A weekly opinion column argues that voting without understanding political history can be dangerous. The writer says Tamil Nadu’s political culture changed sharply after the Congress-era chief ministers, and claims the Dravidian period saw significant cultural decline.
The piece recounts how the DMK, founded by C N Annadurai in 1949, used actor M G Ramachandran (MGR) effectively for election campaigning, citing the party’s 1957 Assembly gains in constituencies where he contested. It adds that MGR later built his own organisational base through fan clubs and eventually formed a separate party.
The author describes C Rajagopalachari (Rajaji) as a key figure in forming alliances in 1967 that helped Annadurai become Chief Minister, calling him a pioneer of coalition politics in the state. The column also alleges that the DMK used issues such as the anti-Hindi agitation and the incident in which MGR was shot to blame the Congress and push it out of Tamil Nadu’s political space.
According to the article, tensions peaked in 1972 when MGR sought party accounts and was expelled, after which he launched the AIADMK. It further claims the DMK government faced corruption allegations, that MGR presented a list to then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and that the DMK ministry was dismissed with a commission set up to investigate.
The column goes on to say that money and patronage became central to elections and governance, alleging that liquor licences and private control of medical and technical colleges expanded under political influence. It concludes that both AIADMK and DMK grew into alternating ruling forces, and urges citizens to research leaders, alliances and incentives before voting.
