About Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, translated as the 'Dravidian Progress Federation' is a breakaway faction of Periyar's political party called Dravida Kazhagam. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) was formed in the year 1949 by C.N. Annadurai. It is a regional
political party with a centre-left political position and political ideologies of Social Democracy, Democratic Socialism and Populism. Its mass base is in the states of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in India. It formed coalition with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) from 1999 to 2004. From 2004 to early 2013, the DMK was in alliance with the United Progressive Alliance (UPA-1 and UPA-2, respectively). In March 2013, the DMK withdrew support from the UPA, over the issue of alleged human rights violation on the Sri Lankan Tamils. Periyar carved out 'Dravida Kazhagam' from the Justice Party in 1944. The newly formed Dravida Kazhagam was seen as a political movement, demanding the creation of a separate state for Dravidians, which would not have Hindi as its official language. The Dravida Kazhagam, in other words, was a political party fighting for the cause of the anti-Hindi belt in the Madras Presidency. Soon however, differences began to creep in between Periyar and other members of the party. C.N. Annadurai, along with other senior leaders in the Dravida Kazhagam, such as N.V. Nataranjan, E.V.K. Sampath and others, split from the Dravida Kazhagam and formed the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
The present president of the party, leading the DMK from 1969 onwards, is M. Karunanidhi, who has remained the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Veteran superstar from the south, M.G. Ramachandran, popularly called M.G.R, was an active member of the DMK in its growing years. He had joined the party in 1953, popularizing the party ideologies, aims and objectives. However, there were tensions between Karunanidhi and M.G.R, over internal working and leadership struggle within the party. Soon M.G.R exited from the party, forming his own political party which famously came to be known as the AIADMK. Karunanidhi has hence, been the head of the DMK, taking all important decisions.
The DMK won the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections in 2006, with Karunanidhi as the Chief Minister from 2006 to 2011, when the AIADMK took over the governance of the state.
The symbol of the "Rising Sun" is significant as it directly links with the history of the Dravidian people and their political movement, which was carried forward by Periyar and his political initiatives. The aim of the Kazhagam, according to the party documents, is to strive and forge a Dravidian cultural co-operation among the four states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka. This co-operation is essentially to be on the lines of linguistic similarities, such as to fight the dominance of Hindi-speaking belt. In other words, the DMK's election symbol is prominent as it portrays a "rising" spirit of the Dravidian people, so as to bring to themselves, the lights of life, like the rays of the sun. The DMK aims to work within the ambit of the Indian Constitutional ideals of sovereignty, unity and integrity, along with the principles of democracy, socialism and secularism. In other words, the "Rising Sun" symbol is apt to describe the political ideals and aims of the DMK.
The present president of the party, leading the DMK from 1969 onwards, is M. Karunanidhi, who has remained the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Veteran superstar from the south, M.G. Ramachandran, popularly called M.G.R, was an active member of the DMK in its growing years. He had joined the party in 1953, popularizing the party ideologies, aims and objectives. However, there were tensions between Karunanidhi and M.G.R, over internal working and leadership struggle within the party. Soon M.G.R exited from the party, forming his own political party which famously came to be known as the AIADMK. Karunanidhi has hence, been the head of the DMK, taking all important decisions.
The DMK won the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections in 2006, with Karunanidhi as the Chief Minister from 2006 to 2011, when the AIADMK took over the governance of the state.
Election Symbol and its Significance
The Election Symbol of the DMK, as approved by the Election Commission of India, is the "Rising Sun" with the sun rising between two mountains. This symbol is very significant as people in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry immediately connect with the symbol. In fact, there is a English weekly by the name 'The Rising Sun' made available in the state of Tamil Nadu.The symbol of the "Rising Sun" is significant as it directly links with the history of the Dravidian people and their political movement, which was carried forward by Periyar and his political initiatives. The aim of the Kazhagam, according to the party documents, is to strive and forge a Dravidian cultural co-operation among the four states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka. This co-operation is essentially to be on the lines of linguistic similarities, such as to fight the dominance of Hindi-speaking belt. In other words, the DMK's election symbol is prominent as it portrays a "rising" spirit of the Dravidian people, so as to bring to themselves, the lights of life, like the rays of the sun. The DMK aims to work within the ambit of the Indian Constitutional ideals of sovereignty, unity and integrity, along with the principles of democracy, socialism and secularism. In other words, the "Rising Sun" symbol is apt to describe the political ideals and aims of the DMK.
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