A recent social media post from filmmaker Pa Ranjith has left many of his followers confused, critical, and even disappointed.
Known for his body of work and public life rooted in Ambedkarite politics and anti-caste assertion, Ranjith extended his support through the Neelam Cultural Centre to T Porkodi Armstrong, who is contesting from the Thiru Vi Ka Nagar constituency under the AIADMK’s two-leaves symbol as part of the NDA alliance.
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In his post, Ranjith wrote of the late BSP leader K Armstrong’s legacy, describing him as someone who “dedicated his life until its final moments to enabling ordinary people to gain political power and to the advancement of grassroots communities.” He framed Porkodi’s candidacy as a continuation of that mission, a fight for justice for Armstrong’s murder and a vehicle for the Tamil Nadu Bahujan Samaj Party’s socio-political goals. He closed with “Jai Bhim.”
The backlash was swift. For many, the endorsement was difficult to reconcile as support for the NDA alliance is perceived as everything the ace filmmaker stands for.
The criticism is not without basis. Ranjith has been among the most vocal cultural figures against the BJP and the politics of Hindu nationalism. He publicly backed Udhayanidhi Stalin during the Sanatana Dharma controversy and defended the DMK leader against BJP criticism.
In his films, the opposition to Hindutva has not been subtle. Kaalain particular, was an unambiguous allegory about Dalit resistance against saffron majoritarian politics. That Ranjith is now lending his name to a candidate running within a BJP-led coalition has struck many as a significant inconsistency.
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The matter became more complex when, shortly after the Porkodi post, Ranjith also took to social media to extend his support to Thol Thirumavalavan of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi, who is contesting the Kattumannarkoil constituency. VCK is part of the DMK-led INDIA alliance, the principal opposition to the NDA.
In that post, Ranjith described Thirumavalavan’s decision to contest as “significant and appropriate,” citing the need for his voice in the Assembly on issues of caste abolition, law and order, and human rights.
The same man, in the same week, backed candidates from two opposing alliances, that is the image Ranjith has left his followers to interpret.
Journalist and political analyst Koteeswaran offers one frame for understanding this. “One has to look at it from a personal perspective. Pa Ranjith has a personal equation with Armstrong, and he sees this as something he owes to the family. It is true that Ranjith is a political person and he has been against certain politics, but for him, supporting Porkodi is beyond that,” he said.
Koteeswaran also situated the endorsement within the context of the Armstrong murder case, which has seen little investigative progress. “This is Pa Ranjith’s way of fighting for justice, the investigation hasn’t reached anywhere. It is his political resolve to push for a solution to a case that has gone cold. There is no Modi or NDA in this picture for him. This is Pa Ranjith backing his identity and something he stands for. In electoral politics, people can have biases and support for an individual candidate, notwithstanding their political leaning. And on top of that, Pa Ranjith has every right to back anyone he sees fit, that is his democratic right.”
Political analyst and author Sugunaa Diwakar offers a sharper analytical lens. He argues that both tweets, contradictory as they appear, emerge from the same underlying logic–Dalit identity politics and that the tension Ranjith finds himself in is not an accident but an inherent limitation of that framework.
“He has tweeted both under the Dalit identity politics. While both support two opposing parties, there is a unifying factor. Porkodi should be seen as a Dalit representative, and Ranjith sees a need to support her. He has extended a similar support to VCK, because Thirumavalavan is one icon who has supported the cause of Dalits all these years. But the conflict of interest comes because, though Porkodi has started her own party and is representing the Dalit community, she is contesting under an AIADMK-BJP coalition that is in support of religious fundamentalism,” Diwakar said.
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Diwakar draws a parallel to the controversy around musician Ilaiyaraaja’s foreword for a book titled Ambedkar & Modi: Reformer’s Ideas, Performer’s Implementationin which Ilaiyaraaja drew comparisons between the two figures. “Many said one shouldn’t criticise Ilaiyaraaja because he is an iconic Dalit musician. On the other hand, some argued he cannot be reduced to that tag alone, and pointed out the political gains BJP derives from such an association. I see the same problem here.”
“When you undertake identity politics, be it Dalit or Muslim identity, it is one way to look at the issue through that particular perspective. That is what I see as the limitation of identity politics. But just because Pa Ranjith supports Porkodi does not mean he should be seen as someone who endorses NDA or discriminatory politics. To read it that way would be an overreach.”
The Federal reached out to Pa Ranjith for his response to the backlash. He said his statements had been misunderstood and that he would clarify his stand later.
Meanwhile, the debate his tweet has triggered cuts to the heart of a question that Dalit politics in Tamil Nadu, and across India, has long grappled with: when identity and ideology pull in opposite directions, which one leads?
