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===Leftist inclination===
===Leftist inclination===
The ''Self-respect movement'', which is the root of the Dravidian politics, was initially forged in the mid-1920s in emulation and in critique of a [[Mahatma Gandhi|Gandhian]] Congress Party, but by 1930s it was heavily informed by [[Leninist]] [[socialism]], [[atheism]] and [[Bertrand Russell]]'s inspired rationalism.<ref name=sarah>Hodges S (2005)[http://cis.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/39/2/251 Revolutionary family life and the Self Respect movement in Tamil south India, 1926–49] Contributions to Indian Sociology, Vol. 39, No. 2, 251-277 </ref> Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and the first to hold that post in the Dravidian parties, C. N. Annadurai had declared that DMK (and hence its offshoots) are ''genuinely [[communist]]'' by principle.<ref name=Hardgrave1>Hardgrave Jr R (1964). [http://www.jstor.org/view/0030851x/dm991948/99p0246l/0 The DMK and the Politics of Tamil Nationalism]. ''Pacific Affairs'' University of British Columbia.</ref>
The ''Self-respect movement'', which is the root of the Dravidian politics, was initially forged in the mid-1920s in emulation and in critique of a [[Mahatma Gandhi|Gandhian]] Congress Party, but by 1930s it was heavily informed by [[Leninist]] [[socialism]], [[atheism]] and [[Bertrand Russell]]'s inspired rationalism.<ref name=sarah>Hodges S (2005)[http://cis.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/39/2/251 Revolutionary family life and the Self Respect movement in Tamil south India, 1926–49] Contributions to Indian Sociology, Vol. 39, No. 2, 251-277 </ref> Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and the first to hold that post in the Dravidian parties, C. N. Annadurai had declared that DMK (and hence its offshoots) are ''genuinely [[communist]]'' by principle.<ref name=Hardgrave1>Hardgrave Jr R (1964). [http://www.jstor.org/view/0030851x/dm991948/99p0246l/0 The DMK and the Politics of Tamil Nationalism]. ''Pacific Affairs'' University of British Columbia.</ref>

==Media in Dravidian politics==
Movie media was used most commonly by Dravidian politicians right from its days of infancy. The initial propaganda for the Dravidian politics was solely based on News papers owned by its benefactors or by the organisations, and, through public gatherings.<ref name=sarah/> One of the forerunners was the magazine ''Kudi Arasu''. <ref name=sarah/> DMK had ''Murasoli'' as its party organ,<ref>Subramanian (2003) [http://www.frontline.in/fl2025/stories/20031219003709700.htm A man of many parts] ''Frontline'' The Hindu Publishing group.</ref> and AIADMK with ''Namathu Dr MGR''.<ref>[http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14189865 Karu, Jaya wealthiest among TN candidates] ''Sify News'' 23 April , 2006.</ref> ''Dinakaran'', a Tamil Daily owned by Marans, was earlier considered as an unofficial organ of DMK untill the family fued within the family of Karunanidhi.<ref>Pinto S (2007) [http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070011830 Crucial DMK meet underway] ''NDTV news''.</ref>


==List of Dravidian parties==
==List of Dravidian parties==

Revision as of 14:55, 8 March 2008

File:AnnaMKMGR.jpg
Current Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M. Karunanidhi flanked by C. N. Annadurai and MG Ramachandran, both former Chief Ministers. All three of them were from the Dravidian Parties

Dravidian parties (Tamil:திராவிடக்கட்சிகள்) include an array of regional political parties in the state of Tamil Nadu, India which trace their origins and ideologies either directly or indirectly to Dravidian movement of Periyar E. V. Ramasamy.[1][2] There are also a few other parties today that are not the offspring of Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) or its offshoots but yet have similar ideals and goals as the Dravidian parties.[3] DMK and its political rival AIADMK had been the major players of the the Dravidian parties.[4] DMK and AIADMK emerged as giants to dominate Tamil Nadu politics since the mid-1960s. Either DMK or AIADMK formed Tamil Nadu State Government ever since the 1967 election. Since the 1990s no other political party had won more than a few seats in the Indian parliament or state legislative assembly from Tamil Nadu unless it makes electoral alliance with either. These two parties are bitter political rivals that have never allied together.[3]

