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Narendra Modi
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Narendra Modi
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Narendra Modi
14th Prime Minister of India
Incumbent
Assumed office
26 May 2014
President
Pranab Mukherjee
Preceded by
Manmohan Singh
14th Chief Minister of Gujarat
In office
7 October 2001
22 May 2014
Governor
Sunder Singh Bhandari
Kailashpati Mishra
Balram Jakhar
Nawal Kishore Sharma
S. C. Jamir
Kamla Beniwal
Preceded by
Keshubhai Patel
Succeeded by
Anandiben Patel
Member of the Indian Parliament for Varanasi
Incumbent
Assumed office
16 May 2014
Preceded by
Murli Manohar Joshi
Member of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly for Maninagar
In office
1 January 2002 16 May 2014
Preceded by
Kamlesh Patel
Succeeded by
Suresh Patel
Personal details
Born
Narendra Damodardas Modi
17 September 1950 (age 66)
Vadnagar, Bombay State (presently Gujarat), India
Political party Bharatiya Janata Party
Spouse(s)
Jashodaben Modi (m. 1968) (estranged)
Residence
7, Lok Kalyan Marg, New Delhi
Alma mater
University of Delhi
Gujarat University
Religion
Hinduism
Signature
Website
Official website
Government website
PM Modi Portrait(cropped).jpgThis article is part of a series about
Narendra Modi
Early life and education Public image
Early political career
Gujarat Legislative Assembly
2002 2007 2012
Prime Minister of India
Campaign Achhe din aane waale hain Modi Aane Wala Hai Swearing-in Council of Min

isters Timeline Mann Ki Baat International trips Premiership

National policy [show]
Foreign policy [show]
Signature of Narendra Modi (Hindi).svg
Prime Minister of India
v t e
Narendra Damodardas Modi (Gujarati: ['n??e?nd?r? d?a?mo?d???'d?a?s 'mo?d?i?] ( l
isten), born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who is the 14th and curr
ent Prime Minister of India, in office since 26 May 2014. Modi, a leader of the
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 201
4, and is the Member of Parliament from Varanasi.
Born to a Gujarati OBC family in Vadnagar, Modi helped his father sell tea as a
child, and later ran his own stall. He was introduced to the right-wing Hindu na
tionalist organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh at the age of eight, beginnin
g a long association with the organisation. He left home after graduating from s
chool, partly because of an arranged marriage which he rejected. Modi traveled a
round India for two years, and visited a number of religious centres. He returne
d to Gujarat and moved to Ahmedabad in 1969 or 1970. In 1971 he became a full-ti
me worker for the RSS. During the state of emergency imposed across the country
in 1975, Modi was forced to go into hiding. The RSS assigned him to the BJP in 1
985, and he held several positions within the party hierarchy until 2001, rising
to the rank of general secretary.
Modi was appointed chief minister of Gujarat in 2001, due to Keshubhai Patel's f
ailing health and poor public image following the earthquake in Bhuj. Modi was e
lected to the legislative assembly soon after. His administration has been seen
as complicit in the 2002 Gujarat riots,[1][2][3][4][5] or otherwise criticized f
or its handling of it, although a court found no evidence to prosecute Modi.[6][
7] His policies as chief minister, credited with encouraging economic growth, ha
ve received praise,[8] and several industrial projects were begun during his ten
ure. His administration has been criticised for failing to significantly improve
health, poverty, and education indices in the state.[4][5]
Modi led the BJP in the 2014 general election, which gave the party a majority i
n the Lok Sabha, the first time a single party had achieved this since 1984. Mod
i himself was elected to parliament from Varanasi. Since taking office, Modi's a
dministration has encouraged foreign direct investment in the Indian economy, in
creased spending on infrastructure, and reduced spending on health and social we
lfare programs. Modi has encouraged efficiency in the bureaucracy, and centraliz
ed power through the abolition of the planning commission. Modi has begun a high
-profile sanitation campaign, and loosened environmental and labor laws. A Hindu
nationalist and member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Modi remains a
controversial figure domestically and internationally.[4][9][10][11][12][13][14
]
Contents [hide]
1
Early life and education
2
Early political career, 1975 2001
3
Chief Minister of Gujarat
3.1
Taking office
3.2
2002 Gujarat riots
3.3
2002 election
3.4
Second term
3.5
Development projects
3.6
Development debate
3.7
Final years

4
2014 Indian general election
5
Prime Minister
5.1
Economic policies
5.2
Health and sanitation policies
5.3
Hindutva and education policy
5.4
Foreign policy
5.5
Defence policy
5.6
Environmental policies
5.7
Governance and other initiatives
6
Personal life
7
Image
8
Books
9
Awards and recognition
9.1
State honours
10
References
10.1
Notes
10.2
Citations
10.3
Sources
11
Further reading
12
External links
Early life and education
Narendra Modi was born on 17 September 1950 to a family of grocers in Vadnagar,
Mehsana district, Bombay State (present-day Gujarat). He was the third of six ch
ildren born to Damodardas Mulchand Modi (c.1915 - 1989) and Hiraben Modi.[15] Mo
di's family belonged to the Modh-Ghanchi-Teli (oil-presser) community,[16][17][1
8][19] which is categorised as an Other Backward Class by the Indian government.
[19][20]
As a child, Modi helped his father sell tea at the Vadnagar railway station, and
later ran a tea stall with his brother near a bus terminus.[21][22] Modi comple
ted his higher secondary education in Vadnagar in 1967, where a teacher describe
d him as an average student and a keen debater, with an interest in theatre.[21]
Modi had an early gift for rhetoric in debates, and this was noted by his teach
ers and students.[23] Modi preferred playing larger-than-life characters in thea
trical productions, which has influenced his political image.[24][25]
Modi being fed by his mother
Modi with his mother, Hiraben, on his 63rd birthday on 17 September 2013.
At age eight, Modi discovered the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and began a
ttending its local shakhas (training sessions). There, Modi met Lakshmanrao Inam
dar, popularly known as Vakil Saheb, who inducted him as a balswayamsevak (junio
r cadet) for RSS and became his political mentor.[26] While Modi was training wi
th the RSS, he also met Vasant Gajendragadkar and Nathalal Jaghda, Bharatiya Jan
a Sangh leaders who were founding members of the BJP's Gujarat unit in 1980.[27]
[28]
Engaged while still a child to a local girl, Jashodaben Narendrabhai Modi, Modi
rejected the arranged marriage at the same time he graduated from high school.[2
9] The resulting familial tensions contributed to his decision to leave home in
1967.[30]
Modi spent the ensuing two years travelling across Northern and North-eastern In
dia, though few details of where he went have emerged.[31] In interviews, Modi h
as described visiting Hindu ashrams founded by Swami Vivekananda: the Belur Math
near Kolkata, followed by the Advaita Ashrama in Almora and the Ramakrishna Mis
sion in Rajkot. Modi remained only a short time at each, since he lacked the req
uired college education.[32][33][34] "Modi's life is said to have Vivekananda's
deep influence. People close to Modi have often been quoted, saying that Modi ha
s molded many aspects of his life as Vivekananda's."[35]

Reaching the Belur Math in the early summer of 1968 and being turned away, Modi
wandered through Calcutta, West Bengal and Assam, stopping by Siliguri and Guwah
ati.[36] Modi then went to the Ramakrishna Ashram in Almora, where he was again
rejected, before travelling back to Gujarat via Delhi and Rajasthan in 1968 69.[37
] Sometime in late 1969 or early 1970, Modi returned to Vadnagar for a brief vis
it before leaving again for Ahmedabad.[38] There, Modi lived with his uncle, wor
king in the latter's canteen at the Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation.[39
][40]
In Ahmedabad, Modi renewed his acquaintance with Inamdar, who was based at Hedge
war Bhavan (RSS headquarters) in the city.[41][42][43] After the Indo-Pakistani
War of 1971, he stopped working for his uncle and became a full-time pracharak (
campaigner) for the RSS.[40] In 1978, Modi became an RSS sambhag pracharak (regi
onal organiser), and received a degree in Political Science after a distance-edu
cation course from Delhi University.[44][45] Five years later, he received a Mas
ter of Arts degree in political science from Gujarat University in 1982.[46][47]
Early political career, 1975 2001
On 26 June 1975, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency in I
ndia which lasted until 1977. During this period, many of her political opponent
s were jailed and opposition groups (including the RSS) were banned.[48][49] As
pracharak in-charge of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the studen
t wing of the RSS, Modi was forced to go underground in Gujarat and frequently t
ravelled in disguise to avoid arrest. He became involved in printing pamphlets o
pposing the government, sending them to Delhi and organising demonstrations.[21]
[50][51][52] During this period, Modi wrote a book in Gujarati, Sangharsh Ma Guj
arat (In The Struggles of Gujarat), describing events during the Emergency.[53][
54]
He was assigned by the RSS to the BJP in 1985.[27] In 1988, Modi was elected org
anising secretary of the party's Gujarat unit, marking his entrance into elector
al politics.[44][55] He rose within the party, helping organise L. K. Advani's 1
990 Ram Rath Yatra in 1990 and Murli Manohar Joshi's 1991 92 Ekta Yatra (Journey f
or Unity).[21][56] As party secretary, Modi's electoral strategy was considered
central to BJP victory in the 1995 state assembly elections.[27][57][58] In Nove
mber of that year Modi was elected BJP national secretary and transferred to New
Delhi, where he assumed responsibility for party activities in Haryana and Hima
chal Pradesh.[57][59] The following year, Shankersinh Vaghela (one of the most p
rominent BJP leaders in Gujarat) defected to the INC after losing his parliament
ary seat in the Lok Sabha elections.[21] Modi, on the selection committee for th
e 1998 Assembly elections in Gujarat, favoured supporters of BJP leader Keshubha
i Patel over those supporting Vaghela to end factional division in the party. Hi
s strategy was credited as key to the BJP winning an overall majority in the 199
8 elections,[57][60] and Modi was promoted to BJP general secretary (organisatio
n) in May of that year.[61]
Chief Minister of Gujarat
Taking office
Modi flanked by three other men at a table
Modi and his cabinet ministers at a Planning Commission meeting in New Delhi, 20
13.
In 2001, Keshubhai Patel's health was failing and the BJP lost a few state assem
bly seats in by-elections. Allegations of abuse of power, corruption and poor ad
ministration were made, and Patel's standing had been damaged by his administrat
ion's handling of the earthquake in Bhuj in 2001.[57][62][63] The BJP national l
eadership sought a new candidate for chief minister, and Modi, who had expressed
misgivings about Patel's administration, was chosen as a replacement.[21] Altho
ugh senior BJP leader L. K. Advani did not want to ostracise Patel and was conce
rned about Modi's lack of experience in government, Modi declined an offer to be
Patel's deputy chief minister, telling Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee that he

