DRAVIDA MUNNETRA KAZHAGAM

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'Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam' (literally "Dravidian Progress Conference") is a regional political party in the state of Tamil Nadu in India, but also has presence in near by state of Pondicherry. It was founded by C. N. Annadurai as a breakaway faction from the Dravidar Kazhagam headed by Periyar. The party is headed by M Karunanidhi, the incumbent Chief Minister of the state.

Contents

Formation of DMK

Karunanidhi era

Succession crisis

Presidents

Election history

See also

External links

References

Formation of DMK

DMK traces its roots to the South Indian Liberal Federation (Justice Party) formed in 1916, by P. Thiyagarayar, Dr. Natesanar and few others. The Justice Party, whose objectives included social equality and justice, came to power in the first General Elections to Madras Presidency in 1920.^[1] E. V. Ramasami Naicker (known as "Periyar"), a popular Tamil leader, who had joined Indian National Congress in 1919, became disillusioned with what he considered as the Brahminic leadership of the party.^[2] He quit Congress and in 1935, he joined the Justice Party. In the 1937 elections, the Justice Party lost and the Indian National Congress under C. Rajagopalachari ("Rajaji") came to power in Madras Presidency. Rajaji's introduction of Hindi as a compulsory subject in schools led to the anti-Hindi agitations, led by Periyar and his associates. In August 1944, Periyar carved out the "Dravida Kazhagham" out of the Justice Party at the Salem Provincial Conference.^[3]
However, over the years, disputes arose between Periyar and his followers. In 1949, several of his followers led by C. N. Annadurai, decided to split from Dravida Kazhagham, after an aged Periyar married a young woman and anointed his young wife to as his successor to lead the party, superseding senior party leaders.
Annadurai, on September 17, 1949 along with V. R. Nedunchezhiyan, K.A.Mathialagan, K. Anbazhagan, E.V.K. Sampath and thousands of others in Robinson park in Royapuram in Chennai announced the formation of the DMK. M.Karunanidhi joined the DMK a few months later^[4][5]The DMK carried on the principles and aims of the Justice Party and Dravidar Kazhagam. The movement was initially mooted as one that championed the cause of socially and economically disadvantaged sections of the society. It was also sympathetic to the demand for a separate "Dravida Nadu" state.
DMK has been firmly in favour of reservation for the backward classes for social upliftment, and has increased reservation up to 69% the highest in the country. DMK along with Periyar forced the withdrawal of the Kula Kalvi Thittam of Rajaji where schools will work in the morning and students had to compulsorily learn the family vocation in the afternoon.^[6]
Shivaji Ganesan was a member of the DMK, and he was seen as an icon of the DMK and spread its message through films like ''Parasakthi''. He joined the Congress Party in 1955, whereas MGR was a member of the Congress Party till 1953 and he used to wear kathar and wear vibhuti on his forehead. In 1953 MGR joined the DMK popularised the party flag and symbol by showing it in his movies.Annadurai wanted a separate Dravida Nadu which he gave after 1962 China War. The Anti-Hindi agitations of 1965, forced the central government to abandon its efforts to impose Hindi as the only official language of the country. In 1967, DMK came to power in Tamil Nadu in 1967, after the anti-Hindi tide helped it defeat the Congress.

Karunanidhi era

With the passage of time and a shift in the national political scenario towards coalition governments, DMK adopted a more national outlook. It championed the cause of Tamil language and culture, and used its national clout to make Government of India declare Tamil as classical language. In the enrichment of Tamil literature, the writers belonging to DMK had an important role, although it needs to be pointed out that their contributions have tended to be more of expressions of dissent and disgruntlement at what was perceived as social injustice and domination of certain communities, in the social sphere, and of the Northern parts of India, in the political sphere, and substitution of less often used Tamil words for borrowed-assimilated popular ones for administrative and oratorical purposes, in the linguistic sphere.
The DMK is also sympathetic to the separatist struggle in Eelam. It split over the past three decades into the AIADMK in the 1970s and the MDMK in the 1990s.

Succession crisis

The decade-long cold war of succession between the two sons of Karunanidhi - Stalin and Azhagiri - finally came into the open in early 2007 when supporters of Azhagiri rampaged a local newspaper's office for publishing an opinion poll that indicated 70% chance for Stalin and merely 2% chance for Azhagiri to succeed to the top post of DMK. It was long believed that Azhagiri dominated the eight southern districts of Tamil Nadu.
As a result of the uproar within the party, Dayanidhi Maran, the Union cabinet minister for Communications and Information Technology (and proprietor of the vernacular daily that published the opinion poll) was sacked from the position, since a resolution was passed against him by his party DMK for violating party discipline and bringing it to disrepute. Thus, the grip of the Maran clan on the party finally loosened.

Presidents

Year	President
1949-1969	Annadurai
1969-present	Karunanidhi

Election history

See pdf for summary. DMK's worst poll performance ever in this state was registered in 1962 and its peak in 1996.
===Madras State===

Year	General Election	Votes Polled	Seats Won
1962	3rd Assembly	3,435,633	50
1962	3rd Lok Sabha	2,315,610	7
1967	4th Assembly	6,230,552	137
1967	4th Lok Sabha	5,524,514	25

===Tamil Nadu===

Year	General Election	Votes Polled	Seats Won
1971	5th Assembly	7,654,935	184
1971	5th Lok Sabha	5,622,758	23
1977	6th Assembly	4,258,771	48
1977	6th Lok Sabha	3,323,320	2
1980	7th Assembly	4,164,389	37
1980	7th Lok Sabha	4,236,537	16
1984	8th Assembly	6,362,770	24
1984	8th Lok Sabha	5,597,507	2
1989	9th Assembly	8,001,222	150
1989	9th Lok Sabha	7,038,849	0
1991	10th Assembly	5,535,668	2
1991	10th Lok Sabha	5,601,597	0
1996	11th Assembly	11,423,380	173
1996	11th Lok Sabha	6,967,679	17
1998	12th Lok Sabha	5,140,266	5
1999	13th Lok Sabha	6,298,832	12
2001	12th Assembly	8,669,864	31
2004	14th Lok Sabha	7,064,393	16
2006	13th Assembly	8,728,716	96

===Pondicherry===

Year	General Election	Votes Polled	Seats Won
1969	2nd Assembly	61,717	15
1974	3rd Assembly	47,823	2
1977	4th Assembly	30,441	3
1980	5th Assembly	68,030	14
1984	8th Lok Sabha	97,672	0
1985	6th Assembly	87,754	5
1989	9th Lok Sabha	157,250	0
1990	7th Assembly	101,127	9
1991	8th Assembly	96,607	4
1991	10th Lok Sabha	140,313	0
1996	9th Assembly	105,392	7
1996	11th Lok Sabha	183,702	0
1998	12th Lok Sabha	168,122	1
2001	10th Assembly	83,679	7
2006	11th Assembly		7

See also

★ Politics of India

★ List of political parties in India

External links

★ The official party website

★ Election reports by EC

★ Manisegaran on Dravida Movement

★ A brief history of DMK

References

1. Encyclopaedia of Political Parties, , O.P., Radhan, Anmol Publications, 2002,
2. Dalit Visions: The Anti-caste Movement and the Construction on an Indian Identity, , Gail, Omvedt, Orient Longman, 2006,
3. Castes of Mind: Colonialism and the Making of Modern India, , Nicholas B., Dirks, Princeton University Press, 2001,
4. Celebrating a half century
5. A breathing space for crowded North Chennai
6. Periyar's Movement