Rise of Dravidian parties

Pre independence days

Main articles: Justice Party (India) and Self-Respect Movement
See also: Periyar E. V. Ramasamy

The state of Tamil Nadu had been electorally dominated by the Justice Party for the first 17 years since its first legislative assembly election (then part of Madras Presidency) untill its defeat in 1937. The Justice party government spearheaded the implementation of a communal reservation policy, perhaps for the first time in the country, and an enactment to bring temples under state control. There was a massive agitations across the Province against the introduction of Hindi as a compulsory subject of study in schools by a Congress-led government which lead to detainment of scores of Tamil scholars, academics and Justice Party leaders. This and other fight for social justice helped create the social base of what emerged as the Dravidian Movement.[5] Even after independence in the first election of the Indian republic in 1952 Tamil Nadu saw an upset by denying the Congress party an absolute majority, in contrast to most of the rest of India.[6] In 1944 the Justice Party under its then leader Periyar underwent a name change to Dravidar Kazhagam and withdrew from parlimentary politics.

Birth of DMK

Main article: Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam

Disputes within the Dravidar Kazhagam, since 1947 when leaders like C. N. Annadurai had opposed Periyar's call for abandoning India's independence celebrations, climaxed with personal differences between the leaders and the eventual formation of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in 1949.[1] The split is often attributed to personal differences between the leaders[3] especially since the ultimate break-away occurred with Periyar's marriage to a much younger lady.[1] The DMK although picking-up the separation thread from its parent organisation, its leaders Annadurai and E. V. K. Sambath upheld the principles of democratic party organisation.[7] But faced with the reality of an independent India just setting in motion the democratic process under a new Constitution, it preferred to keep the issue on the backburner. The DMK's main target was the Central government "controlled by the northerners". The party highlighted the problems arising out of the `North-South divide' - the `neglect of the South' in sanctioning development projects, delay in the allotment of funds for the sanctioned projects, and attempts to `impose' Hindi, `the language of the North', on the `unwilling people' of the South. The language issue has proved to be a major campaign point for the party ever since it opted to participate in the electoral process in 1957. The party vowed to restore Tamil to its ancient glory and appealed to the sentiments of the Tamil people through forceful writings and speeches. Its massive agitation against the "imposition of Hindi" in 1965 catapulted the party to political power in the State in the 1967 elections.[2]

Dravidian party in seat of power

The electoral victory in 1967 was made possible by `an accord on seat adjustment' among the non-Congress parties `to avoid a split in the Opposition vote'. Interestingly, it was Rajagopalachari, who had by then left the Congress and launched the right-wing Swatantra Party, who was instrumental in bringing about this electoral arrangement.[6] In 1971, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi sought a fresh mandate from the people by advancing the Lok Sabha elections within a year, following a vertical split in the Indian National Congress, with almost all the senior leaders in the party united against her. The popularity of Indira Gandhi was then at its peak, thanks to some radical populist measures she took such as the nationalisation of commercial banks. For DMK Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, who was consolidating his position in the organisation following the death in harness of his predecessor and party leader Annadurai, the timing of the elections came as a boon. He was quick to extend the regional party's support to Indira Gandhi. The arrangement worked to their mutual advantage and both parties registered handsome victories in the elections.[6]

Split in DMK and birth of AIADMK

MGR

Main article: MG Ramachandran
File:Mgre34wk3wk.jpg
Karunanidhi and MGR in the initial days of unity and then grew up to be political rivals and stalwarts in their own parties.