was "going to be fully responsible for Gujarat or not at all". On 3 October 2001
he replaced Patel as Chief Minister of Gujarat, with the responsibility of prep
aring the BJP for the December 2002 elections.[64] On 7 October 2001, Modi was a
dministered the oath of office.[65] On 24 February 2002 he won a by-election to
the Rajkot
II assembly constituency, defeating Ashwin Mehta of the Indian Nation
al Congress (INC) by 14,728 votes, which enabled him to take office.[66]
2002 Gujarat riots
Main article: 2002 Gujarat riots
On 27 February 2002, a train with several hundred passengers was burned near God
hra, killing approximately 60 people.[a] The train carried a large number of Hin
du pilgrims returning from Ayodhya after a religious ceremony at the site of the
demolished Babri Masjid.[69][70] In making a public statement after the inciden
t, Modi said that the attack had been pre-planned terror attack by local Muslims
.[3][69][71] The next day, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad called for a bandh across t
he state.[72][73] Riots began during the bandh, and anti-Muslim violence spread
through Gujarat.[69][72][73] The government's decision to move the bodies of the
train victims from Godhra to Ahmedabad had the effect of further inflaming the
violence.[69][74] The state government stated later that 790 Muslims and 254 Hin
dus were killed.[75] Independent sources put the death toll at over 2000.[69][76
] Approximately 150,000 people were driven to refugee camps.[77] Numerous women
and children were among the victims; the violence included mass rapes and mutila
tions of women.[2]
The government of Gujarat itself is generally considered by scholars to have bee
n complicit in the riots,[1][2][3] and has otherwise received heavy criticism fo
r its handling of the situation.[78] Several scholars have described the violenc
e as a pogrom, while others have called it an example of state terrorism.[79][80
][81] Summarising academic views on the subject, Martha Nussbaum said: "There is
by now a broad consensus that the Gujarat violence was a form of ethnic cleansi
ng, that in many ways it was premeditated, and that it was carried out with the
complicity of the state government and officers of the law."[2] The Modi governm
ent imposed a curfew in 26 major cities, issued shoot-at-sight orders and called
for the army to patrol the streets, but was unable to prevent the violence from
escalating.[72][73] The president of the state unit of the BJP expressed suppor
t for the bandh, despite such actions being illegal at the time.[3] State offici
als later prevented riot victims from leaving the refugee camps, and the camps w
ere often unable to meet the needs of those living there.[82] Muslim victims of
the riots were subject to further discrimination when the state government annou
nced that compensation for Muslim victims would be half of that offered to Hindu
s, although this decision was later reversed after the issue was taken to court.
[83] During the riots, police officers often did not intervene in situations whe
re they were able.[2][71][84] In 2012 Maya Kodnani, a minister in Modi's governm
ent from 2007 to 2009, was convicted of participation in the Naroda Patiya massa
cre during the 2002 riots.[85][86] Although Modi's government had announced that
it would seek the death penalty for Kodnani on appeal, it reversed its decision
in 2013.[87][88]
Modi's personal involvement in the 2002 events has continued to be debated. Duri
ng the riots, Modi said that "What is happening is a chain of action and reactio
n."[2] Later in 2002, Modi said the way in which he had handled the media was hi
s only regret regarding the episode.[89] Modi has not offered an apology for the
riots.[90] In March 2008, the Supreme Court reopened several cases related to t
he 2002 riots, including that of the Gulbarg Society massacre, and established a
Special Investigation Team (SIT) to look into the issue.[78][91][92] In respons
e to a petition from Zakia Jafri (widow of Ehsan Jafri, who was killed in the Gu
lbarg Society massacre), in April 2009 the court also asked the SIT to investiga
te the issue of Modi's complicity in the killings.[91] The SIT questioned Modi i
n March 2010; in May, it presented to the court a report finding no evidence aga
inst Modi.[91][93] In July 2011, the court-appointed amicus curiae Raju Ramachan

dran submitted his final report to the court. Contrary to the SIT's position, he
said that Modi could be prosecuted based on the available evidence.[94][95] The
Supreme Court gave the matter to the magistrate court. The SIT examined Ramacha
ndran's report, and in March 2012 submitted its final report, asking for the cas
e to be closed. Zakia Jaffri filed a protest petition in response. In December 2
013 the magistrate court rejected the protest petition, accepting the SIT's find
ing that there was no evidence against the chief minister.[96]
2002 election
Modi and former Prime Minister Vajpayee looking at a blue-covered report
Modi with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2002.
In the aftermath of the violence came widespread calls for Modi to resign as chi
ef minister from within and outside the state, including leaders of the Dravida
Munnetra Kazhagam and the Telugu Desam Party (allies in the BJP-led National Dem
ocratic Alliance coalition), and opposition parties stalled Parliament over the
issue.[97] Modi submitted his resignation, which was not accepted, at the April
2002 BJP national executive meeting in Goa.[98] His cabinet had a 19 July 2002 e
mergency meeting, offered its resignation to the Gujarat Governor S. S. Bhandari
and the assembly was dissolved.[99][100] Despite opposition from the election c
ommissioner, who said that a number of voters were still displaced, Modi succeed
ed in advancing the election to December 2002.[101] In the elections, the BJP wo
n 127 seats in the 182-member assembly.[102] Although Modi later denied it, he m
ade significant use of anti-Muslim rhetoric during his campaign,[103][104][105][
106] and the BJP profited by the division of the vote along religious lines.[101
] Modi hired the public relations firm APCO Worldwide to manage his image.[101]
He won the Maninagar constituency, receiving 1,13,589 of 1,54,981 votes and defe
ating INC candidate Yatin Oza by 75,333 votes.[107] On 22 December 2002, Bhandar
i swore Modi in for a second term.[108] Modi framed the criticism of his governm
ent for human rights violations as an attack upon Gujarati pride, a strategy whi
ch led to the BJP winning two thirds of the seats in the state assembly.[1][103]
Modi's public speeches during the election campaign had been focused on the 2002
riots, but after the election, the stated agenda of the government shifted towa
rd economic development.[1][103] Modi organized a "Vibrant Gujarat" summit, wher
e Gujarat was advertised as an attractive destination for private investment. Du
ring the summit, which would later become a biennial event, Modi offered financi
al incentives to investors, and also referred to Gujarat's culture as a factor w
hich made the state well-suited for business. Modi's rhetoric at the time was ai
med at a middle-class Hindu audience and sought to consolidate a Gujarati cultur
al identity based on upper-caste, Hindu cultural elements.[1] However, after the
2002 election the BJP reduced the use of anti-Muslim rhetoric in its campaigns
in favor of statements about economic development.[1]
Second term
After an election campaign in which the BJP benefited from religious polarisatio
n among the voters, during Modi's second term the rhetoric of the government shi
fted from Hindutva to Gujarat's economic development.[62] Modi curtailed the inf
luence of Sangh Parivar organisations such as the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) an
d the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP),[109] entrenched in the state after the declin
e of Ahmedabad's textile industry,[62] and dropped Gordhan Zadafia (an ally of f
ormer Sangh co-worker and VHP state chief Praveen Togadia) from his cabinet. Whe
n the BKS staged a farmers' demonstration Modi ordered their eviction from state
-provided houses, and his decision to demolish 200 illegal temples in Gandhinaga
r deepened the rift with the VHP.[109][110] Sangh organisations were no longer c
onsulted or informed in advance about Modi's administrative decisions.[109] None
theless, Modi retained connections with some Hindu nationalists. Modi wrote a fo
rward to a textbook by Dinanath Batra released in 2014, which stated that ancien
t India possessed technologies including test-tube babies.[111][112]
Modi's relationship with Muslims continued to be criticised. Prime Minister Atal

