DMK's 75 years: CM Stalin extols Dravidian movement on foundation day

Chennai, Sep 17 (IANS) The powerful Dravidian political party of Tamil Nadu, DMK completed 75 years of its existence on Tuesday. Chief Minister and DMK President M.K. Stalin extolled the Dravidian movement and its successive leadership saying that thousand-year-old superstitions have been eradicated.

In a post on X, CM Stalin wrote, “DMK completes 75 years in politics. We became a band of brothers to defend Tamil when it faced any trouble. This movement eradicated thousand-year-old superstitions. This cadre congratulates everyone who has worked for the party safeguarded by Kalaignar. Looking forward to seeing you all at the 75-year completion programme.“

It was on September 17, 1949, when a group of young Tamil men, led by their leader C.N. Annadurai, gathered in Robinson Park at Royapuram in Madras to launch the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). The party was formed as a breakaway faction of the Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) floated by the legendary E.V.Ramasami Periyar.

The party contested the Assembly elections in 1957 for the first time but could win only 15 Assembly seats. However, its top leaders, including.C.N.Annadurai and V.R. Nedunchezhiyan were defeated but in 1962 it fared better winning fifty Assembly seats and becoming the principal opposition party.

In two decades of its formation, in 1967 it evolved into a major regional party that was elected to power replacing the Congress in the then Madras State. It was the first party other than the Indian National Congress (INC) that won a state Assembly election in the country with an absolute majority.

C.N.Annadurai became the first Chief Minister of DMK and took the initiative to rename Madras state as Tamil Nadu. He introduced the two-language policy in schools which led to students learning only English and Tamil while in the neighbouring southern states, it was three languages that included English, Hindi and the concerned regional language.

Annadurai passed away unexpectedly in 1969 leading to Kalaignar Karunanidhi becoming the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Karunanidhi continued to head the DMK from 1969 till his death in 2018.

The DMK faced a major crisis when the popular Tamil hero and DMK leader the legendary M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) raised the banner of rebellion and walked out of the party to form the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) on October 17, 1972.

Ever since becoming the president of DMK till his passing away, Karunanidhi had a vice-like grip on the DMK. The veteran leader ensured that the party was totally in the hands of his family before his passing away.

The incumbent Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and President of the DMK, M.K. Stalin is the son of Karunanidhi. CM Stalin‘s son Udhayanidhi Stalin is currently heading the youth wing of the DMK and is also the state minister for Sports Development and Youth Affairs. Karunanidhi’s daughter and Stalin‘s sister Kanimozhi Karunanidhi is a Member of Parliament from the Thoothukudi Lok Sabha constituency. Karunanidhi’s nephew Dayanidhi Maran was a former Union Cabinet Minister and presently a Lok Sabha MP.

CM Stalin‘s elder brother Azhagiri was a former Union Minister and had later fallen out with Karunanidhi and Stalin only to be in the political wilderness.

DMK after capturing power in 1967 continued till 1977 only to be unseated by the AIADMK led by the MGR and the party could not come to power till 1989. MGR passed away in 1987.

Karunanidhi became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for a third time in January 1989 defeating the AIADMK which had by then divided into two factions -- one led by MGR‘s wife Janaki Ramachandran and the other by the Tamil actor and MGR’s close associate, J.Jayalalithaa. The DMK government was dissolved in 1991 and in the ensuing elections held after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, AIADMK emerged victorious trouncing the DMK.

After five years in 1996, Karunanidhi and DMK returned to power following an array of corruption charges that made the incumbent Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa highly unpopular.

In 2001, the AIADMK returned to power. But in 2006 the DMK formed the government and Karunanidhi became the Chief Minister of the state. This was the first time DMK formed a government with outside support from Congress.

The 2011 Assembly elections gave a major blow to the DMK with the party winning only 23 seats and losing power to the AIADMK.

In the 2016 Assembly elections also, the DMK lost power and after Karunanidhi passed away on August 7, 2018, the party came under the leadership of his son, M.K. Stalin.

Stalin stitched a coalition with like-minded parties and formed the Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) to win 39 of the 40 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The same alliance contested the 2021 Assembly elections and DMK returned to power with M.K.Stalin becoming the Chief Minister.

Interestingly DMK had only three presidents since its inception -- C.N. Annadurai, Kalaignar Karunanidhi and M.K.Stalin. All three became Chief Ministers of the state.