M. G. Ramachandran or MGR as he was popularly known was an actor of Tamil cinema and a well known propagator of Dravidian ideologies in his movies since 1953. In the 70s he was the then party treasurer had brought his fans to the party and also playing a vital part in popularising the party's ideologies. The political feud between MGR and the then party president Karunanidhi emerged as an aftermath of the latter calling himself "Mujib of Tamil Nadu". MGR called for a boycoutt of the party's General Council. With the crisis falling into call for corruption probe by MGR, he was eventually suspended from the General Council. Thus emerged a new party Anna DMK (AIADMK).[8]

Split from DMK

Main article: AIADMK

After the split with the DMK in 1972, ADMK gave Indira Gandhi's faction of the now split Indian National Congress (known as Congress (I)) an equally strong alternative with which it could ally. From then on, the Congress (I) fought elections in the State in alliance with one of the two parties. From then on two Dravidian parties helped the Congress (I) sustain itself in the State with limited ambitions.[6] In 1977 the DMK government led by Karunanidhi was dismissed under corruption charges by the Central government of India which had by then allied with AIADMK.

Further divisions

Divisions in DMK

The MDMK is yet another offshoot of the DMK. It came into being in May 1994 after V. Gopalswamy (or popularly known as Vaiko), a senior leader and Member of Parliament, was expelled from the party in 1993. Barring, perhaps, their approach to issues such as Tamil Eelam, the Dravidian parties do not have major ideological differences, particularly in respect of State autonomy, constitutional protection to the reservation formula and making Tamil an official language of the Indian Union.[2]

Divisions in AIADMK

Soon after MGR's death in 1987, his wife Janaki Ramachandran took over as Cheif Minister of Tamil Nadu. This was opposed by former actress and a politician J Jayalalitha and eventually was met with dismissal of the AIADMK government (the shortest lived government in the history of Tamil Nadu) and the splitting of the party into two. The Election Commission of India refused to accept either of them as the successor of the original party and separate electoral symbols were allocated. The 1989 state elections spelt a defeat for AIADMK leading Janaki to resign from active politics and the fragments joining to form AIADMK again.

Another breakaway was witnessed with R. M. Veerappan breaking away from AIADMK in 1995 after personal differences with the party chief Jayalalitha.

Parties which are not an offshoot of DK

Pattali Makkal Katchi

Main article: Pattali Makkal Katchi

The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) is of recent origin and it relies on the voting strength of Vanniar caste. Dr. S. Ramadoss launched the party in July 1989 by converting the Vanniyar Sangam he founded in 1980 into a political organisation. Its major planks include meaningful and effective reservation for people from the most backward classes (MBCs) and other socially oppressed sections such as Dalits and the tribal people. The Vanniyar Sangam in the 1980s and the PMK in the decade that followed organised numerous agitations in which thousands of people courted arrest and braved police repression, to press the demand for greater social justice to the MBCs. The party's views on issues such as State autonomy, statutory safeguard for the reservation formula and the official language status for Tamil are identical to those of the three Dravidian parties.[2]

Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam

Main article: Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam

Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam or DDMK was lauched by Tamil film star Vijayakanth,who had earlier converted his fan clubs into service organisations. initially as typical, Dravidian, for-the-Tamils. [9] The party is now placing itself as an alternative to main-stream Dravidian parties.[10][11]


Dravidian parties in Central Government

Although the DMK and the AIADMK started playing some role in the decision-making process at the Centre from the beginning of the late 1960s, their actual participation in coalition governments came only in 1979, when two AIADMK Members of Parliament, Satyavani Muthu and Bala Pazhanoor, joined the short-lived Charan Singh Ministry which followed the Morarji Desai-led Janata Party government (1977-79). The DMK's Murasoli Maran joined the V.P. Singh Ministry in 1989. The DMK shared power with the subsequent United Front governments led by H.D. Deve Gowda and I.K. Gujral. In the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ministry (1998-99), three parties from Tamil Nadu, the AIADMK, the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) and the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK), were represented. In the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Ministry headed by Vajpayee (1999-2004), the DMK, the MDMK and the PMK had their representatives. In fact, it was in this Ministry that Tamil Nadu had the largest representation. At one stage there were 10 Ministers from Tamil Nadu, seven of them from the regional parties. In the Vajpayee Ministry (1998-99), the AIADMK's presence lasted only a few months.[6] The current central government led by Manmohan Singh includes cabinet members from DMK.