Bihari Vajpayee (who asked Modi for tolerance in the aftermath of the 2002 Guja
rat violence and supported his resignation as chief minister)[113][114] distance
d himself, reaching out to North Indian Muslims before the 2004 Lok Sabha electi
ons. After the elections Vajpayee called the violence in Gujarat a reason for th
e BJP's electoral defeat and said it had been a mistake to leave Modi in office
after the riots.[115][116]
Questions about Modi's relationship with Muslims were also raised by many Wester
n nations during his tenure as chief minister. Modi was barred from entering the
United States under a provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act banning
violators of religious freedom,[117] the only person denied a US visa under this
provision.[118] The UK and the European Union refused to admit him because of w
hat they saw as his role in the riots. As Modi rose to prominence in India, the
UK[119] and the EU[120] lifted their bans in October 2012 and March 2013, respec
tively, and after his election as prime minister he was invited to Washington.[1
21][122]
During the run-up to the 2007 assembly elections and the 2009 general election,
the BJP ramped up its rhetoric on terrorism.[123] On 18 July 2006, Modi criticis
ed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh "... for his reluctance to revive anti-terror l
egislation" such as the 2002 Prevention of Terrorism Act. He asked the national
government to allow states to invoke tougher laws in the wake of the 2006 Mumbai
blasts[124] and demanded the execution of Afzal Guru,[125] who was convicted of
involvement in the 2001 Indian Parliament attack.[126] After the November 2008
Mumbai attacks Modi held a meeting to discuss the security of Gujarat's 1,600-ki
lometre (990 mi)-long coastline, resulting in government authorisation of 30 hig
h-speed surveillance boats.[127] In July 2007 Modi completed 2,063 consecutive d
ays as chief minister of Gujarat, making him the longest-serving holder of that
post,[128] and the BJP won 122 of 182 state-assembly seats in that year's electi
on.[129]
Development projects
The Sardar Sarovar Dam during a 2006 height increase.
Modi unties a ceremonial red ribbon before a crowd of onlookers
Modi at a hospital dedication in Kheda district in 2013.
As Chief Minister, Modi favoured privatisation and small government, which was a
t odds with the philosophy of the RSS, usually described as anti-privatisation a
nd anti-globalisation.[62] His policies during his second term have been credite
d with reducing corruption in the state.[62] He established financial and techno
logy parks in Gujarat and during the 2007 Vibrant Gujarat summit, real-estate in
vestment deals worth ?6.6 trillion were signed in the state.[62] Modi's administ
ration branded Gujarat as a state of dynamic development, economic growth and pr
osperity with the slogan "Vibrant Gujarat".[1][130][131]
The governments led by Patel and Modi supported NGOs and communities in the crea
tion of groundwater-conservation projects. By December 2008 500,000 structures h
ad been built, of which 113,738 were check dams, which helped recharge the aquif
ers beneath them.[132] Sixty of the 112 tehsils which had depleted the water tab
le in 2004 had regained their normal groundwater levels by 2010.[133] As a resul
t, the state's production of genetically modified genetically modified cotton in
creased to become the largest in India.[132] The boom in cotton production and i
ts semi-arid land use[134] led to Gujarat's agricultural growing at an average r
ate of 9.6 percent from 2001 to 2007.[135] Public irrigation measures in central
and southern Gujarat, such as the Sardar Sarovar Dam, were less successful.[132
] The Sardar Sarovar project only irrigated 4 6% of the area it was supposed to.[1
32] Nonetheless, from 2001 to 2010 Gujarat recorded an agricultural growth rate
of 10.97 percent the highest of any state.[134] However, sociologists have point
ed out that the growth rate under the 1992 97 INC government was 12.9 percent.[136
]

In 2008 Modi offered land in Gujarat to Tata Motors to set up a plant manufactur
ing the Nano.[137] This happened after a popular agitation had forced the compan
y to move out of West Bengal.[137] Several other companies followed the Tata's t
o Gujarat.[137]
The Modi government completed the process of bringing electricity to every villa
ge in Gujarat, which had been nearly completed under the previous administration
.[136] Modi significantly changed the state's system of power distribution, grea
tly impacting farmers. Gujarat expanded the Jyotigram Yojana scheme, in which ag
ricultural electricity was separated from other rural electricity; the agricultu
ral electricity was rationed to fit scheduled irrigation demands, reducing its c
ost. Although early protests by farmers ended when those who benefited found tha
t their electricity supply had stabilised,[132] according to an assessment study
corporations and large farmers benefited from the policy at the expense of smal
l farmers and labourers.[138]
Development debate
Modi speaking at flower-decked podium
Modi addressing graduates of the Gujarat National Law University in 2012.
There has been a contentious debate surrounding the development of the state of
Gujarat during Modi's tenure as chief minister.[139] The GDP growth rate of Guja
rat averaged 10% during Modi's tenure, a value above that of the country as a wh
ole, and similar to other highly industrialised states.[137] Gujarat also had a
high rate of economic growth in the 1990s, before Modi took office.[140] Some sc
holars have stated the rate of growth did not accelerate during Modi's tenure,[1
40] although the state is considered to have maintained a high growth rate durin
g Modi's Chief Ministership.[83] Under Modi, Gujarat topped the World Bank's "ea
se of doing business" rankings among Indian states for two consecutive years.[14
1] In 2013, Gujarat was ranked first among Indian states for "economic freedom"
by a report measuring governance, growth, citizens' rights and labour and busine
ss regulation among the country's 20 largest states.[137][142] In the later year
s of Modi's government, Gujarat's economic growth was frequently used as an argu
ment to counter allegations of communalism.[1] Tax breaks for businesses were ea
sier to obtain in Gujarat than in other states, as was land. Modi's policies to
make Gujarat attractive for investment included the creation of Special Economic
Zones, where labor laws were greatly weakened.[103]
Despite its growth rate, Gujarat had a relatively poor record on human developme
nt, poverty relief, nutrition and education during Modi's tenure. In 2013, Gujar
at ranked 13th in the country with respect to rates of poverty and 21st in educa
tion. Nearly 45 percent of children under five were underweight and 23 percent w
ere undernourished, putting the state in the "alarming" category on the India St
ate Hunger Index.[143][144] A study by UNICEF and the Indian government found th
at Gujarat under Modi had a poor record with respect to immunisation in children
.[145]
Over the decade from 2001 to 2011, Gujarat did not change its position relative
to the rest of the country with respect to poverty and female literacy, remainin
g near the median of the 29 Indian states.[83] It showed only a marginal improve
ment in rates of infant mortality, and its position with respect to individual c
onsumption declined.[83] With respect to the quality of education in government
schools, the state ranked below most Indian states.[83] The social policies of t
he government generally did not benefit Muslims, Dalits, and Adivasis, and gener
ally increased social inequalities.[83] Under Modi, the state government spent f
ar less than the national average on education and healthcare.[83]
Development in Gujarat was generally limited to the urban middle class, and citi
zens in rural areas or from lower castes were increasingly marginalised. In 2013
the state ranked 10th of 21 Indian states in the Human Development Index. Polit

