Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s decision to rename the state’s expanded breakfast programme after former chief minister K Kamaraj has emerged as a political move aimed at challenging the DMK while reaching out to the influential Nadar community. The Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme, announced by the TVK-led government, has also drawn attention from supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who see Kamaraj’s legacy as a possible vehicle for a broader OBC consolidation strategy ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha election.

The Tamil Nadu government issued the order on September 22 to rename the Chief Minister’s Breakfast Scheme as the Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Breakfast Scheme. The programme was originally launched by the previous DMK government led by MK Stalin in September 2022 for students from Classes I to V in government and government-aided schools. The Vijay government had earlier expanded the scheme to students in Classes VI to VIII on July 15, Kamaraj’s birth anniversary, adding a political dimension to the welfare initiative.

Kamaraj, a former Tamil Nadu chief minister and Congress leader, is closely associated with the Nadar community and is remembered for his focus on education, rural development and welfare. The school meal programme was expanded across the then Madras State during his tenure, including free noon meals for poor primary-school children. Vijay has previously projected Kamaraj as a model of clean governance and has included him among the historical figures whose legacy forms part of the TVK’s political imagery.

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Ravindran Duraisamy, convenor of Team RD Modiji for PM 2029, said Vijay’s decision was intended to challenge the DMK’s political dominance while reaching out to Hindu Nadars. Duraisamy said the Nadar community is one of Tamil Nadu’s major OBC groups and estimated that it accounts for around 6% to 8% of the state’s electorate, while noting its stronger concentration in southern districts. He also pointed to Vijay’s Christian background and argued that Kamaraj could provide a political connection with sections of the Nadar community beyond religious identity.

Duraisamy’s organisation has also urged Modi to name a Central government scheme after Kamaraj, arguing that his legacy could help the BJP connect with OBC communities beyond Tamil Nadu. The proposal seeks to use Kamaraj as a symbolic link among communities including Nadars, Ezhavas, Bhandaris, Jaiswals, Ahluwalias, Gouds and Idigas. Such a strategy would be ambitious, as caste identities and political preferences differ considerably across states, but it reflects how some Modi supporters are viewing Vijay’s outreach to Kamaraj.

For Vijay, the use of Kamaraj’s name provides a way to distinguish the TVK from the established DMK-AIADMK political framework while highlighting an alternative legacy of welfare and education. For BJP supporters, the same legacy is being viewed as a potential tool for expanding the party’s social base in southern states. The political impact of the move will depend on whether the symbolism around Kamaraj translates into wider support for the TVK or the BJP among the communities being targeted.

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