Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam

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Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Leader	Kalaignar
Founded	1949
Main Office	Arivalayam, Anna Salai, Chennai - 600018
Alliance	United Progressive Alliance
Ideology	Social Democratic/Populist
Publications	Murasoli
Website	http://www.dmk.in
See also	Politics of India Political parties in India Elections in India

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is a regional political party in the Tamil Nadu state of India, but also has presence in near by southern Indian states, Pondicherry/Puduchery, Kerala and Karnataka. It was founded by C. N. Annadurai as a breakaway faction from Dravidar Kazhagam, headed by Periyar. The party is headed by M Karunanidhi, the incumbent Chief Minister of the state.

[edit] Early Days

The movement was initially mooted as one that championed the cause of socially and economically disadvantaged sections of the society. It advocated concepts of rationality, self-respect and rejection of casteism and superstitious practices, prevalent in Tamil society. M.G. Ramachandran, generally known as MGR, was the party's main draw in its early years and he singlehandedly funded the party's activities for many years till 1972. MGR also popularised the party flag and symbol by showing it in his movies.

The movement was sympathetic to the claim that there were two separate races in India, the Aryans and Dravidians, and the movement claimed to represent the latter. In the early years of its militant struggle, it rejected any concept known to have its origins in the north. There also was a brief period, during which it idealized a separate Dravidian land, comprising the southern regions of India. The Anti-Hindi agitations of 1965, forced the central government to abandon its efforts to stipulate Hindi as the only official language of the country.

[edit] Karunanidhi era

With the passage of time and a shift in the national political scenario towards coalition governments, however, DMK has adopted a more national outlook. DMK championed the cause of Tamil 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 and the MDMK. Of this, the AIADMK is the strongest rival party. The MDMK formed an alliance with AIADMK to face the 2006 elections, which the alliance lost. The DMK-led alliance, which includes the Congress and the PMK, formed the government in the state: Karunnidhi assumed the office of Chief Minister.

M. G. Ramachandran and M. Karunanidhi with a portrait of C. N. Annadurai in the backdrop - the three dominated Dravidian politics for over 50 years.

[edit] Election history

[edit] Madras

[edit] Tamil Nadu

[edit] Pondicherry

[edit] See also

• Politics of India
• List of political parties in India

[edit] External links

• The official party website
• Election reports by EC