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N.R.Thiagarajan Naidu (1913-1969) was a freedom fighter, congress leader and social activist, born in Lakshimupram village in Madurai district, Madras Presidency of British India.[ citation needed ]
He was the uncontested leader of the congress party in Madurai district for more than 25 years from 1944.[ when? ] He joined in the Indian freedom movement during his school days and organised agitation against the British government. He was arrested and imprisoned for more than 5 years in various jails. He was responsible for strengthening the Indian National Congress in Madurai district. He strengthened village congress committees in remote villages around madurai Theni and Periyakulam area and mobilized people for the national movement.
After 1947 he focused on the development of Madurai district and Theni town. He was a member of the 1957 Madras State Legislative Assembly. He was elected to the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly as an Indian National Congress candidate from Theni (State Assembly Constituency) in 1957 election. [1] He was elected to the Madras legislative council in 1964 from the local government constituency. He was elected as the president of Madurai District Board in 1949.
From 1948 to 1953 he was the president of the District board of the undivided Madurai district which then included three current districts, namely Madurai, Theni and Dindugal.[ citation needed ] As the president of the Madurai district board he contributed to the district's growth by focussing on the development of primary education, and opened hundreds of schools under the district board. During his tenure Kodaikanal was developed as a well-known hill station in India. He was a close associate of K. Kamaraj, and was a strong supporter for him in South Tamil Nadu.[ citation needed ]
Thiagarajan Naidu was instrumental in the development of Theni town as an industrial hub. He persuaded Kamaraj Nadar to construct Vaigai Dam near Theni. He worked hard for the establishment of Madurai University and also served as a member of the first senate of Madurai University. He was the opposition party leader in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Council and leader of the Congress party in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Council.[ when? ] He was known for his active participation in the legislature. For many years he was the president of Madurai District congress committee, and developed the party from the grassroots. He gave a well planned action model for the village congress committee. Kamaraj appreciated his organizational abilities and often called Thiagarajan Naidu his right hand in Tamil Nadu Congress.[ citation needed ] On Thiagarajan's invitation, prime minister Nehru visited Theni town in 1962 and inaugurated many new development projects there.[ citation needed ]
N.R. Thiagarajan Naidu was a model for other members in the House, and he fully used the legislature to bring new projects for his constituency. The Tamil Nadu government honored him[ when? ] by naming the Theni District hospital as 'N.R.Thiyagarajan Naidu Memorial District Hospital'. He developed a modern housing project under Theni cooperative housing society, which was inaugurated by Sri.Rajagopalchri former governor general of India. It is named as NRT Nagar and is still one of the best housing projects in Tamil Nadu.[ citation needed ]
Thiagarajan Naidu had two daughters and two sons. He died on 27 April 1969 in Madurai. A memorial to him is maintained in NRT Nagr Theni. His son Dr.N.R.T.Rajkumar is a medical practitioner and served as the governor of Rotary district, and was also an active member of Indian National Congress.[ citation needed ] His son N.R.T.Rajkumar and Thiagarajan's grandson, Dr.T.R.Thiygarajan Naidu, run NRT Multi-specialty Hospital in Theni which provides affordable medical care to the community. His granddaughter Dr.R.Gomthi Ambika is serving the rural community as a medical practitioner.[ citation needed ]
Chakravarti Rajagopalachari BR, popularly known as Rajaji or C.R., also known as Mootharignar Rajaji, was an Indian statesman, writer, lawyer, and Indian independence activist. Rajagopalachari was the last Governor-General of India, as when India became a republic in 1950 the office was abolished. He was also the only Indian-born Governor-General, as all previous holders of the post were British nationals. He also served as leader of the Indian National Congress, Premier of the Madras Presidency, Governor of West Bengal, Minister for Home Affairs of the Indian Union and Chief Minister of Madras state. Rajagopalachari founded the Swatantra Party and was one of the first recipients of India's highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna. He vehemently opposed the use of nuclear weapons and was a proponent of world peace and disarmament. During his lifetime, he also acquired the nickname 'Mango of Salem'.
