DIG post, which fell vacant due to the transfer of Z. Annie Vijaya, is yet to be filled. Kanchipuram DIG M. Sathiya Priya has been given additional in-charge for Vellore since mid-August. Districts like Vellore are communally volatile, particularly during Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations. Sources in the Tamil Nadu Police feel that the home department has taken a Nelson’s eye towards the vacancies at a time when the situation is expected be highly unpredictable.
Dravidar Kazhagam chief K. Veeramani, while taking exception to the allotment of all cases to a single judge G.R. Swaminathan, said, “Lord Vinayaka who was worshiped with devotion is now being used as a political weapon by the RSS to spread bigotry, create law and order problems in Tamil Nadu.” After Veeramanai’s statement, the Madurai bench of Madras High court withdrew the order allotting all Vinayaka Chaturthi celebration cases to Justice G.R. Swaminathan and allotted it to Justice V. Sivagnanam. “It is hereby notified that criminal original petitions and writ petitions filed in respect of matters relating to ‘Vinayagar Chaturthi processions and installation of idols’, will be listed before the honourable Mr Justice V. Sivagnanam, with effect from 29/08/2022,” read a notification from N. Venkatavaradan, registrar (judicial) at the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court.
The transfer of petitions to Justice Sivagnanam assumes significance not just in the backdrop of Veeramani’s statement, but also the idea of politicisation of the Vinayaka Chaturthi celebrations and processions. In Tamil Nadu, which had largely been a religiously peaceful state for the past four decades, guidelines and rules have been formulated during the early 1990s and later in 2016, for placing Ganesh idols and later for the immersions. The processions for immersing Ganesh idols in the ocean in Chennai, which had three different routes till 1995, was changed to one route in 1996. The reason being the clashes and the violence that erupted in 1995 in Triplicane. The Madras High Court, in 2016, had also laid down the rules for installation and immersion of Ganesh idols. Following this, successive governments, since 1996, have stuck to the guidelines and the rules for installing the idols and for processions, given the politicisation of the festival and celebrations.
The politicisation of the festival began way back in 1990. It may be recalled that the primary goal for the right wing in most of the states, since the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition, has been using such rituals is to persuade all Hindus to become conscious of belonging to a single, majority community. Tamil Nadu is no exception. Since 1990, the increasing popularity of the Vinayaka Chaturthi festival in Tamil Nadu under the auspices of the Hindu Munnani or the right wing movements, had gained importance. There have been incidents of violence and the government taking control of the situation. The various arms of the Sangh Parivar had never stopped its attempts to appropriate the Hindu rituals and try to create 'Hindu unity’. Tamil Nadu had earlier witnessed violence and attacks on mosques during Vinayaka Chaturthi processions. On September 2, 1990 when a Ganesh idols procession was passing through Ice House in Triplicane, a religiously sensitive area in Chennai, chappals were thrown on a mosque and violence broke out. Two Muslims were killed in the violence.
In 1991, there was yet another violent incident during the procession. Later, in 1995 a major violence erupted during the Ganesh idol procession.
This time too, the BJP seems to have plans to whip up passions. On Monday, BJP’s Amar Prasad Reddy, who is known to be close to its state BJP leadership, tweeted saying “1008 Ganesh idols will be distributed door to door in Kolathur constituency.” Reddy’s tweet, political observers say, is a message to intimidate the government. Tamil Nadu, under MGR, J. Jayalalithaa or M. Karunanidhi, had never seen any such attempts of intimidation. Both the Dravidian parties have always maintained a culture of not intervening or causing disturbance in the chief minister’s constituencies, despite whoever was in power.
This time, while the BJP has took to intimidate the government, the DMK has chosen to remain silent. The DMK government under M.K. Stalin, could. However, take a leaf out of his father’s book to handle such situations.
