Tamil National Party
Encyclopedia
Tamil National Party was a short-lived political party formed in 1962 in Tamil Nadu
, India. The party finds its roots with the split in Dravidar Kazhagam
after which Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
(DMK) was formed. E. V. K. Sampath
, a founding member of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, left the party following differences with the party leadership. The differences arose due to the DMK's stance on achieving an independent nation out of Indian Union called Dravida Nadu. Nevertheless, within years the Tamil National Party was merged with Indian National Congress
.
and for a long time considered his political heir.
He entered into a feud with Periyar after the latter married a woman much younger to him. Periyar soon after the marriage declared his new wife as his political heir and thus upseting Sampath's aspirations. The marriage itself had caused opposition within the Dravidar Kazhagam
, the social organisation that Periyar was heading. E. V. K. Sampath along with C. N. Annadurai
broke away from Dravidar Kazhagam and formed their own party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
.
in the region did use movies and stars for propaganda, it was shunned upon by major Congress leaders. DMK to the contrary used the Tamil film industry as a major political organ. Thus movie stars held high ranks in the party. Sampath vehemently opposed the importance given to film stars in the party.
, E. V. K. Sampath opposed the call for Dravida Nadu and declared that the idea of independent Dravida Nadu was an impossible task to achieve. With this difference E. V. K. Sampath and his supporters left DMK and formed their own party. Thus Tamil National Party was born in 1962. Some of the well known members of the party included Kannadasan
, M. P. Subramaiam, Pazha Nedumaran and Shivaji Ganesan.
. At that time Periyar and his Dravidar Kazhagam
was close with Kamaraj the leader of the Congress party. Thus when Kamaraj invited Sampath to join the Congress, Sampath merged Tamil National Party with the Congress party in 1964.
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, India. The party finds its roots with the split in Dravidar Kazhagam
Dravidar Kazhagam
Dravidar Kazhagam or Dravida Kazhagam was the first fully Dravidian party in India. It was a radical party formed by E. V. Ramaswamy, also called Thanthai Periyar of erstwhile Madras Presidency...
after which Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is a state political party in the states of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, India. It is a Dravidian party founded by C. N. Annadurai as a breakaway faction from the Dravidar Kazhagam headed by Periyar...
(DMK) was formed. E. V. K. Sampath
E. V. K. Sampath
Erode Venkatta Naicker Krishnasamy Sampath , usually referred to as E. V. K. Sampath was a prominent politician from Tamil Nadu, India. He was an advocate of Dravidian Movement of Periyar E. V. Ramasamy and was considered by some as his political heir. He later split from Periyar's Dravidar...
, a founding member of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, left the party following differences with the party leadership. The differences arose due to the DMK's stance on achieving an independent nation out of Indian Union called Dravida Nadu. Nevertheless, within years the Tamil National Party was merged with Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
.
E. V. K. Sampath and DMK
E. V. K. Sampath was nephew of Periyar E. V. RamasamyPeriyar E. V. Ramasamy
Erode Venkata Ramasamy , affectionately called by his followers as Periyar , Thanthai Periyar or E. V...
and for a long time considered his political heir.
He entered into a feud with Periyar after the latter married a woman much younger to him. Periyar soon after the marriage declared his new wife as his political heir and thus upseting Sampath's aspirations. The marriage itself had caused opposition within the Dravidar Kazhagam
Dravidar Kazhagam
Dravidar Kazhagam or Dravida Kazhagam was the first fully Dravidian party in India. It was a radical party formed by E. V. Ramaswamy, also called Thanthai Periyar of erstwhile Madras Presidency...
, the social organisation that Periyar was heading. E. V. K. Sampath along with C. N. Annadurai
C. N. Annadurai
Conjeevaram Natarajan Annadurai , popularly called Anna , or Arignar Anna was a former Chief Minister of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu...
broke away from Dravidar Kazhagam and formed their own party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is a state political party in the states of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, India. It is a Dravidian party founded by C. N. Annadurai as a breakaway faction from the Dravidar Kazhagam headed by Periyar...
.
Differences on using movie media
Tamil cinema has been used extensively for popaganda for Dravidian politics. Although the Indian National CongressIndian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
in the region did use movies and stars for propaganda, it was shunned upon by major Congress leaders. DMK to the contrary used the Tamil film industry as a major political organ. Thus movie stars held high ranks in the party. Sampath vehemently opposed the importance given to film stars in the party.
Birth of Tamil National Party
The differences between E. V. K. Sampath and Annadurai finally gave way on their stands on Dravida Nadu. Dravida Nadu was envisaged by Periyar E. V. Ramasami as an independent nation that included South India. Periyar and later Annadurai considered that remaining in the Indian Union meant accepting linguistic domination of the North and backwardness of the South. Nevertheless, after touring the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, E. V. K. Sampath opposed the call for Dravida Nadu and declared that the idea of independent Dravida Nadu was an impossible task to achieve. With this difference E. V. K. Sampath and his supporters left DMK and formed their own party. Thus Tamil National Party was born in 1962. Some of the well known members of the party included Kannadasan
Kannadasan
Kannadasan was a Tamil poet and lyricist, heralded as one of the greatest and most important writer in the Tamil language...
, M. P. Subramaiam, Pazha Nedumaran and Shivaji Ganesan.
Policies of the party
The policies of the party were:- Autonomous National linguistic regions with the freedom to secede from the federation based on the free will of the peoples.
- Establishing a society sans inequalities by Industrialisation of Tamil Nadu.
- Eradication of superstitions, castes, religions and all atrocities against humanity to usher in a just society based on rationalism.
Merger with Congress
Soon after the departure from DMK Tamil National Party members closely associated with that of the Congress partyIndian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
. At that time Periyar and his Dravidar Kazhagam
Dravidar Kazhagam
Dravidar Kazhagam or Dravida Kazhagam was the first fully Dravidian party in India. It was a radical party formed by E. V. Ramaswamy, also called Thanthai Periyar of erstwhile Madras Presidency...
was close with Kamaraj the leader of the Congress party. Thus when Kamaraj invited Sampath to join the Congress, Sampath merged Tamil National Party with the Congress party in 1964.