Ukkirapandi Muthuramalinga Thevar, also known as Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar, was a politician,Independence Activist,Freedom Fighter, patriarch of Thevar community. He was elected three times to the national Parliamentary Constituency. The birth anniversary of Muthuramalinga Thevar on October 30 is celebrated annually by the Thevar community in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu as Thevar Jayanthi.
Sir Ponnambala Thiaga Rajan was the First Minister of Madras Presidency from 4 April 1936, to 24 August 1936. He was also the last President of the Justice Party. P. T. Rajan was born in a Thondaimandala mudaliar family in Uthamapalayam. His ancestors were from Kanchipuram. He attended The Leys School, Cambridge and later, Jesus College, Oxford. He graduated in history and law, and practiced as an advocate for some time before joining the Justice Party.
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The Congress Reform Committee (CRC) was formed by a group of dissidents that left the Indian National Congress in the Madras State. The CRC was led by C. Rajagopalachari, who had been defeated by Kamaraj in the inner-party disputes over leadership of the Congress in Tamil Nadu. CRC was formed just one month before the 1957 elections to the Lok Sabha and the Madras state legislative assembly.
J.M. Haroon Rashid is an Indian politician and former member of the Parliament of India, representing the Theni Lok Sabha constituency. Haaroon Rashid is a leader of Indian National Congress.
George Joseph was a lawyer and Indian independence activist. One of the earliest and among the most prominent Syrian Christians from Kerala to join the freedom struggle, George's working life in Madurai and is remembered for his role in the Home Rule agitation and the Vaikom Satyagraha and for his editorship of Motilal Nehru's The Independent and Mahatma Gandhi's Young India.
P. Kakkan, known as Kakkan, was an Indian politician and freedom fighter who served as a member of the Constituent Assembly of India, Member of Parliament, President of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee and in various ministerial posts in Congress governments in the erstwhile Madras state between 1957 and 1967.
Kumaraswami Kamaraj, popularly known as Kamarajar was an Indian independence activist and politician who served as the Chief Minister of Madras from 13 April 1954 to 2 October 1963. He also served as the president of the Indian National Congress between 1964–1967 and was responsible for the elevation of Lal Bahadur Shastri and later Indira Gandhi to the position of Prime Minister of India, because of which he was widely acknowledged as the "Kingmaker" in Indian politics during the 1960s. Later, he was the founder and president of the Indian National Congress (O).
The fourth legislative assembly election of Madras State was held in February 1967. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) led coalition under the leadership of C.N. Annadurai won the election defeating the Indian National Congress (Congress). Anti-Hindi agitations, the rising prices of essential commodities, and a shortage of rice were the dominant issues. K. Kamaraj's resignation as the Chief Minister in 1963, to concentrate on party affairs, along with persistent rumors of corruption had weakened the incumbent Congress Government. This was the first time that a non-congress party had gained a single simple majority in a state assembly in India, second time after Communist Party of India winning Kerala assembly elections in 1957 for a non-Congress party alliance to gain the majority in a state in India, and the last time that Congress held power in Tamil Nadu. It marked the beginning of Dravidian dominance in the politics of Tamil Nadu. Annadurai, who became the first non-Congress chief minister of post-independence Tamil Nadu, died in office in 1969 and V.R. Nedunchezhiyan took over as acting chief minister. Since then, except for brief months of President's rule, only Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and its splitaway Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam have formed cabinets in the State.
The first legislative assembly Election to the Madras state based on universal adult suffrage was held in 27 March 1952. This was the first election held in Madras state after the Indian Independence. This election was officially known as the 1951 Madras State Election, even though through delays, actual voting didn't take place until early 1952.
