Why an anonymous X post about anti-caste readings got the PMO’s attention

Periyar EV Ramasamy, one of the leading figures of the Dravidian movement, argued that “To insist that chastity is only for women and should not be insisted upon for men, is a philosophy based on biased individual ownership.” As part of the argument, published in his Collected Works, he noted further that “If our literatures have all been written for the sake of justice and disciplined conduct, then, should not all the conditions imposed on women be applied to men too.”

To many academics, these arguments remain relevant and vital even today, and students stand to gain significantly from reading and engaging with them. To their shock, however, the book was among the publications that the Prime Minister’s Office took note of after an anonymous X user included it in a list of material that the user termed “poison”.

“Periyar in his writing discusses the idea of chastity, love, marriage, motherhood and inheritance and how these ideas need to be negotiated in the everyday context of cultural and patriarchal hegemony,” said N Sukumar, professor of political science at Delhi University. “Why would anyone be threatened to debate these ideas in the classroom?”

Sukumar heard about the Prime Minister’s Office’s move on September 27, after he received an anxious...

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