Why Social Justice in Tamil Nadu Still Matters Today
- info scout
- Aug 27
- 4 min read
Social justice is not a slogan. It is survival. Tamil Nadu and Kerala remain the only two states in India where caste hierarchy has been systematically challenged — through policies, education, and mass movements. Elsewhere in India, caste still defines who you are, where you live, whom you marry, and what opportunities you get.
Even today, Brahmins and upper castes cannot digest the fact that a Scheduled Caste or Backward Caste youth can sit in an engineering college classroom, get a government job, or rise to political power. That is why they hide behind the fraudulent word “merit.” Merit, in their definition, means centuries of stolen privilege.
Tamil Nadu: A Living Example of Social Justice
Tamil Nadu is not perfect, but it has systematically implemented policies that directly broke caste monopolies:
69% Reservation: While the BJP-ruled Centre pushes the unconstitutional EWS quota for upper castes, Tamil Nadu stands firm with 69% reservation for BC, MBC, SC, and ST communities. This ensures access to education and jobs for the majority.
Midday Meal Scheme : Started by K. Kamaraj and expanded by MGR, it increased school enrollment, reduced child hunger, and broke caste walls by making children eat together. Today, Tamil Nadu has one of the highest Gross Enrollment Ratios in India.
Arignar Anna’s Two-Language Policy: By rejecting Hindi imposition, Tamil Nadu preserved linguistic equality and state autonomy.
Periyar’s Self-Respect Movement: Periyar thundered: “He who shouts about merit is the one who has stolen opportunities for 2,000 years.” His movement questioned not just caste but the entire Hindu social order.
Women in Workforce: Over 40% of Tamil Nadu’s manufacturing workforce is women — the highest in India — thanks to Dravidian policies of education and empowerment.
Scattered Development Model: Unlike Gujarat, where development is concentrated in Ahmedabad or Surat, Tamil Nadu’s MSME ecosystem created industrial hubs across Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Salem, Hosur, Sivakasi, Madurai, and Trichy. Tamil Nadu has over 15 lakh registered MSMEs, the highest in India.
These are not “freebies.” They are weapons of social justice that made Tamil Nadu stand apart.
Reservation & Social Justice in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu maintains a 69% reservation policy, providing equitable access to education and government jobs for historically marginalized communities:
Category | Reservation (%) |
SC | 15 |
Arunthathiyars | 3 |
ST | 1 |
BC | 26.5 |
BCM | 3.5 |
MBC | 20 |
Education & Literacy
State | Literacy Rate | Female Literacy | Secondary School Dropout Rate |
Tamil Nadu | 80.09% | 78% | <10% |
Kerala | 96% | 95% | <5% |
UP | 67% | 57% | 38% |
Bihar | 61% | 51% | 40% |
Gender Equality in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu accounts for 43% of India’s 1.6 million women factory workers, the highest in the country.
Free Bus Travel Scheme: Women and transgender residents receive free public transport. Over the past four years, this facilitated 682.02 crore free rides, saving women ₹888 per month.
Self-Help Groups (SHGs): 3,12,514 SHGs with 35,04,478 members, including 10,47,956 from SC/ST communities, empower women economically.
Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam: Provides ₹1,000 per month to 1.15 crore women householders, boosting female economic independence.
Economic Distribution & MSMEs
Metric | Tamil Nadu |
Number of MSMEs | 3,627,445 |
New Entrepreneurs Mentored | 66,018 |
Loans & Subsidies Provided | ₹5,490 crore & ₹2,133 crore |
Welfare Schemes That Matter
Scheme | Description & Impact |
Midday Meal Scheme | Reduces child hunger, increases enrollment, breaks caste barriers |
Free Bus Travel (Women) | Improves mobility, enables workforce participation |
Self-Help Groups (SHGs) | Economic empowerment for women, SC/ST inclusion |
Marriage Assistance Schemes | Financial aid for daughters of poor parents and inter-caste marriages |
Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thittam | ₹1,000/month to 1.15 crore women |
The Brahminical Lie of “Merit”
Even now, Brahmins dominate elite institutions disproportionately:
Sector | Brahmin Representation | Population % |
Judiciary (SC Judges) | 50% | <5% |
IIT Faculty | 30–35% | <5% |
Media Boards | 40–50% | <5% |
Why Social Justice Still Matters
Caste is not gone. It has simply modernized. Ask any college student or IT worker in Chennai or Coimbatore — you’ll hear the same Brahmin logic: “Reservation is against merit.” This poison has entered the minds of even backward-caste youth. Social justice is not about charity; it is about leveling the ground stolen for centuries.
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar said it best:
“Caste is not merely a division of labour. It is a division of labourers.”
Periyar went further:
“Destroy caste. Destroy religion. Only then will equality come.”
Until caste identity is erased from marriage halls, temples, and corporate hiring rooms, social justice is not complete.
The Threat Today: BJP and Its Stooges
The BJP’s Hindutva project is nothing but Brahminism in a saffron robe. It pushes:
EWS Quota – a backdoor for upper castes.
One Nation, One Language, One Culture – an attack on federalism and Tamil identity.
Corporate Loot – privatization kills reservation by shrinking government jobs.
AIADMK under EPS has already bent its knee to the BJP. Congress plays a double game — speaking about secularism but never questioning Brahminism head-on.
New players like Seeman’s NTK shout slogans of Tamil nationalism but have not yet proven real social justice commitment. Without confronting caste head-on, Tamil nationalism becomes hollow.
Why Tamil Nadu and Kerala Still Stand Apart
Kerala’s Land Reforms (EMS Namboodiripad) redistributed land and reduced caste landlordism.
Tamil Nadu’s Reservation & Education Revolution democratized upward mobility.Together, these states are why you see more inter-caste marriages, women in workforce, and scattered economic growth here compared to Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, or Bihar, where Brahmin-Bania domination is still intact.
The Road Ahead
Social justice cannot stop at reservation. We need:
Caste Census – to expose real inequalities.
Private Sector Reservation – where most jobs exist today.
Strengthened State Autonomy – to protect Tamil Nadu’s unique model.
Education Against Caste – a new cultural movement like Periyar’s, to de-Hinduize the youth.
This is not about kindness. It is about rights, dignity, and power.
The Dravidian movement was never about charity. It was about dismantling Brahminical hegemony. In 2025, the fight is not over. If anything, it has intensified.
Periyar said:
“If you feed a poor man, you save him for a day. If you destroy caste, you save him for a lifetime.”
That is the task ahead. And Tamil Nadu remains the battlefield where social justice still breathes.
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