Edappadi K. Palaniswami: Difference between revisions

{{short description|Indian politician}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}

| office              = [[Leader of Opposition|Leader of the Opposition]] in [[Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly]]

| 1blankname         = [[List of speakers of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly|Speaker]]

| governor1          = [[C. Vidyasagar Rao]] (Addit. charge)<br/>[[Banwarilal Purohit]]

| office7            = Joint Coordinator and Leader of Party Legislature Committee of the [[All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]]

| 1blankname7        = Chief Coordinator and Deputy Leader of Party Legislature Committee

| predecessor7        = ''Position established'' (for Join Coordinator) <br>[[O. Panneerselvam]] (as Leader of Party Legislature Committee)

| birth_date          = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1954|5|12}}

'''Edapaddi K. Palaniswami''' (born as '''Karuppa Gounder Palanisamy''' on 12 May 1954) is an Indian politician and the current [[Official Opposition (India)|leader of opposition]] in the [[Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/edappadi-k-palaniswami-to-be-leader-of-opposition-in-tamil-nadu-assembly/articleshow/82518216.cms | title=Edappadi K Palaniswami to be leader of opposition in Tamil Nadu assembly | publisher=[[The Times of India]] | work=Julie Mariappan | date=10 May 2021 | accessdate=11 May 2021}}</ref> He served as the 7th [[chief minister of Tamil Nadu|Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu]], from 2017 to 2021. He is also the joint coordinator of the [[All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]] party.

Edappadi Karuppa Palaniswami was born on 12 May 1954<ref name="LokSabha"/> to Karuppa Gounder and Thavasiyammal at Siluvampalayam, [[Salem district|Salem]], [[Madras State]], [[India]] (now in [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]]).<ref name="LokSabha"/><ref name=Who>{{cite news|url=http://www.livemint.com/Politics/LHz7tFFOYAE8wVXXJ6QqGP/Who-is-Edappadi-K-Palanisamy.html|title=Who is Edappadi K. Palaniswami?|first=Dharani|last=Thangavelu|date=15 February 2017|work=Mint|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170313040846/http://www.livemint.com/Politics/LHz7tFFOYAE8wVXXJ6QqGP/Who-is-Edappadi-K-Palanisamy.html|archive-date=13 March 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title= Profile |url= http://www.assembly.tn.gov.in/members/profile/086.htm |url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170217222740/http://www.assembly.tn.gov.in/members/profile/086.htm |archive-date= 17 February 2017 |df= dmy-all }}</ref> His parents were farmers. After completing school, he enrolled for [[Bachelor of Science|B.Sc]] degree in [[Sri Vasavi College]] but did not graduate. He was the students union leader at college. He has a brother Govindraj and a sister Ranjitham.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mariappan|first=Julie|date=13 October 2020|title=Edappadi K Palaniswami Mother: Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami's mother Dhavusayammal dies aged 93|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/tamil-nadu-chief-minister-edappadi-k-palaniswamis-mother-thavasi-ammal-dies-aged-93/articleshow/78631060.cms|access-date=31 January 2021|work=The Times of India|language=en}}</ref> He is married to Ratha Palaniswami and has one son and is an agriculturalist by occupation.<ref name="JayaTOI">{{cite web | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/from-jaggery-farmer-to-tamil-nadu-cm-eps-is-no-pushover/articleshow/82364519.cms | title=From jaggery farmer to Tamil Nadu CM, Edappadi K Palaniswami | publisher=[[The Times of India]] | work=Jaya Menon | date=3 May 2021 | accessdate=4 May 2021}}</ref><ref name="LokSabha"/><ref name=Who/>

Palaniswami entered politics as a volunteer for the [[All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|AIADMK]] in 1974.<ref name="JayaTOI"/> Later he became the key member of the party in [[Salem district]]. He was first elected to the [[Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly]] in 1989,representing [[Edappadi (state assembly constituency)|Edappadi]] constituency, and won re-election in 1991.<ref>{{cite web|title=1989 Tamil Nadu Election Results, Election Commission of India|url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1989/StatisticalReportTamilNadu89.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101006153620/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1989/StatisticalReportTamilNadu89.pdf|archive-date=6 October 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=1991 Tamil Nadu Election Results, Election Commission of India|url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1991/StatisticalReport-Tamil%20Nadu91.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161213100040/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1991/StatisticalReport-Tamil%20Nadu91.pdf|archive-date=13 December 2016}}</ref> He was elected [[Member of Parliament]], representing [[Tiruchengode (Lok Sabha constituency)|Tiruchengodu constituency]] in the [[12th Lok Sabha]]. He emerged a dominant force in the AIADMK in the Western belt during late 1990s . He was elected from Edappadi constituency in 2011<ref>{{cite web|title=List of MLAs from Tamil Nadu|url=http://www.elections.tn.gov.in/TNLA2011_Winner_Runner.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130402043414/http://www.elections.tn.gov.in/TNLA2011_Winner_Runner.pdf|archive-date=2 April 2013|publisher=Chief Electoral Officer, Tamil Nadu}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Council of Ministers, Govt. of Tamil Nadu|url=http://www.tn.gov.in/gov_ministers.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110825063610/http://www.tn.gov.in/gov_ministers.html|archive-date=25 August 2011|publisher=Govt. of Tamil Nadu}}</ref> and 2016<ref>{{cite web|title=2016 TN Assembly Election – Candidate Affidavit|url=http://docs2.myneta.info/affidavits/ews3tamilnadu2016/1577/PALANISWAMI%20K.PDF|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301010436/http://docs2.myneta.info/affidavits/ews3tamilnadu2016/1577/PALANISWAMI%20K.PDF|archive-date=1 March 2017|access-date=28 February 2017|publisher=myneta.info}}</ref> when the AIAMDK emerged as a ruling party. He slowly gained prominence as one of the strong confidants of [[J.Jayalalithaa]] along with [[O. Paneerselvam]] and [[C. Sreenivaasan|Dindigul C.Sreenivasan]]. He served as the Minister of Highways and Minor Ports in the [[J. Jayalalithaa]], [[O. Panneerselvam]] and in his own ministry from 2011.

