Tamil Nadu Timeline

PoliticsRise of Dravidian rule

M. Karunanidhi becomes Chief Minister

· Fort St. George

M. Karunanidhi becomes Chief Minister
Government of Tamil Nadu, GODL-India · Wikimedia Commons

M. Karunanidhi succeeded Annadurai as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and later became president of the DMK.

After the death of C. N. Annadurai, M. Karunanidhi was chosen to lead the DMK government and was sworn in as Chief Minister on 10 February 1969. He became the first president of the DMK on 27 July 1969. His government pursued state autonomy, expanded welfare schemes and backward class reservation, and phased out hand-pulled rickshaws. His term continued after the 1971 election until the government was dismissed on 31 January 1976.

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  2. 1963

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      DMK drops demand for a separate Dravida Nadu

      After the Sino-Indian War and the anti-secession Sixteenth Amendment, the DMK abandoned its demand for an independent Dravida Nadu.

  3. 1967

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      C. N. Annadurai becomes Chief Minister

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  4. 1968

    1. 23 Jan 1968Fort St. GeorgeLanguage

      Assembly adopts the two-language policy

      The Madras Legislative Assembly scrapped the three-language formula and removed Hindi from the school curriculum, adopting Tamil and English.

  5. 1969

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  6. 1974

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      Following Karunanidhi's demand, Chief Ministers won the right to hoist the national flag on Independence Day, and he did so at Fort St. George.

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