ical Scientist Christophe Jaffrelot says that under Modi the number of families
below the poverty line has increased and conditions for rural adivasi and dalits
, in particular, have declined.[146] In July 2013 economics Nobel Laureate Amart
ya Sen expressed disapproval of Modi's governance record, saying that under his
administration Gujarat's "record in education and healthcare is pretty bad".[147
]
However, economists Arvind Panagariya and Jagdish Bhagwati say that Gujarat's so
cial indicators have improved from a lower baseline than that of other Indian st
ates. According to them, Gujarat's performance in raising literacy rates has bee
n superior to other states and the "rapid" improvement of health indicators is e
vidence that "its progress has not been poor by any means."[148]
Final years
Modi talking to a woman; both are seated.
Modi with Anandiben Patel at a meeting of BJP MLAs after his election as prime m
inister; Patel succeeded him as Gujarat chief minister.
Further information: Gujarat Legislative Assembly election, 2012
During the 2012 campaign, Modi attempted to identify himself with the state of G
ujarat, a strategy similar to that used by Indira Gandhi during the Emergency, a
nd projected himself as protecting Gujarat against persecution by the rest of In
dia.[103]
Despite the BJP's shift away from explicit Hindutva, Modi's election campaign in
2007 and 2012 contained elements of Hindu nationalism. Modi only attended Hindu
religious ceremonies, and had prominent associations with Hindu religious leade
rs. During his 2012 campaign he twice refused to wear articles of clothing gifte
d by Muslim leaders.[103] He did, however, maintain relations with Dawoodi Bohra
.[103] His campaign included references to issues known to cause religious polar
ization, including to Afzal Guru and the killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh. The BJP
did not nominate any Muslim candidates for the assembly election of 2012.[103]
While campaigning for the 2012 assembly elections, Modi made extensive use of ho
lograms and other technologies allowing him to reach a large number of people,[1
01] something he would repeat in the 2014 general election. In the 2012 Gujarat
Legislative Assembly elections, Modi won the constituency of Maninagar by 86,373
votes over Shweta Bhatt, the INC candidate and wife of Sanjiv Bhatt.[149] The B
JP won 115 of the 182 seats, continuing its majority during his tenure[150] and
allowing the party to form the government (as it had in Gujarat since 1995).[151
] In later by-elections the BJP won four more assembly seats and two Lok Sabha s
eats held by the INC, although Modi did not campaign for its candidates.[152] In
2013, the Wharton India Economic Forum (WIEF) at the Wharton School of the Univ
ersity of Pennsylvania cancelled a keynote video-conference speech by Modi follo
wing protests by Indian-Americans.[153] After his election as prime minister, Mo
di resigned as the chief minister and as an MLA from Maninagar on 21 May 2014. A
nandiben Patel succeeded him as the chief minister.[154]
2014 Indian general election
Main article: Bharatiya Janata Party campaign for Indian general election, 2014
Modi addressing a large crowd from a podium
Modi addressing a rally in Meerut during the 2014 general election campaign.
On 31 March 2013 Modi was appointed to the BJP parliamentary board, the highest
decision-making body in the party,[155][156] and at a meeting of the party's nat
ional executive on 9 June he was appointed chair of the BJP's central election c
ampaign committee for the 2014 general election.[155][157] BJP founding member L
. K. Advani resigned his party posts after the appointment, citing concern with
leaders who were "concerned with their personal agendas". His resignation, which
was described as being a protest against Modi's elevation, was withdrawn the fo
llowing day at the urging of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.[158] In September 2013, th
e BJP announced that the chief minister would be their candidate for prime minis

ter in the 2014 Lok Sabha election.[157][159] Other BJP leaders also initially e
xpressed opposition to Modi's candidature.[155] Modi's nomination also drew atte
ntion for his reputation as "one of contemporary India's most controversial and
divisive politicians."[139]
Modi played a dominant role in the BJP's 2009 general-election campaign.[160][16
1] Several people who voted for the BJP stated that if Modi had not been the pri
me-ministerial candidate, they would have voted for another party.[162] The BJP
projected an image of Modi as a strong, masculine leader, who would be able to t
ake difficult decisions.[139][155][157][162][163] The focus on Modi as an indivi
dual was unusual for a BJP election campaign.[155][164] The election was describ
ed as a referendum on Narendra Modi.[139]
During the campaign, Modi focused on the corruption scandals under the previous
INC government, and played on his image as a politician who had created a high r
ate of GDP growth in Gujarat.[139][155] Modi projected himself as a person who c
ould bring about "development," without focus on any specific policies.[155] His
message found support among young Indians and among middle-class citizens.[139]
The BJP under Modi was able to downplay concerns about the protection of religi
ous minorities and Modi's commitment to secularism, areas in which he had previo
usly received criticism.[139] Prior to the election Modi's image in the media ha
d centered around his role in the 2002 Gujarat riots, but during the campaign th
e BJP was able to shift this to a focus on Modi's neoliberal ideology and the Gu
jarat model of development.[161] Although the BJP avoided issues of Hindu nation
alism to an extent, Hindutva remained a significant part of its campaign.[155][1
62][165] Through the campaign, the BJP received significantly more positive medi
a coverage than its competitors, particularly in the northern and western parts
of the country. Commentators attributed this to Modi's influence in the area.[16
6] The campaign also made extensive use of advertising in vernacular media sourc
es, portraying Modi as the victim of a "news media conspiracy" among the English
language sources.[161] However, the BJP's campaign was assisted by its wide inf
luence in the media.[144] Modi's campaign blitz cost approximately INR 5000 cror
es ($830 million),[139] and received extensive financial support from corporate
donors.[144] In addition to more conventional campaign methods, such as rallies
and the use of print media, Modi also made extensive use of social media,[139][1
55] and addressed more than 1000 rallies via hologram appearances.[165] The elec
tion was described as "India's first social media election.[167]
The BJP won 31% of the vote,[90] and more than doubled its tally in the Lok Sabh
a to 282, and became the first party to win a majority of seats on its own since
1984.[161][162] The results were described as a pro-Modi "wave."[139][162] Vote
r unhappiness with the INC, as well as with regional parties in North India, was
another reason for the success of the BJP.[162] The support network of the RSS
played a role in Modi's success.[155] Scholars studying the election also stated
that Modi had an ability to attract supporters who would campaign for him, thus
strengthening his position as a candidate but making the party's victory relati
vely fragile.[155][157] In states such as Uttar Pradesh in which the BJP perform
ed well, it drew exceptionally high support from upper-caste Hindus.[162] It won
only 10 percent of the Muslim vote, which was nonetheless more than it had won
before.[162] It performed particularly well in parts of the country that had rec
ently experienced violence between Hindus and Muslims.[162]
The magnitude of the BJP's victory led many commentators to say that the electio
n constituted a political realignment away from progressive parties and towards
the right-wing BJP.[139][162][168][169] Modi's tweet announcing his victory in t
he election was the most re-tweeted in India,[170] and was described as being em
blematic of the political realignment away from a Nehruvian secular, socialist s
tate towards capitalism and Hindu cultural nationalism.[170]
Modi himself was a candidate for the Lok Sabha in two constituencies: Varanasi a

nd Vadodara.[171] He won in both constituencies, defeating Aam Aadmi Party leade

r Arvind Kejriwal in Varanasi and Madhusudan Mistry of the INC in Vadodara by 57
0,128 votes.[172] The BJP-led NDA won the general election overall and the INC e
xperienced its worst-ever defeat.[173][174][175] Modi, who was unanimously elect
ed leader of the BJP after his party's victory, was appointed prime minister by
India's president.[176][177] To comply with the law that an MP cannot represent
more than one constituency, he vacated the Vadodara seat.[178]
Prime Minister
Main article: Premiership of Narendra Modi
Wikinews has related news: Narendra Modi elected new Prime Minister of I
ndia.
Modi reading from a paper into a bank of microphones
Modi (far right) being sworn in as Prime Minister, in the presence of President
Pranab Mukherjee (far left), 2014.
Modi was sworn in as the Prime Minister of India on 26 May 2014 at the Rashtrapa
ti Bhavan. He became the first Prime Minister born after India's independence fr
om the United Kingdom.[179] His first cabinet consisted of 45 ministers, 25 fewe
r than the previous UPA government.[180] 21 new ministers were added to the coun
cil of ministers in November 2014.[181]
Economic policies
The economic policies of Modi's government focused on privatisation and liberali
sation of the economy, based on a neoliberal framework.[181][182] Modi liberalis
ed India's foreign direct investment policies, allowing more foreign investment
in several industries, including in defence and the railways.[181][183][184][185
] Other reforms included removing many of the country's labor laws, to make it h
arder for workers to form unions and easier for employers to hire and fire them.
[182] These reforms met with support from institutions such as the World Bank, b
ut opposition from scholars within the country. The labour laws also drew strong
opposition from unions: on 2 September 2015, eleven of the country's largest un
ions went on strike, including one affiliated with the BJP.[182] The Bharatiya M
azdoor Sangh, a constituent of the Sangh Parivar, stated that the reforms would
hurt laborers by making it easier for corporations to exploit them.[181] In his
first budget, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley promised to gradually reduce the bud
getary deficit from 4.1% to 3% over two years, and to divest from shares in publ
ic banks.[181] Over Modi's first year in office, the Indian GDP grew at a rate o
f 7.5%, making it the fastest growing large economy.[182]
The funds dedicated to poverty reduction programs and social welfare measures wa
s greatly decreased by the Modi administration.[112] The money spent on social p
rograms declined from 14.6% of GDP during the Congress government to 12.6% durin
g Modi's first year in office.[181] Spending on health and family welfare declin
ed by 15%, and on primary and secondary education, by 16%.[181] The budgetary al
location for the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, or the "education for all" program, decl
ined by 22%.[181] The government also lowered corporate taxes, abolished the wea
lth tax, and reduced customs duties on gold, jewelry, and increased sales taxes.
[181] In October 2014, the Modi government deregulated diesel prices,[186] and l
ater increased taxes on diesel and petrol.[181] In July 2014, Modi refused to si
gn a trade agreement that would permit the World Trade Organization to implement
a deal agreed in Bali, citing a lack of protection to Indian farmers and the ne
eds of food security.[181]
Modi at the launch of the Make in India program.
In September 2014, Modi introduced the Make in India initiative to encourage for
eign companies to manufacture products in India, with the goal of turning India
into a global manufacturing hub.[181][187] Supporters of economic liberalisation
supported the initiative, while critics argued it would allow foreign corporati
ons to capture a greater share of the Indian market.[181] In order to enable the