Ideology

Dravidianism and Tamilism

The principal ideals and goals of Dravidian parties at its incipience which were borrowed from Dravidar Kazhagam were social reforms, such as ending religious superstitions, ending caste distinction, empowerment of women, ending Brahmin dominance in Tamil Nadu educational institutions and government, ending northern domination of politics and economy of Tamil Nadu, opposition to Hindi as India's official language and independence for Dravida Nadu from India.[3] It can be noted that the call for Dravida Nadu in the initial days during the British Raj meant a Dravidian state under the British Raj.[12] Although Annadurai defended his party's demand for separation in his maiden speech in the Rajya Sabha in 1962 and recorded his protest against a ban on demanding separation a year later the demand had to be abandoned following the Sino-Indian War.[2]. This shift in its paradigm is often artributed to the Sixteenth Amendment to the Indian Constitution or Anti-sectionist amendment, as it is usually called.[7] Since then, State autonomy and social justice through reservation for the underprivileged in education and employment have been the main political planks of the DMK.[2] The Dravidian political ideology has evolved through years and now is varied between parties. With its initial atheistic inclination with a strict anti-Brahmin outlook of the DK, DMK moved on to the strong ethnic identity - initially that of 'the Dravidian' and later of 'the Tamilian' or 'the common Tamil man'.[5] In fact it is considered that Dravidian politics developed into an inclusive Tamil nationalism since it associated the Dravidian community with the non-Sanskritic Tamil language and cultural tradition.[13] With the rise of AIADMK post 1977 elections threw up two Cheif Ministers (MGR and Jayalalitha) who were not Tamils themselves.[5]

Leftist inclination

The Self-respect movement, which is the root of the Dravidian politics, was initially forged in the mid-1920s in emulation and in critique of a Gandhian Congress Party, but by 1930s it was heavily informed by Leninist socialism, atheism and Bertrand Russell's inspired rationalism.[14] Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and the first to hold that post in the Dravidian parties, C. N. Annadurai had declared that DMK (and hence its offshoots) are genuinely communist by principle.[7]

Media in Dravidian politics

Movie media was used most commonly by Dravidian politicians right from its days of infancy. The initial propaganda for the Dravidian politics was solely based on News papers owned by its benefactors or by the organisations, and, through public gatherings.[14] One of the forerunners was the magazine Kudi Arasu. [14] DMK had Murasoli as its party organ,[15] and AIADMK with Namathu Dr MGR.[16] Dinakaran, a Tamil Daily owned by Marans, was earlier considered as an unofficial organ of DMK untill the family fued within the family of Karunanidhi.[17]

List of Dravidian parties

Electoral symbols of the Dravidian parties

Impact

Regional

  • Listing the benefits accruing to the State from sharing power at the Centre, the DMK has stated that "the presence of the DMK Minister (Murasoli Maran) in the National Front Cabinet and the resolution passed in the (Tamil Nadu) Assembly during the DMK regime (1996-2001) resulted in a Tribunal being appointed to adjudicate the Kavery Water Dispute in the case filed by the Thanjavur farmers in the Supreme Court". The success of the efforts of Prime Minister Vajpayee in persuading Karnataka to accept the Tribunal's Interim Award ensuring 205 tmc.ft. of water to Tamil Nadu has been seen as one of the benefits of the DMK's presence in the BJP-led government.[6]
  • Prime Minister V.P. Singh's announcement in 1990 that the Mandal Commission's recommendation to extend reservation in employment in the Union government to the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), would be implemented was "in accordance with the resolution to that effect, passed in the State Assembly".[6]
  • The lack of or limited support to Hindutva, which swept the heart land of Hindi heartlands of India, in Tamil Nadu is sometimes artributed to the influence of Dravidian parties.[19]
  • According to the DMK, the "creation" of 11 Navaratnas and 97 Mini-Ratnas in the public sector "with administrative and financial autonomy", during the United Front government at the Centre (1996-98) was because of the party's presence in the Cabinet.[6]
  • Another benefit cited by DMK is the substantial share the State has received in foreign investments since the start of the liberalisation process. According to a party statement, of the total investment of Rs.13,15,017 crores that has flowed into the country since liberalisation began, Tamil Nadu has received 1,51,187 crores, which is 11.5 per cent of the total investment in the country.[6]
  • It is often stated by the DMK and its sympathisers that its cheif Karunanidhi played a vital role in the then central government to declare Tamil as a classical language.[20]

