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{{short description|Defunct political party in India}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
'''Thamizhaga Munnetra Munnani''' (1988-1989) was a short-lived political party found by veteran [[Tamil film]] actor [[Sivaji Ganesan]] in the year 1988. Sivaji Ganesan had a long running relation with many political parties, with his first movie itself being a propaganda movie of [[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]].

The party was born after a split in the Tamil Nadu faction of the [[Indian National Congress]]. The split itself was after another party [[All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]] broke into two fragments one led by [[V. N. Janaki|V. N. Janaki Ramachandran]] and other by [[J. Jayalalithaa]]. Ganesan and his supporters left the Congress on differences in opinion on which fragment of AIADMK to ally with in 1989 state elections.

Thamizhaga Munnetra Munnani backed Janaki Ramachandran's fragment of the party and lost in all seats it competed for. Ganesan eventually regretted his decision to float his own party and merged the party with [[Janata Dal]].

== Sivaji Ganesan ==
Sivaji Ganesan was one of the foremost stars of [[Tamil film industry]]. Born as V. C. Ganesan, he was christened Sivaji by [[Periyar E. V. Ramasami]], who was then leading the [[Dravidar Kazhagam]] and the [[Self-respect movement]], in the 1940s.<ref name=lode>
{{cite news
|last = Viswanathan
|first = S
|title = Tamil cinema's lodestar
|publisher = Frontline
|date = 2001-08-17
|url = http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1816/18161140.htm
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20021124144532/http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1816/18161140.htm
|url-status = usurped
|archive-date = 2002-11-24
|accessdate = 2009-01-21
}}
</ref> He debuted in the [[Tamil language|Tamil]] movie [[Parasakthi (1952 film)|Parasakthi]] in 1952, a movie which heavily contained elements of [[Dravidian politics]].<ref name=arch>
{{cite web
|last = Devdas
|first = Vijay
|title = Rethinking Transnational Cinema: The Case of Tamil Cinema
|publisher = Scenes of Cinema
|year = 2006
|url = http://archive.sensesofcinema.com/contents/06/41/transnational-tamil-cinema.html
|accessdate = 2009-01-21
|url-status = dead
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20081205041300/http://archive.sensesofcinema.com/contents/06/41/transnational-tamil-cinema.html
|archivedate = 2008-12-05
}}
</ref> Although Ganesan was a founder member of the [[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]] he found that [[atheistic]] outlook of the party to cost him his movie fame.<ref name=Hardgrave>
{{cite journal
| last = Hardgrave, Jr
| first = Robert L
| title = Politics and the Film in Tamilnadu: The Stars and the DMK
| journal = Asian Survey
| volume = 13
| issue = 3
| pages = 288–305
| publisher = JSTOR
|date=March 1973
| doi = 10.1525/as.1973.13.3.01p0314o| url = https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/bitstream/2152/34387/1/politicsandthefilm.pdf
}}
</ref> He was also frustrated with importance given to [[M. G. Ramachandran]], another movie star, in the party.<ref name=Hardgrave/> But yet he stayed on in the party until his visit to [[Tirumala Venkateswara Temple]] became a center of controversy within the DMK.<ref name=Hardgrave/> Responding to the controversy Ganesan called the DMK "a glamour party"<ref name=Hardgrave1>
{{cite journal
| last = Hardgrave, Jr
| first = Robert L.
| title = The DMK and the Politics of Tamil Nationalism
| journal = Pacific Affairs
| volume = 37
| issue = 4
| pages = 396–411
| publisher = JSTOR
| year = 1964
| doi = 10.2307/2755132
| jstor = 2755132}}
</ref> and moved to [[Tamil National Party]].<ref name=Hardgrave/> The Tamil National Party was itself formed by former members of DMK such as [[E. V. K. Sampath]]<ref name=Essays>{{cite book
| last = Hardgrave
| first = Robert. L
| title = Essays in the Political Sociology of South India
| publisher = Usha, 1979 (Originally published by [[University of Michigan]]
| year = 1979
| pages = 70
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=a6IsAAAAMAAJ
| isbn = 978-81-7304-052-8}}</ref> and [[Kannadasan]].<ref name=Iniyan>{{cite web
|last = Sampath
|first = Iniyan
|title = Famil background
|url = http://iniyan.in/familybackground.htm
|accessdate = 2008-01-21
|url-status = dead
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080120043547/http://www.iniyan.in/familybackground.htm
|archivedate = 2008-01-20
}}</ref> Later Ganesan joined the [[Indian National Congress]] when Tamil National Party was merged with it.<ref>{{cite web
| title = Sivaji Ganesan
| publisher = Upperstall
| url = http://www.upperstall.com/people/sivaji-ganesan
| accessdate = 2009-01-21}}</ref>