construction of private industrial corridors, the Modi administration passed a

land-reform bill that allowed it to acquire private agricultural land without co
nducting a social impact assessment, and without the consent of the farmers who
owned it.[188] Under the previous bill, the government had required the consent
of 80% of the owners of a piece of property before acquiring it for a private pr
oject: this requirement was waived.[189] The bill was passed via an executive or
der after it faced opposition in parliament, but was eventually allowed to lapse
.[189]
The government substantially increased the percentage of central revenue directl
y granted to states, while decreasing the amount granted through various central
government programs. Overall, states' share of revenue increased marginally.[11
2] The criteria upon which individual states' allocation was determined were cha
nged, such that the revenue to 19 states increased, and that of 10 states decrea
sed. Only one of the ten states was ruled by the BJP when the policy was enacted
.[112]
The government signed large deals with General Electric and Alstom to supply Ind
ia with 1,000 new diesel locomotives, as part of an effort to reform the Indian
railway, which also included privatisation efforts.[190][191] In December 2015,
Modi's government signed an agreement with Japan to jointly build a bullet train
system linking Mumbai and Ahmedabad.[192] The Indian government put forward a p
lan on converting 101 rivers into national waterways for the transport of goods
and passengers. The government also began an ambitious program to increase the n
umber of highways in the country,[193][194] allocating 700 billion rupees to the
project.[181]
On 25 June 2015, Modi launched a program intended to develop 100 smart cities.[1
95] The "Smart Cities" program is expected to bring IT companies an extra benefi
t of 20,000,000,000 rupees.[196] He also launched a "smart villages" initiative,
under which villages would be given Internet access, clean water, sanitation, a
nd low-carbon energy, with Members of Parliament overseeing the program's implem
entation. The program had a stated goal of at least 2,500 smart villages by 2019
.[196]
In June 2015, Modi launched the "Housing for All By 2022" project, which intends
to eliminate slums in India by building about 20 million affordable homes for I
ndia's urban poor.[197][198] Modi launched Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana in Aug
ust 2014. The initiative aimed to create bank accounts and debit cards for 150 m
illion families, and to allow them an overdraft of 5000 rupees.[181] 125.4 milli
on accounts had been opened by January 2015.[181] The programme also promised ac
cident insurance to each of these families.[181] He launched Pradhan Mantri Ujjw
ala Yojana (PMUY) on 1 May 2016 to distribute LPG connections to women of BPL fa
milies.[199]
In his first cabinet decision, Modi set up a team to investigate black money.[20
0][201][202][203][204][205][206] On 9 November 2016, the government demonetised
?500 and ?1000 banknotes, with the stated intention of curbing corruption, black
money, the use of counterfeit currency, and terrorism.[207] The move led to wid
espread protests throughout the country, including one by opposition parties, wh
ich stalled the winter session of parliament.[208] In the days following the dem
onetisation, banks across the country faced severe cash shortages,[209][210][211
] which had detrimental effects on a number of small businesses, on agriculture,
and on transportation. People seeking to exchange their notes had lengthy waits
, and several deaths were linked to the rush to exchange cash.[212][213] Followi
ng Modi's announcement, the Indian stock indices BSE SENSEX and NIFTY 50 decline
d steeply.[214]
Health and sanitation policies
See also: Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

Modi participates in the cleanliness drive in his constituency of Varanasi.

In his first year as prime minister Modi reduced the amount of money spent by th
e government on healthcare.[145] The Modi government launched a "New Health Poli
cy" in January 2015. The policy did not increase the government's spending on he
althcare, but placed emphasis on the role of private healthcare organisations.[2
15] In its budget for the second year after it took office, the Modi government
reduced healthcare spending by 15%.[215] This represented a shift away from the
policy of the previous Congress government, which had supported programs to supp
ort public health goals including reducing child and maternal mortality rates.[2
15] The National Health Mission, which included public health programs targeted
at these indices received nearly 25% less funds in 2015 than in the previous yea
r.[215] 15 national health programs, including those aimed at controlling tobacc
o use and supporting healthcare for the elderly, were merged with the National H
ealth Mission, and received less funds than in previous years.[215] Modi initial
ly appointed Harsh Vardhan, a doctor and an advocate of tobacco control, ministe
r of health. However, Vardhan was removed in November 2015.[215] The government
also proposed introducing stricter packaging laws for tobacco, but this effort w
as postponed because of the efforts of the tobacco lobby.[215]
Modi's government developed a draft policy to introduce a universal health care
system, known as the National Health Assurance Mission. Under this plan, the gov
ernment was to provide free drugs, diagnostic treatment, and insurance coverage
for serious ailments, although budgetary concerns have delayed its implementatio
n.[216][217][218]
On 2 October 2014, Modi launched the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan ("Clean India") campa
ign. The states goals of the campaign included eliminating open defecation, elim
inating manual scavenging, and improving waste management practices.[219][220] T
he campaign was announced on the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's birthday, and w
as planned to achieve these aims in five years, or in time for the 150th anniver
sary of his birth.[220] As part of the programme, the Indian government began th
e construction of millions toilets in rural areas, as well as efforts to encoura
ge people to use them.[221][222][223] The government also announced plans to bui
ld new sewage treatment plants.[224] The administration plans to construct 60 mi
llion toilets by 2019. The construction projects have faced allegations of corru
ption, and have faced severe difficulty in getting people to use the toilets con
structed for them.[220][221][222]
Modi has generally emphasized his government's efforts at sanitation as a means
of ensuring good health.[215] He has also advocated yoga and traditional forms o
f medicine.[215] An article in the medical journal Lancet stated that the countr
y "might have taken a few steps back in public health" under Modi.[215]
Hindutva and education policy
During the 2014 election campaign, Modi expressed hopes for a tenure without com
munal violence. The BJP sought to identify itself with political leaders known t
o have opposed Hindu nationalism, including B. R. Ambedkar, Subhas Chandra Bose,
and Ram Manohar Lohia.[112] The campaign also saw the use of rhetoric based on
Hindutva, however, by BJP leaders in certain states.[225] Communal tensions were
played upon especially in Uttar Pradesh and the states of Northeast India.[225]
A proposal for the controversial Uniform Civil Code was a part of the BJP's ele
ction manifesto.[165]
Several state governments headed by the BJP have enacted policies aligned with H
indutva after the election of Modi as prime minister. The government of Maharash
tra banned the killing of cows in 2014.[225] The government of Haryana made chan
ges to its education policy that introduced Hindu religious elements into the cu
rriculum.[226] External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj suggested after the elect
ion that the Bhagvad Gita be adopted as India's "national book".[225] The Modi a

dministration has generally avoided directly supporting policies related to a Hi

ndutva agenda.[225] There has been an increase in the activities of a number of
other Hindu nationalist organisations, sometimes with the support of the governm
ent.[112][225] The incidents included a campaign against "Love Jihad", a religio
us conversion programme, and attempts to celebrate Nathuram Godse, the assassin
of Mahatma Gandhi, by members of the Sangh Parivar.[112] The attempts at religio
us conversion have been described by the VHP and other organisations involved wi
th them as attempts at "reconversion" from Islam or Christianity. There have bee
n a number of reports of intimidation or coercion of the subjects during these a
ttempts.[225] Officials in the government, including the Home Minister, have def
ended the attempts.[225] There were additional incidents of violence targeted at
religious minorities by Hindu nationalists.[112] Modi refused to remove a gover
nment minister from her position after a popular outcry resulted from her referr
ing to religious minorities as "bastards."[112] Commentators have suggested, how
ever, that the violence was perpetrated by radical Hindu nationalists to undercu
t the authority of Modi.[112]
The Modi administration appointed Yellapragada Sudershan Rao, who had previously
been associated with the RSS, chairperson of the Indian Council of Historical R
esearch.[165] In reaction to his appointment, other historians and former member
s of the ICHR, including those sympathetic to the ruling party, questioned his c
redentials as a historian. Several stated that the appointment was part of an ag
enda of cultural nationalism.[165][227][228]
The government began formulating a New Education Policy, or NEP, soon after its
election. As of March 2016, this policy had yet to be implemented.[226] This was
the third education policy introduced by the Indian government, following those
of 1968 and 1986.[226] The policy was described as having overtones of Hindutva
.[226] The RSS had a role in its creation, and it did not explicitly mention the
goals of "socialism, secularism and democracy" that had been mentioned in the f
irst two policies.[226] The policy emphasized the education of minority students
, as well as those of economically backward groups, in particular on improving e
nrollment in schools among those groups.[226] The policy proposed bringing relig
ious educational institutions under the Right to Education Act.[226] There was a
lso a debate about removing caste-based reservation in favor of reservation base
d on income, a move supported by the RSS, but which was criticized as being disc
riminatory on the basis of caste.[226]
Foreign policy
Further information: Foreign policy of Narendra Modi and List of prime ministeri
al trips made by Narendra Modi
Modi with other BRICS leaders in 2016. Left to right: Temer, Modi, Xi, Putin and
Zuma.
Foreign policy played a relatively small role in Modi's election campaign, and d
id not feature prominently in the BJP's election manifesto.[229] Modi invited al
l the other leaders of SAARC countries to the ceremony where he was sworn in as
prime minister.[230][231] He was the first Indian prime minister to do so.[232]
Observers have stated that due to Modi portraying himself as a strong and nation
alist leader during his election campaign, he would be politically unable to fol
low a policy of restraint that India had previously followed after terrorist att
acks, and is more likely to have a military response.[230]
Modi's foreign policy focused on improving economic ties, improving security, an
d increased regional relations, which is very similar to the policy of the prece
ding INC government.[229] Modi continued his predecessor Manmohan Singh's policy
of "multialignment."[233] This involved the use of regional multilateral instit
utions and strategic partnerships to further the interests of the Indian governm
ent.[233] The Modi administration tried to attract foreign investment in the Ind
ian economy from several sources, especially in East Asia.[229] The Modi governm