National

  • Since 1996 either DMK or AIADMK had been part of the central governments of India, although they never had allied together in the same front.[3]
  • The interim report of Jain Commission, which was appointed to oversee the assasination of Rajiv Gandhi said that the then DMK government was responsible for abetting Rajiv Gandhi's murderers.[21]
  • DMK cheif Karunanidi sparked controversy with his remark on Lord Rama for which an FIR has been filed against him.[22]

International

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Cho S Ramaswamy EV Ramaswami Naicker and CN Annadurai. India Today.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Viswanathan S (2004) A history of agitational politics. Frontline. The Hindu publishing.
  3. ^ a b c d e Nalankilli T (2005). Political History of the Rise and Fall of Dravidian Parties in Tamil Nadu (South India) Tamil Tribune
  4. ^ AKJ Wyatt (2002). New Alignments in South Indian Politics: The 2001 Assembly Elections in Tamil Nadu Asian Survey. University of Carlifornia Press.
  5. ^ a b c John Harriss (2000). Successful Populism commentary on the book Ethnicity and Populist Mobilization: Political Parties, Citizens and Democracy in South India by Narendra Subramanian; Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 1999 Frontline. The Hindu publishing group.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i K Pitchumani (2004). Dravidian power. Frontline. The Hindu publishing group.
  7. ^ a b c Hardgrave Jr R (1964). The DMK and the Politics of Tamil Nationalism. Pacific Affairs University of British Columbia.
  8. ^ Robert L. Hardgrave, Jr.(1973) Politics and the Film in Tamilnadu: The Stars and the DMK. Asian Survey. University of California Press.
  9. ^ a b Jayanth V Vijaykanth ready for political innings The Hindu Mar 16, 2005
  10. ^ Vijay Kumar S Vijaykanth to take the plunge tomorrow The Hindu Sep 13, 2005
  11. ^ Vijayakanth - An emerging force in TN politics Rediff News October 20, 2006
  12. ^ Atul Kohli (2001). The Success of India's Democracy Cambridge University Press.
  13. ^ Hasan, Z (2003)The democratisation of politics. The Hindu.
  14. ^ a b c Hodges S (2005)Revolutionary family life and the Self Respect movement in Tamil south India, 1926–49 Contributions to Indian Sociology, Vol. 39, No. 2, 251-277
  15. ^ Subramanian (2003) A man of many parts Frontline The Hindu Publishing group.
  16. ^ Karu, Jaya wealthiest among TN candidates Sify News 23 April , 2006.
  17. ^ Pinto S (2007) Crucial DMK meet underway NDTV news.
  18. ^ a b c d Shobha Warrier (1998). Karunanidhi's ode to Ravana has political significance. Rediff News.
  19. ^ Kumar A (2001).The roots of Jayalalithaa’s politics. The Tribune, India.
  20. ^ TN Assembly adopts resolution thanking Centre for CICT The Hindu January 31, 2008.
  21. ^ Chawla, P (1997) Damning the DMK India Today .Living Media India Ltd
  22. ^ Court: register FIR against Karunanidhi. The Hindu Oct 04, 2007.
  23. ^ Karuna joins issue with Malaysia's 'lay off' remarks. Hindustan Times. February 25, 2008
  24. ^ Release Tamils in Malaysian jails. The Times of India. 28 Nov 2007.
  25. ^ Protect ethnic Indians in Malaysia: Vaiko. The Times of India. 27 Nov 2007.
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