== Birth of Thamizhaga Munnetra Munnani ==
[[M. G. Ramachandran]] had been heading the [[All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]] (AIADMK) as its founding leader after his feud with [[M. Karunanidhi]] in 1972.<ref name=Prasad>
{{cite journal
|last = Prasad
|first = M Madhava
|title = Cine-Politics: On the Political Significance of Cinema in South India
|journal = Journal of Moving Image
|year = 1999
|url = http://www.cscsarchive.org/dataarchive/textfiles/textfile.2007-09-19.6796899113/file
|accessdate = 2009-01-21
|url-status = dead
|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20090211021917/http://www.cscsarchive.org/dataarchive/textfiles/textfile.2007-09-19.6796899113/file
|archivedate = 2009-02-11
}}
</ref> He had been the [[Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu]] since 1977 until his death in 1987.<ref name=Hardgrave/> Soon after his death the party broke into two, one headed by his wife [[V. N. Janaki|V. N. Janaki Ramachandran]] and other by another Tamil movie star [[J. Jayalalithaa]].<ref name=Divided>
{{cite book
| last = Thakurta
| first = Paranjoy Guha
|author2=Shankar Raghuraman
| title = A Time of Coalitions
| publisher = SAGE
| year = 2004
| pages = [https://archive.org/details/timeofcoalitions0000guha/page/235 235]–236
| url = https://archive.org/details/timeofcoalitions0000guha
| url-access = registration
| isbn = 0-7619-3237-2}}
</ref> [[Election Commission of India]] refused to accept either of them as the original AIADMK.<ref name=Divided/> Tamil Nadu Congress decided to ally with Jayalalitha's fragment of AIADMK.<ref name=cell>{{cite news
|last = Subramaniamn
|first = TS
|title = Celluloid connections
|publisher = Frontline
|date = 2004-07-30
|url = http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2115/stories/20040730003803600.htm
|accessdate = 2009-01-21
|url-status = usurped
|archiveurl = https://archive.today/20071114203713/http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2115/stories/20040730003803600.htm
|archivedate = 2007-11-14
}}
</ref> This move was opposed by Sivaji Ganesan and hence he left the party along with his supporters to form the new party '''Thamizhaga Munnetra Munnani'''<ref name=cell/> on 10 February 1988.<ref name=Sachi>{{cite news
| last = Kantha
| first = Sachi Sri
| title = Book Review: Autobiography of Actor-Politician Sivaji Ganesan
| publisher = Sangam
| date = 2008-11-09
| url = http://www.sangam.org/2008/11/Sivaji_Ganesan.php?uid=3155&print=true
| accessdate = 2009-01-21}}
</ref> To popularise the party Ganesan produce a movie titled ''En Thamizh En Makkal'' (My Tamil language and my people).<ref>{{cite news
| last = Kumar
| first = Ashok
| title = From MGR to Vijaykant, the film-politics nexus continues
| date = 2006-04-05
| url = http://www.hindu.com/2006/04/05/stories/2006040518720200.htm
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060409053933/http://www.hindu.com/2006/04/05/stories/2006040518720200.htm
| url-status = dead
| archive-date = 2006-04-09
| work = [[The Hindu]]
| accessdate = 2009-01-21}}
</ref> At the time the party was created it was considered to be pro-[[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]].<ref>{{cite news
| title = Shivaji Ganesan Biography
| publisher =Love India
| url = http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/shivaji-ganesan-biography-4090.html
| accessdate = 2009-02-21}}
</ref> The party opposed the presence of [[Indian Peace Keeping Force]] in [[Sri Lanka]] stating that the force was trying to wipe out the LTTE and its leader [[V. Prabhakaran]].<ref name=Jain>{{cite web
| title = Jain Commission Interim Report: Growth of Sri Lankan Tamil Militancy in Tamil Nadu. Chapter I - Phase II (1987-1988)
| publisher = on Tamil Nation website
| url = http://www.tamilnation.org/intframe/india/jaincommission/growth_of_tamil_militancy/ch1sec6.html
| accessdate = 2009-01-21}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}
</ref> The party also urged the Government of India to hold talks with the LTTE without any pre- condition.<ref name=Jain/>

== Merger with Janata Dal ==
The party lost every seat it contested for in the 1989 elections. Sivaji himself lost at [[Thiruvaiyaru (State Assembly Constituency)|Thiruvaiyaru]] to a DMK candidate by a margin of 10,643 votes.<ref name=Sachi/> Soon after the election he dissolved the party and asked his party cadres to join [[Janata Dal]]<ref>{{cite news
| last = Ramachandran
| first = K
| title = He strode Kollywood like a colossus
| date = 2001-07-22
| url = http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/2001/07/22/stories/0222000f.htm
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20030704115342/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/2001/07/22/stories/0222000f.htm
| url-status = dead
| archive-date = 2003-07-04
| work = [[The Hindu]]
| accessdate = 2009-01-21}}
</ref> which he himself did after an invitation from [[V. P. Singh]].<ref name=Sachi/> Later in his life Sivaji Ganesan regretted to have ever floated his own party and reportedly said: {{cquote|Many of the people with me were professional politicians. They had to remain in politics necessarily to make a living. I was compelled to start a party for their sake, although I did not require it.<ref name=Sachi/>}}

On other occasion he added:
{{cquote|The votes that I secured came from people of another party. It is true that I was defeated. This was a big disappointment and a very difficult situation that I faced. What could one do? When we take wrong decisions, we have to face disappointments.<ref name=Sachi/>}}

== See also ==
* [[Indian National Congress breakaway parties]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Defunct political parties in Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Dravidian political parties]]
[[Category:Political parties established in 1988]]
[[Category:Political parties disestablished in 1989]]
[[Category:1988 establishments in Tamil Nadu]]

Thamizhaga Munnetra Munnani - Revision history

->GreenC bot: Reformat 2 archive links. Wayback Medic 2.5