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Tamil Nadu’s tallest Dalit leader Thol Thirumavalavan – the chief of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), a key ally of the ruling DMK – has faced multiple challenges in his remarkable political career, but this one seemed to be different. For this did not come from casteist or communal politics, but arose out of his own party.
Aadhav Arjuna, the son-in-law of the controversial “lottery king” Santiago Martin, had risen in the VCK ranks rapidly despite triggering various controversies and taking aim at the DMK leadership. Even after several VCK leaders warned him against Arjuna, Thirumavalavan did not act.
On Monday, Thirumavalavan suspended Arjuna from the VCK, stating that his activities had caused “severe harm to the party’s reputation and goodwill”. He also asserted his party’s commitment to discipline and unity amid growing “internal and external” pressures.
Thirumavalavan was said to be losing his grip on his party in recent months. Arjuna joined the VCK in January 2024 and was soon appointed as the party’s deputy general secretary despite not being a Dalit face or a politician with an established track record. Many attributed his quick rise to his “money power”.
Arjuna’s rise and fall comes at a crucial time of Tamil Dalit politics. In July, BSP leader Armstrong was murdered in Chennai, which highlighted gang rivalries but filmmaker and Dalit activist Pa Ranjith, at a protest rally over it, questioned the entire political spectrum, including the DMK, for “denying” Dalits adequate space despite the dominance of the Dravidian parties.
Despite accounting for over 21% of the state’s population, Dalits hold few leadership positions in major parties. The fresh Dalit assertion seeks to underline that the social inclusion remains elusive in the state even as welfare schemes and reservation have empowered many belonging to the community.
Amid this unfolding scenario, Thirumavalavan inducted Arjuna as a “gamble”, said a VCK insider. “Arjuna brought money and energy, but his ambitions remained unbridled. He was good at presentations and argued with data. He told Thiruma several times that he should grow beyond what he is, that he can also become deputy CM or even CM. All that may be good. But Arjuna, like a good business strategist, saw VCK as just a stepping stone for himself,” he charged.
A senior AIADMK leader targeted Arjuna, saying that “Thiruma is taller than anyone in Tamil politics. He is one leader who worked hard and evolved over the years. He commands as much respect as Stalin or Edappadi K Palaniswami.”
A DMK minister said, “Thirumavalavan made sure that he evolved over the years, abandoned his narrow Tamil Dalit identity to get accepted across the Indian political circle. He made friends everywhere. Probably the only setback or a crisis he faced in his career was in 2004, when he resigned his MLA position as the VCK left the DMK alliance. That was also a political gamble, but one born out of ideology. Unfortunately, this one (Arjuna case) was different.”
After joining the VCK, Arjuna held several meetings in a bid to streamline the party, organised a conference of its booth agents besides holding conferences against caste discrimination and liquor consumption. “His promise to restructure the party, energise our base, induct non-Dalits into our cadre fold, and get electoral success were all interesting. We watched it with unease in the initial months,” said a VCK leader.
“Thirumavalavan decided on his own to induct Arjuna and informed us later,” said another VCK leader. “There were warnings from DMK. They told us Arjuna was trouble. But Thiruma (as Thirumavalavan is called by his followers) ignored it.”
According to DMK sources, Arjuna had been associated with the M K Stalin-led party since 2016 as a part of its brand strategy team linked to Prashanth Kishore. He sought the DMK’s tickets to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and the 2021 Assembly polls, but was “not entertained” on both occasions. He was also also denied a Rajya Sabha seat nomination that he demanded later. “We made it clear to him that we cannot promote him politically unless he works in the party for at least few years. This forced him to go to VCK after 2022,” said a DMK insider.
After his brand strategy firm “Voice of Commons” conducted various surveys for the VCK in 2022-2023 with the avowed objective to “strengthen the VCK’s brand”, Arjuna joined the party in early 2024, where he also sought a ticket to contest the Lok Sabha polls. “Thirumavalavan responded positively to his wish. VCK also asked DMK for an extra seat in the general category for him, but DMK said no. They pointed to unchanged seat allocations for all allies,” a VCK leader said.
The DMK’s refusal upset Arjuna. “He thought VCK was the ladder to his dreams. When denied, he started speaking out against DMK, calling for proper power-sharing in CM Stalin’s Cabinet. He criticised Udhayanidhi Stalin becoming Deputy CM, calling him just a film actor. He welcomed AIADMK for a conference we planned. He was the first to tweet to praise Vijay’s maiden political rally (after the launch of his party) and his speech in which the film star attacked DMK. The cracks widened. But still, Thiruma was reluctant to take cognisance of troubles created by Arjuna,” a VCK leader said.
What seemed to have sealed Arjuna’s fate in the VCK was his remarks made at a high-profile function held last Friday for the launch of a book, Ellarukumana Thalaivar Ambedkar (Ambedkar: A leader for all), in which he invited Vijay instead of CM Stalin, forcing his own leader Thirumavalavan to opt out of it. “I was informed about Arjuna’s planning for the book release event. Even as I decided to skip it, I told him to attend it as he worked behind the event for many months. I did ask him to be careful in his speech, but he didn’t (follow),” Thirumavalavan said Saturday.
Sharing the stage with Vijay, who made fiery remarks against the DMK-led alliance, Arjuna also made a hard-hitting speech. He called the DMK dispensation a “monarch’s rule” and accused it of allegedly controlling the Tamil cinema through political power.
Vijay alleged that Thirumavalavan stayed away from the event under the DMK’s pressure. Besides Arjuna’s speech, praising Vijay’s ideology and calling him a new leader of the poor, the event organised by his firm kept the spotlight on the actor-turned-politician. Vijay’s speech was broadcast with a “dramatic camera angle” usually reserved for superstars.
“This embarrassment could have been avoided,” another VCK leader said. “Thiruma took him in, ignoring advice. DMK had warned us before the 2024 polls itself. They knew him. They told us not to trust him,” he said.
For Thirumavalavan, the storm is far from over. The party remains tied to the DMK, its strongest ally. “But the cracks are showing. How Thirumavalavan handles this moment will define his legacy. For our leadership will not easily trust VCK in the next elections until they seal the alliance pact. Because this is no longer just about Arjuna. It’s about trust,” the DMK minister said.
