Dravidian Politics-4.
Opinion
23/12/2016.
934.
All Members,
Respected family members of this great holy Nation.
Karunanidhi's hatred towards MGR :
4.1
Karunanidhi made several attempts to weaken MGR's position within the party. MGR retaliated with corruption charges and a call for a boycott of the party's General Council. DMK’s General Council suspended MGR from the party stating that he had involved himself in "anti party activities". Although MGR had lost support from top-ranking leaders within the DMK, the strong public reaction following his suspension demonstrated his popular support within the party's volunteers.
4.2
Inspired by this support from the party's lower cadres and his fans, MGR launched his own party, Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK, Anna DMK named after Annadurai: Anna was his nickname)
4.3
Thus, DMK and ADMK were born from Dravidar Kazhagam. After the death of Annadurai, both of these parties became rival in Tamilnadu politics. Until now these two parties have the majority votes in Tamilnadu.
4.4
The MGR era:
The year 1977 was a landmark one in Indian politics as Marudhur Gopalan Ramachandran – popularly known by his acronym MGR – became the first film star-turned-Chief Minister of any Indian state. He remained the CM till his death in December 1987; winning three consecutive elections. The mid-day meal scheme – now almost in every state – has been the legacy of his government. However, his “populist” administration was also beset with allegations of rampant corruption and bureaucratic inefficiency, as the state economy crumbled under the burden of subsidy. He led AIADMK to share power at the Centre – a first for any Dravidian party – when Aravind Bala Pazhanoor and Satyavani Muthu were inducted into the short-lived Charan Singh government. His death split the party into two factions – one led by his wife Janaki Ramachandran and the other by Jayalalithaa who later prevailed.
4.5.
The Jayalalithaa era :
4.5.1
Jayalalithaa joined AIADMK in 1982. She was appointed Propaganda Secretary and also nominated to the Rajya Sabha. After her mentor MGR’s death, she took over the party leadership and unified the party. In the wake of Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination in May 1991, AIADMK swept to power in the subsequent election. Marred by allegations of blatant corruption, she lost the 1996 elections.
4.5.2
Consequently, a judicial probe was launched, leading to her brief imprisonment. Nevertheless, her party made a comeback in the 2001 elections. Though her second term was less controversial, she lost the 2006 elections. AIADMK is currently in power after routing arch-rival DMK in the 2011 elections. It is also interesting to note that she became the first sitting CM to be disqualified after conviction in September 2014. After the Supreme Court overturned the conviction, she returned to head the government in May 2015.
Thank you for reading
JAIHIND.
To be continued....
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