[[File:The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Shri Edappadi K. Palaniswami calls on the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, in New Delhi on February 27, 2017.jpg|thumb|left|Palaniswami with Narendra Modi]]

In May 2018, police [[Thoothukudi violence|opened fire]] on protests against a Sterilite plant that was polluting local groundwater in Thoothukudi, killing 13 people. While ordering a one-man commission into the violence, Palaniswami also declared the shootings were in "self-defence."<ref>{{Cite news|title=Sterlite violence: 492 people questioned over 20 phases by Aruna Jagadeesan commission|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2020/may/22/sterlite-violence-492-people-questioned-over-20-phases-by-aruna-jagadeesan-commission-2146576.html|access-date=31 January 2021|work=The New Indian Express|date=22 May 2020}}</ref> On May 28, Palaniswami led Tamil Nadu Government ordered the permanently closure of the sterlite copper plant. “The [[J. Jayalalithaa|Amma]] government has issued an order to have the Sterlite plant closed down permanently in deference to the sentiments of the people of Thoothukudi,” then Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami told journalists in the evening after chairing a meeting of his party legislators at the AIADMK headquarters in Chennai.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Sterlite Copper to be permanently closed, says Tamil Nadu government|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/sterlite-copper-to-be-permanently-closed-says-tamil-nadu-government/article24014605.ece|date=28 May 2018|work=The Hindu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Indian copper plant shut down days after deadly protests|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/28/india-copper-plant-sterlite-vedanta-shut-down-deadly-protests|date=28 May 2018|work=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Tamil Nadu govt orders permanent shutdown of Sterlite copper plant in Thoothukudi|url=https://www.livemint.com/Industry/C1OMNDlJC0y1EVj1P5xlTI/Sterlite-protests-Panneerselvam-vows-to-shut-down-Thoothuku.html|date=28 May 2018|work=Live Mint}}</ref>

In 2019 he went on a 13-day tour in the United States, United Kingdom and United Arab Emirates to promote foreign investment in Tamil Nadu. While there he launched the ''Yaadhum Oore'' programme (lit. all countries, based on ''Puranauru'' 192) to encourage the Tamil diaspora to re-invest in Tamil Nadu, in the same line as other states with large NRI populations such as [[Kerala]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=After tapping silicon valley, TN eyes Tamil diaspora in 38 countries|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2020/oct/27/after-tapping-silicon-valley-tn-eyes-tamil-diaspora-in-38-countries-2215428.html|access-date=31 January 2021|work=The New Indian Express|date=27 October 2020}}</ref> During trip he secured 3 lakh crores worth of foreign investment, a greater amount than even his predecessor Jayalalithaa did.

In February 2020, Palaniswami led Tamil Nadu government declared the Cauvery delta region as a Protected Special Agriculture Zone. The announcement was widely hailed by political parties and farmers organisations.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Cauvery delta to be declared a protected agriculture zone|language=en-IN|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/cauvery-delta-to-be-declared-a-protected-agriculture-zone/article30778695.ece|access-date=10 February 2020|work=The Hindu|date=10 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Tamil Nadu declares Cauvery delta a protected agricultural zone|language=en-IN|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/tamil-nadu-declares-cauvery-delta-a-protected-agricultural-zone/story-Xu1rVqg7eFoJza6wrKrJAK.html|date=10 February 2020|work=hindustan times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Rules notified for Delta Agri Zone Act|language=en-IN|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2020/aug/27/rules-notified-for-delta-agri-zone-act-2188823.html|date=27 August 2020|work=new indian express}}</ref>

Under his governance, Tamil Nadu was rated as the best governed state based on a composite index in the context of sustainable development according to the Public Affairs Index-2020 released by the Public Affairs Centre in Oct 2020. Palaniswami is also praised for his administration during the coronavirus pandemic.

| Minister of Highways and Minor Ports and [[Tamil Nadu Public Works Department|Minister of Public Works]]|| 23 May 2016 || 15 February 2017

| [[Chief Minister]] || 16 February 2017 || 6 May 2021

* [[Edappadi K. Palaniswami ministry (2017–)]]

{{AIADMK/meta/color}}

[[Category:1954 births]]