The second legislative assembly election to the Madras state was held on 31 March 1957. This was the first election held after the linguistic reorganisation of Madras State in 1956. Indian National Congress and its leader, K. Kamaraj won the election and defeated their rival, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. In 1954, due to the resignation of C. Rajagopalachari, for his controversial Kula Kalvi Thittam, the leadership of Congress was contested between K. Kamaraj, and C. Subramaniam. Eventually, K. Kamaraj, won the support of the party, was elected leader and chief minister of Madras State in 1954. In a surprise move, he appointed both M. Bhaktavatsalam and C. Subramaniam, to his cabinet, allowing great unity amongst the Congress that ruled the state of Madras, for the next decade. This election saw future DMK leaders M. Karunanidhi and K. Anbazhagan win their first MLA seats in the legislative assembly.
The third legislative assembly election to the Madras state was held on 21 February 1962. The Indian National Congress party, led by K. Kamaraj, won the election. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam made significant in-roads in the election and emerged as the second party for the first time by winning 50 seats. 1962 Election remains the most recent election in which Indian National Congress to form a majority Government in the State as its support was heavily declined due to rise of Dravidian political parties.
R. Chidambara Bharathi was a freedom fighter and nationalist who spent 14 years in various prisons in northern India. He was also former Member of the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu.
T. M. Kaliyannan Gounder was an Indian politician who served as a member of the Provisional Parliament of India and as a member of the Legislative Assembly MLA, Member of the Legislative Council MLC of Tamil Nadu. He was the last surviving member of the first parliament of India and was one of the few surviving members of the first assembly of Tamil Nadu State. He played a crucial role in the development of Gandhi Ashram at Tiruchengode and in nurturing Gandhian values among the people of Tamil Nadu.
The second legislative assembly election for the Madras Presidency after the establishment of a bicameral legislature by the Government of India Act of 1935 was held in 1946. The election was held after 6 years of Governor's rule starting from 1939, when the Indian National Congress government of C. Rajagopalachari resigned protesting Indian involvement in World War II. This was the last election held in the presidency - after Indian independence in 1947, the presidency became the Madras state. The election was held simultaneously with that of the Legislative Council. The Congress swept the polls by winning 163 out of 215 seats. The years after this election saw factionalism in Madras Congress party with divisions across regional and communal lines. Competition among T. Prakasam, C. Rajagopalachari and K. Kamaraj resulted in the election of Prakasam as the prime minister initially. But he was later defeated by Omandur Ramaswamy Reddiar with Kamaraj's support. In turn, Reddiar himself was ousted to make way for P. S. Kumaraswamy Raja with the support of Kamaraj.
The second legislative council election for the Madras Presidency after the establishment of a bicameral legislature by the Government of India Act of 1935 was held in March 1946. The election was held after 6 years of Governor's rule starting from 1939, when the Indian National Congress government of C. Rajagopalachari resigned protesting Indian involvement in World War II. This was the last direct election held for the Madras Legislative Council in the presidency - after Indian independence in 1947, the presidency became the Madras state and direct elections to the council were abolished. The election was held simultaneously with that of the Legislative Assembly. The Congress swept the polls by winning 32 out of 46 seats. The years after this election saw factionalism in Madras Congress party with divisions across regional and communal lines. Competition among T. Prakasam, C. Rajagopalachari and K. Kamaraj resulted in the election of Prakasam as the Premier initially. But he was later defeated by Omandur Ramaswamy Reddiar with Kamaraj's support. In turn, Reddiar himself was ousted to make way for P. S. Kumaraswamy Raja with the support of Kamaraj.
Jothi Venkatachalam was an Indian politician who served as Governor of Kerala and Member of the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu.
Ekiri Sanjeevi Subramanya Raman is an Indian politician with the Tamil Maanila Congress and was formerly MLA for Pallipattu constituency in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. He is a diabetologist in his home town of Pothatturpettai. He represented Pallipattu from 1996–2001 and 2006–2011.
The first Legislative Assembly of Madras state was constituted in May 1952. This was following the first election held in Madras state after the Indian Independence.