Thazhthapattor Munnetra Kazhagam
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Thazhthapattor Munnetra Kazhagam (Template:Lang-ta) was a short-lived political party formed in 1974 in Tamil Nadu, India. The party was formed by the exit of Sathyavani Muthu and V. R. Nedunchezhiyan from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). The party eventually merged with the Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (ADMK) led by M. G. Ramachandran (MGR) in 1977.
History
After the death of C. N. Annadurai in 1969, M. Karunanidhi became the leader of the DMK and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. The film star and party leader M. G. Ramachandran was expelled from the DMK in 1972 following his differences with Karunanidhi and formed the Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. Within two years of his exit, Sathyavani Muthu a minister in the DMK Government led by Karunanidhi left the party. Sathyavani Muthu a Scheduled Caste leader, was the minister for Harijan Welfare minister in Karunanidhi's cabinet. She resigned her ministerial position in 1974 and left Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. She claimed that Scheduled Castes were not treated well by DMK since the death of C. N. Annadurai and the new leader M. Karunanidhi was prejudiced against Scheduled Castes.[1] She said
The time has come to form a new party to fight for the rights of the Scheduled Castes. After Dr. Ambedkar, nobody has taken the cudgels in real earnest......We will form a new party, sit on the opposition benches, and fight for the rights of Schedules Castes. We will not let them be exploited and humiliated endlessly.[1][2][3]
She formed the "Thazhthapattor Munnetra Kazhagam" (Progressive Federation of the Oppressed) claiming to represent the Scheduled castes of Tamil Nadu. In April 1977, V. R. Nedunchezhiyan the Minister for Education in the DMK cabinet left the party with some other leaders like K. Rajaram, S. Madhavan and P. U. Shanmugam and formed the "Makkal Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam". The two parties coordinated their activities. The Thazhthapattor Munnetra Kazhagam merged with the ADMK before 1977 election and Sathyavani Muthu contested (and lost) the election from Ulundurpet constituency as an ADMK member. However, the Makkal DMK contested the elections alone. It merged with Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in September 1977 after the ADMK came to power winning the 1977 election.[4][5]
See also
References
- ^ a b Duncan Forrester (1976). "Factions and Filmstars: Tamil Nadu Politics since 1971". Asian Survey. 16 (3): 283–296. doi:10.1525/as.1976.16.3.01p01703. JSTOR 2643545.
- ^ "The rise and fall of Sathyavani Muthu". Femina. 7 June 1974.
- ^ . The Hindu. 5 May, 6 May, 15 May and 3 June 1974.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Nedunchezhiyan dies of heart failure". The Hindu. 13 January 2000. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
- ^ Data India. Press Institute of India. 1977. pp. 273, 628.