V. R. Nedunchezhiyan
V. R. Nedunchezhiyan (11 July 1920 – 12 January 2000) was an Indian politician and writer. He served thrice as the Chief Minister of the state of Tamil Nadu, India. He was also senior cabinet minister under the governments of C. N. Annadurai, M. Karunanidhi, M. G. Ramachandran and J. Jayalalithaa. For his literary contributions, he was also known as "Navalar" or the eloquent.[1]
V. R. Nedunchezhiyan
C. N. Annadurai
himself (acting)
Himself
G. Ponnu Pillai
Himself
Himself
- B. Bakshatvalasam
- Himself
- M. Karunanidhi
M. Aranganathan
E. V. A. Vallimuthu[Note 1]
11 July 1920
Thirukannapuram, Madras Presidency, British India
(present-day Tamil Nadu, India)
12 January 2000 (aged 79)
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
(1977-2000)
Dravidar Kazhagam
(1944-1949)
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
(1949-1977)
Makkal Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
(own party;1977)
Visalakshi
(m. 1950; d. 2016)
1 son
Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan (grandson)
Seethamma Colony, Teynampet, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Life and career[edit]
Nedunchezhiyan was born at Thirukannapuram on 11 July 1920. He graduated with a master's degree and a doctorate in Tamil literature from Annamalai University. He became involved in politics while at the university and joined the Dravidar Kazhagam party in 1944. In 1949, he and C. N. Annadurai formed the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), with the latter as leader and Nedunchezhiyan acting as deputy general secretary until 1955. He was general secretary between 1955 and 1960 and then chairman of the party's general council until 1969.[2]
Nedunchezhiyan was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu in 1962, succeeding K. S. G. Haja Shareef, who moved to a different constituency. In 1967, he became the Minister of Education when the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam took power. He was briefly acting Chief Minister for the state following C. N. Annadurai's death in 1969, taking the role until M. Karunanidhi was appointed. He then continued as a cabinet minister in the Karunanidhi cabinet until the DMK lost power in 1976.[2]
Together with K. Rajaram, Nedunchezhiyan left the DMK to form a new political party called the Makkal Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam but this did not last long. The party merged with the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), which was by then in government, in 1978 and from 1980 Nedunchezhiyan was again a cabinet minister, this time as a Minister of Finance under the leadership of AIADMK's M. G. Ramachandran, until 1987. Nedunchezhiyan acting as deputy general secretary as 1977 and 1989. He was general secretary as 1977 and 1989. He became acting Chief Minister in 1988 when Ramachandran died.
Nedunchezhiyan briefly aligned himself with the J. Jayalalithaa-led group within the AIADMK but was expelled from the party in 1988 after disputes with its leaders. He stood in the 1989 state elections and later that year returned to the party fold after Jayalalithaa had successfully reunified it. He then served as Minister of Finance again between 1991 and 1996.[2] Later, he served as General Council Leader Of AIADMK From 1996 to his death.
Personal life[edit]
He married his wife, Visalakshi (AIADMK Spokesperson), in 1950, and they had one son.[2]
Indian tennis player Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan is his grandson.
Death[edit]
He died on heart failure at Apollo Hospital on 12 January 2000. At that time, AIADMK General Secretary Jayalalithaa sent a letter to Karunanidhi, who was the Chief Minister, asking for a place to bury Nedunchezhiyan next to Anna. But the then DMK government rejected that demand. After this, Nedunchezhiyan's body was cremated in Besant Nagar cemetery.