ent also upgraded several of India's military alliances, although it was unable
to conclude negotiations for a trilateral defense agreement with Japan and Austr
alia.[229] As a part of this policy, the Modi government completed India's appli
cation to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which is led by China and
Russia. (SCO). It also joined the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank founded b
y China.[233] Together with the US government, it created a "Joint Strategic Vis
ion" for the Indian and Pacific oceans.[233] The government also tried to improv
e relations with Islamic republics in the Middle East, such as Bahrain, the Isla
mic Republic of Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as wit
h Israel, with the intent to also "link west."[233] Modi added five bilateral st
rategic partnerships to the 25 that had been agreed by his predecessors Singh an
d Vajpayee.[233]
Prime Minister Modi with President Barack Obama of the US, 2015
During the first few months after the election, Modi made trips to a number of d
ifferent countries to further the goals of his policy, and attended the BRICS, A
SEAN, and G20 summits.[229] During these visits, Modi attempted to draw further
foreign investment in the Indian economy,[229] with the use of slogans such as "
Make in India" and "Digital India," put forward during a visit to Silicon Valley
.[233] One of Modi's first visits as prime minister was to Nepal, during which h
e promised a billion USD in aid.[234] Another early visit was to Bhutan.[234] Mo
di also made several overtures to the United States, including multiple visits t
o that country.[231] While this was described as an unexpected development, due
to the US having previously denied Modi a travel visa over his role during the 2
002 Gujarat riots, it was also expected to strengthen diplomatic and trade relat
ions between the two countries.[231] As of July 2016, Modi had made 51 trips to
42 countries with the intent of strengthening diplomatic relations.[235][236]
In 2015, the Indian parliament ratified a land exchange deal with Bangladesh abo
ut the India Bangladesh enclaves, which had been initiated by the government of Ma
nmohan Singh.[189] Modi's administration gave renewed attention to India's "Look
East Policy", instituted in 1991. The policy was renamed the "Act East Policy",
and involved directing Indian foreign policy towards East Asia and Southeast As
ia.[233][237] The government signed agreements to improve land connectivity with
Myanmar, through the state of Manipur. This represented a break with India's hi
storic engagement with Myanmar, which prioritized border security over trade.[23
7]
Defence policy
Wikinews has related news: Prime Minister Narendra Modi accuses Pakistan
of waging proxy war.
During the 2014 election campaign, Modi and the BJP pledged to revisit India's n
uclear weapons doctrine, and in particular India's historical policy of no-first
-use.[238] The pressure to revise the doctrine came from a desire for assertiven
ess among Indian government and defence officials. Soon after being sworn in as
Prime Minister, Modi said that no revision would take place in the immediate fut
ure.[238] The election manifesto of the BJP had also promised to deal with illeg
al immigration into India in the Northeast, as well as to be more firm in its ha
ndling of insurgent groups.[239] During the election campaign, Modi said that he
would be willing to accommodate Hindu migrants who were being persecuted in Ban
gladesh, but those that came with "political objectives" would have to be sent b
ack to Bangladesh.[239] The Modi government issued a notification allowing Hindu
, Sikh, and Buddhist illegal immigrants from Pakistan and Bangladesh to legalize
their residency in India.[239] The government described the measure as being ta
ken for humanitarian reasons. However, it drew criticism from several Assamese o
rganizations.[239]
Modi continued the previous INC administration's policy of increasing military s
pending every year, announcing an increase of 11% in the military budget in 2015

.[240][241] This increase was larger than the average growth under the Congress.
[240]
The Modi administration negotiated a peace agreement with the largest faction of
the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCM), which was announced in Augus
t 2015. The Naga insurgency in northwest India had begun in the 1950s.[239][242]
The NSCM and the government had agreed to a ceasefire in 1997, but a peace acco
rd had not previously been signed.[242] In 2015 the government abrogated a 15-ye
ar ceasefire with the Khaplang faction of the NSCM (NSCM-K). The NSCM-K responde
d with a series of attacks, which killed 18 people.[239] The Modi government car
ried out a raid across the border with Myanmar as a result, and labelled the NSC
M-K a terrorist organization.[239]
Modi has repeatedly stated that Pakistan was an exporter of terrorism.[243][244]
Modi increased the monetary compensation for victims of terrorist attacks, and
stated that citizens of Azad Kashmir could also apply for this compensation.[245
] In September 2016, he urged the BRICS to target and destroy funding channels o
f terrorist groups.[246] On 29 September 2016, the Indian Army stated that it ha
d conducted a surgical strike on terror launchpads in PoK,[247] although Pakista
n denied the claim, and the details of the confrontation are still in dispute.[2
48][249]
Environmental policies
Modi(right) at CoP21 Climate Conference, in Paris, announcing the founding of an
International Solar Alliance (ISA). November 2015.
In naming his cabinet, Modi renamed the "Ministry of Environment and Forests" th
e "Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change."[250] In the first budg
et of the government, the money allotted to this ministry was reduced by more th
an 50%.[250] The new ministry also removed or diluted a number of laws related t
o environmental protection. These included no longer requiring clearance from th
e National Board for Wildlife for projects close to protected areas, and allowin
g certain projects to proceed before environmental clearance was received.[181][
250] The government also tried to reconstitute the Wildlife board such that it n
o longer had representatives from non-governmental organisations: however, this
move was prevented by the Supreme court.[250]
Modi also relaxed or abolished a number of other environmental regulations, part
icularly those related to industrial activity. A government committee stated tha
t the existing system only served to create corruption, and that the government
should instead rely on the owners of industries to voluntarily inform the govern
ment about the pollution they were creating.[181][251] The changes were made wit
h the aim of accelerating approval for industrial projects.[citation needed] Oth
er changes included reducing ministry oversight on small mining projects, and no
longer requiring approval from tribal councils for projects inside forested are
as.[251] In addition, Modi lifted a moratorium on new industrial activity in the
most polluted areas in the countries.[250] The changes were welcomed by busines
speople, but criticized by environmentalists.[251]
Under the UPA government that preceded Modi's administration, field trials of Ge
netically Modified crops had essentially put on hold, after protests from farmer
s fearing for their livelihoods.[252] Under the Modi government these restrictio
ns were gradually lifted.[252] The government received some criticism for freezi
ng the bank accounts of environmental group Greenpeace, citing financial irregul
arities, although a leaked government report said that the freeze had to do with
Greenpeace's opposition to GM crops.[252]
At the CoP21 Climate Conference on 30 November 2015 Modi announced the founding
of an International Solar Alliance (ISA). The headquarters of the ISA would be l
ocated in Gurgaon, and would receive support from the Indian government for a fe

w years. All tropical countries were invited to join the alliance.[253]

