Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Also called: DMK · Topic: Regional Aspirations: J&K, Punjab, the North-East and Accommodation · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 5 "Challenges to and Restoration of the Congress System"; Class 12, Ch 7 "Regional Aspirations"
Meaning
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) is a Tamil regional party. C.N. Annadurai founded it in 1949 when he broke away from the Dravidar Kazhagam. It stood for Tamil pride and fought Hindi imposition and north Indian domination. The 16th Amendment, 1963 made legislators swear to uphold India's sovereignty and integrity. After that, the DMK dropped its call for a separate country and worked through elections.
Example
The 1965 anti-Hindi agitation boosted the party, and it won the 1967 Madras assembly election. It was the first non-Congress party to win a state majority on its own. In 1972 M.G. Ramachandran split from it and formed the AIADMK.
Don't confuse with
- Dravidar Kazhagam (DK): Periyar's 1944 social movement, which did not fight elections to rule. The DMK split from it and became an election-fighting party.