Governance and other initiatives
Modi at the consultation meeting on replacing the Planning Commission with Chief
Ministers of various states.
Modi's first year as prime minister saw significant centralization of power rela
tive to previous administrations.[112][254] Modi personally selected the civil s
ervants who served under his ministers, frequently giving them instructions with
out involving the ministers themselves.[112] Modi's efforts at centralisation ha
ve been linked to an increase in the number of senior administration officials r
esigning their positions.[112] Although the government has a majority of seats i
n the Lok Sabha, it does not have one in the Rajya Sabha, which led to its polic
ied frequently being stymied there. Thus, Modi resorted to passing a number of o
rdinances, or executive orders, to enact his policies, leading to further centra
lisation of power.[189] In 2014, the Prime Minister's Office prevented Gopal Sub
ramaniam from being appointed to the Supreme Court. The stated reason was that h
is conduct in the 2G spectrum allocation scandal had been suspect: commentators
stated it was because he had been the amicus curiae in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh ca
se, which had implicated BJP leaders including Modi's aide Amit Shah.[181] The g
overnment also passed a bill increasing the control that it had over the appoint
ment of judges, and reducing that of the judiciary.[90]
On 31 December 2014, Modi announced that the Planning Commission had been scrapp
ed. It was replaced with a body called the National Institution for Transforming
India, or NITI Aayog.[255][256] The Planning Commission was a legacy of the Ind
ian Independence movement, although critics said that it was slowing economic gr
owth.[257] The new body includes the leaders of all 29 Indian states, but its fu
ll-time staff report directly to the prime minister.[255] The move had the effec
t of greatly centralizing the power previously with the planning commission in t
he person of the prime minister.[181][189][255][256][257] It also reduced the ex
tent of control individual states had over their financial allocation from the u
nion government,[256][257] and unlike the planning commission, it does not have
the power to allocate funds.[256] The planning commission had received heavy cri
ticism in previous years for creating inefficiency in the government, and of not
filling its role of improving social welfare: however, since the economic liber
alisation of the 1990s, it had been the major government body responsible for me
asures related to social justice.[256]
As Prime Minister, Modi announced the abolition of a number of regulations previ
ously placed on Indian businesses, such as a complex permit and inspection syste
m. The move was aimed at reducing red tape and making it easier to do business.[
258][259] Modi also ordered reform among the bureaucrats of the Indian Administr
ative Service to ensure a more efficient government bureaucracy.[260][261]
The Modi government launched a crackdown against a number of civil society organ
isations. Several tens of thousands of organisations were investigated by the In
telligence Bureau in the first year of the administration, on the grounds that t
hey were slowing economic growth.[112] International humanitarian aid organisati
on Medecins Sans Frontieres was among the groups that were put under pressure.[1
12] Other organisations affected included the Sierra Club and Avaaz.[181] Cases
of sedition were filed against individuals criticising the government.[112] This
led to discontent with Modi's style of functioning within the BJP, and drew com
parisons to the governing style of Indira Gandhi.[112][189]
Modi repealed 1,159 obsolete laws in first two years as prime minister, against
a total of 1,301 such laws repealed by previous governments over a span of 64 ye
ars.[262][263] He started a monthly radio program titled "Mann ki Baat" on 3 Oct
ober 2014.[264] Modi also launched the Digital India programme, which has the go
al of ensuring that government services are available electronically, building i

nfrastructure so rural areas get high-speed Internet access, boosting manufactur

ing of electronic goods in the country, and promoting digital literacy.[265][266
][267] Under the programme, 400 railway Stations across the country are being eq
uipped with Wi-Fi technology.[268]
Personal life
In accordance with Ghanchi tradition, Modi's marriage was arranged by his parent
s when he was a child. He was engaged at age 13 to Jashodaben, marrying her when
he was 18. They spent little time together and grew apart when Modi began two y
ears of travel, including visits to Hindu ashrams.[21][269] Reportedly, their ma
rriage was never consummated and he kept it a secret because otherwise he could
not have become a 'pracharak' in the puritan Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS).[
270][44] Although Modi kept his marriage secret for most of his career, he ackno
wledged his wife when he filed his nomination for a parliamentary seat in the 20
14 general elections.[271][272] Modi maintains a close relationship with his mot
her, Hiraben and often visits her on his birthday to seek her blessings.[273]
Image
Main article: Public image of Narendra Modi
PM Modi greets people in Visakhapatnam
A vegetarian,[274] Modi has a frugal lifestyle and is a workaholic and introvert
.[275] Adept at using social media, he has been since September 2014 the secondmost-followed leader in the world (with over 25.8 million followers on Twitter a
s of December 2016), behind only Barack Obama.[167][276][277] Modi's 31 August 2
012 post on Google Hangouts made him the first Indian politician to interact wit
h netizens on live chat.[278][279]
Modi has also been called a fashion-icon with his signature, crisply ironed, hal
f-sleeved tunic-shirt (dubbed the "Modi kurta"), brand-name accessories, and a s
uit with his name embroidered repeatedly in the pinstripes that he wore during a
state visit by US President Barack Obama, drawing particular public and media a
ttention, and sometimes criticism.[280][281][282]
Although he is considered a controversial, polarising and divisive figure,[283][
284][285] British economist Jim O'Neill blogged that Modi is "good on economics"
one of the things "India desperately needs in a leader".[286] In August 2013, f
inancial analyst Chris Wood of CLSA wrote in his weekly "Greed & fear" report: "
The Indian stock market's greatest hope is the emergence of Gujarat Chief Minist
er Narendra Modi as the BJP's prime ministerial candidate".[286]
As prime minister, Modi has received consistently high approval ratings; at the
end of his first year in office, he received an overall approval rating of 87% i
n a Pew Research poll, with 68% of people rating him "very favorably" and 93% ap
proving of his government.[287] His approval rating remained largely consistent
at around 74% through his second year in office, according to a nationwide poll
conducted by instaVaani.[288] At the end of his second year in office, an update
d Pew Research poll showed Modi continued to receive high overall approval ratin
gs of 81%, with 57% of those polled rating him "very favorably."[289][290]
Books
In 2001, Modi co-authored Setubandh, a biography of the RSS leader Lakshmanrao I
namdar.[291] In 2007, a collection of Modi's poems was published as a book title
d Aankh Aa Dhanya Chhe (Our Eyes Are So Blessed) .[292][293] Modi also authored
Karmayog, a 101-page booklet discussing manual scavenging. In it, Modi argued th
at scavenging was a "spiritual experience" for Dalits.[294][295][296][297] Howev
er, this book was not circulated that time because of election code of conduct.[
298] His Gujarati book titled Jyotipunj was published in 2008. The book containe
d biographical profiles of various RSS leaders that had inspired Modi. The longe
st profile was of M. S. Golwalkar, under whose leadership the RSS expanded and w

hom Modi refers to as Pujniya Shri Guruji ("Guru worthy of worship").[299] Accor
ding to The Economic Times, his intention was to explain the workings of the RSS
to his readers and to reassure RSS members that he remained ideologically sound
. Modi has authored eight other books, mostly containing short stories for child
ren.[300]
Awards and recognition
Modi was named Best Chief Minister in a 2007 nationwide survey by India Today.[3
01] In March 2012, he appeared on the cover of the Asian edition of Time, one of
the few Indian politicians to have done so,[302] He was awarded Indian of the Y
ear by CNN-IBN news network in 2014.[303]
In 2014 and 2015, he was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential Peopl
e in the World.[304][305][306][307] He was also declared winner of the Time maga
zine reader's poll for Person of the Year in 2014, a feat which he repeated agai
n in 2016.[308][309]
Forbes Magazine ranked him the 15th-Most-Powerful Person in the World in 2014 an
d the 9th-Most-Powerful Person in the World in 2015 and 2016 again.[310][311][31
2][313]
In 2015, Modi was one of Time's "30 Most Influential People on the Internet" as
the second-most-followed politician on Twitter and Facebook.[314] In the same ye
ar he was ranked fifth on Fortune Magazine's first annual list of "World's Great
est Leaders".[315][316]
State honours
Decoration
Country Date
Note
Ref.
Ghazi Amanullah Khan Medal (Afghanistan) - ribbon bar.png
State Order of G
hazi Amir Amanullah Khan
Afghanistan
4 June 2016
The highest civi
lian honor of Afghanistan
[317]
Spange des Knig-Abdulaziz-Ordens.png Order of Abdulaziz al Saud
Saudi A
rabia 3 April 2016
Member Special Class, The highest civilian honor of Saud
i Arabia
[318]
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Further reading
Sardesai, Rajdeep. 2014: The Election that Changed India (2014)
Sridharan, Eswaran. Behind Modi's Victory. Journal of Democracy (2014) 24#4 pp:
20 33. Online
Fernandes, Vivian (2014). Modi: Leadership, governance and Performance. Orient P
ublishing. ASIN B00JUIMUBA.
Kamath, M. V.; Randeri, Kalindi (2013). The Man of the Moment: Narendra Modi. Vi
kas. ISBN 978-93-259-6838-7.
Kishwar, Madhu Purnima (2014). Modi, Muslims and Media: Voices from Narendra Mod
i's Gujarat. Manushi Publications. ISBN 978-81-929352-0-1.
Mahurkar, Uday (2014). Centrestage: Inside the Narendra Modi Model of Governanac
e. Random House India. ASIN B00JR3PQ64.
Mitta, Manoj (2014). The Fiction of Fact-Finding: Modi & Godhra. HarperCollins P
ublishers India. ISBN 978-93-5029-187-0.
Nag, Kingshuk (2013). The NaMo Story
A Political Life. Roli Books. ISBN 978-81-7
436-938-3.
Nussbaum, Martha Craven (2008). The Clash Within: Democracy, Religious Violence,
and India's Future. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-03059-6.
External links
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gpolitics portal
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Official
Official website (Prime Minister's office)
Official website (personal)
Official page on Bharatiya Janata Party's website
Political offices
Preceded by
Keshubhai Patel Chief Minister of Gujarat
2001 2014
Succeeded by
Anandiben Patel
Preceded by
Manmohan Singh Prime Minister of India
2014 present
Incumbent
Lok Sabha
Preceded by
Murli Manohar Joshi
Member of Parliament
for Varanasi
2014 present
Incumbent
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Jayalalithaa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In this Indian name, the name Jayaram is a patronymic, not a family name, and th
e person should be referred to by the given name, Jayalalithaa.
J Jayalalithaa
Jayalalithaa.jpg
Jayalalithaa in 2014
Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
In office
23 May 2015
5 December 2016
Preceded by
O. Panneerselvam
Succeeded by
O. Panneerselvam
Constituency
Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar
In office
16 May 2011 27 September 2014
Preceded by
Karunanidhi
Succeeded by
O. Panneerselvam
Constituency
Srirangam
In office
2 March 2002 12 May 2006
Preceded by
O. Panneerselvam
Succeeded by
Karunanidhi
Constituency
Andipatti
In office
14 May 2001
21 September 2001
Preceded by
Karunanidhi
Succeeded by
O. Panneerselvam
Constituency
Did not contest
In office
24 June 1991 12 May 1996
Preceded by
President's rule
Succeeded by
Karunanidhi
Constituency
Bargur
Personal details
Born
Komalavalli
24 February 1948
Mandya, Mysore State (now Karnataka), India
Died
5 December 2016 (aged 68)
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Political party All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Profession
Actress, politician
Religion
Hinduism

Jayalalithaa Jayaram[a] (24 February 1948

5 December 2016) was an Indian actress
and politician who served five terms as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, for o
ver fourteen years between 1991 and 2016. From 1989 she was the general secretar
y of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), a Dravidian party wh
ose cadre revered her as their Amma (mother), Puratchi Thalaivi (revolutionary l
eader) and Thanga Tharagai (golden maiden). Critics in the media and the opposit
ion accused her of fostering a personality cult, and of demanding absolute loyal
ty from AIADMK legislators and ministers who often publicly prostrated themselve
s before her.[3]
Jayalalithaa first came into prominence as a leading film actor in the mid-1960s
. Though she had entered the profession reluctantly, upon the urging of her moth
er to support the family, Jayalalithaa worked prolifically. She appeared in 140
films between 1961 and 1980, primarily in the Tamil, Telugu and Kannada language
s. Jayalalithaa received praise for her versatility as an actor and for her danc
ing skills, earning the sobriquet "queen of Tamil cinema".[4] Among her frequent
co-stars was M. G. Ramachandran, or MGR, a Tamil cultural icon who leveraged hi
s immense popularity with the masses into a successful political career. In 1982
, when MGR was chief minister, Jayalalithaa joined the AIADMK, the party he foun
ded. Her political rise was rapid; within a few years she became AIADMK propagan
da secretary and was elected to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of India's Parl
iament. After MGR's death in 1987, Jayalalithaa proclaimed herself his political
heir and, having fought off the faction headed by Janaki Ramachandran, MGR's wi
dow, emerged as the sole leader of the AIADMK. Following the 1989 election, she
became Leader of the Opposition to the DMK-led government headed by Karunanidhi,
her bte noire.
In 1991 Jayalalithaa became chief minister, Tamil Nadu's youngest, for the first
time. She earned a reputation for a punishing work ethic and for centralising s
tate power among a coterie of bureaucrats; her council of ministers, whom she of
ten shuffled around, were largely ceremonial in nature. The successful cradle-ba
by scheme, which enabled mothers to anonymously offer their newborns for adoptio
n, emerged during this time. Despite an official salary of only a rupee a month,
Jayalalithaa indulged in public displays of wealth, culminating in a lavish wed
ding for her foster son in 1995. In the 1996 election, the AIADMK was nearly wip
ed out at the hustings; Jayalalithaa herself lost her seat. The new Karunanidhi
government filed several corruption cases against her, and she had to spend time
in jail. Her fortunes revived in the 1998 general election, as the AIADMK becam
e a key component of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's 1998 99 government; her
withdrawal of support toppled it and triggered another general election just a
year later.
The AIADMK returned to power in 2001, although Jayalalithaa was personally disba
rred from contesting due to the corruption cases. Within a few months of her tak
ing oath as chief minister, in September 2001, she was disqualified from holding
office, and forced to cede the chair to loyalist O. Panneerselvam. Upon her acq
uittal six months later, Jayalalithaa returned as chief minister to complete her
term. Noted for its ruthlessness to political opponents, many of whom were arre
sted in midnight raids, her government grew unpopular. Another period (2006 11) in
the opposition followed, before Jayalalithaa was sworn in as chief minister for
the fourth time after the AIADMK swept the 2011 assembly election. Her governme
nt received attention for its extensive social-welfare agenda, which included se
veral subsidised "Amma"-branded goods such as canteens, bottled water and salt.
Three years into her tenure, she was convicted in a disproportionate-assets case
, rendering her disqualified to hold office. She returned as chief minister afte
r being acquitted in May 2015. In the 2016 assembly election, she became the fir
st Tamil Nadu chief minister since MGR in 1984 to be voted back into office. Tha
t September, she fell severely ill and, following 75 days of hospitalization, di
ed on 5 December 2016 due to cardiac arrest.

Contents [hide]
1
Early life, education, and family
2
Film career
2.1
Early career
2.2
Later career
3
Political career
3.1
Early political career
3.2
Leader of the Opposition, 1989
3.3
First term as Chief Minister, 1991
3.4
Loss of power, 1996
3.5
Second term as Chief Minister, 2001
3.6
Third term as Chief Minister, 2011
3.7
Disproportionate Assets case, 2014
3.8
Return as Chief Minister, 2015
3.9
Elected as Chief Minister in 2016
4
Death and reactions
5
Legislative career
5.1
Elections contested
6
Awards and honours
7
Notes
8
References
9
Further reading
10
External links
Early life, education, and family[edit]
Jayalalithaa was born on 24 February 1948 at Melukote, Pandavapura taluka, Mandy
a district, then in Mysore State (now Karnataka) to Jayaram and Vedavalli in a T
amil Brahmin (Iyengar) family.[5][6][7] Jayalalitha was given her grandmother's
name Komalavalli at the time of birth.[8] The name Jayalalitha was adopted at th
e age of one for the purpose of using the name in school and colleges. It was de
rived from the names of two houses where she resided in Mysore. One was "Jaya Vi
las" and the other "Lalitha Vilas". Her paternal grandfather, Narasimhan Rengach
ary, was in the service of the Mysore kingdom as a surgeon, and served as the co
urt physician to Maharaja Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV of Mysore. Her maternal grandf
ather, Rangasamy Iyengar, moved to Mysore from Srirangam to work with Hindustan
Ambujavalli, Vedavalli a
Aeronautics Limited. He had one son and three daughters
nd Padmavalli. Vedavalli was given in marriage to Narasimhan Rengachary's son, J
ayaram. The couple Jayaram-Vedvalli had two children: a son Jayakumar and a daug
hter, Jayalalitha.[9] Her mother, her relatives and later co-stars and friends r
eferred her as Ammu.[10]
Jayalalitha's father, Jayaram, was a lawyer but never worked and squandered most
of the family money. He died when Jayalalitha was two years old. The widowed Ve
davalli returned to her father's home in Bangalore in 1950.[3] Vedavalli learnt
shorthand and typewriting to take up a clerical position to help support the fam
ily in 1950. Her younger sister Ambujavalli had moved to Madras, working as an a
ir hostess. She also started acting in drama and films using the screen name Vid
yavathy. On the insistence of Ambujavalli, Jayalalithaa's mother Vedavalli also
relocated to Madras and stayed with her sister from 1952. Vedavalli worked in a
commercial firm in Madras and began dabbling in acting from 1953 under the scree
n name Sandhya. Jayalalitha remained under the care of her mother's sister Padma
valli and maternal grandparents from 1950 to 1958 in Mysore.[3][9] While still i
n Bangalore, Jayalalithaa attended Bishop Cotton Girls' School.[11] In later int
erviews, Jayalalithaa spoke emotionally about how she missed her mother growing
up in a different city. She had the opportunity to visit her mother during summe
r holidays.[9]
After her aunt Padmavalli's marriage in 1958, Jayalalitha moved to Madras and be
gan to live with her mother. She completed her education at Sacred Heart Matricu
lation School (popularly known as Church Park Presentation Convent or Presentati
on Church Park Convent).[9][12] She excelled at school and was offered a governm

ent scholarship to pursue further education.[11] She won Gold State Award for co
ming first in 10th standard in the state of Tamil Nadu. She appears not to have
accepted the admission offer from Stella Maris College.[3] She was fluent in sev
eral languages, including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, Malayalam and English.[
13]
Her brother Jayakumar, his wife Vijayalakshmi and their daughter Deepa lived in
T.Nagar Chennai. Her brother died in 1995 in an accident.[14]
Film career[edit]
See also: Jayalalitha filmography
Early career[edit]
In Chennai, Jayalalitha was trained in Carnatic music, western classical piano[1
5] and various forms of classical dance, including Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Moh
iniyattam, Manipuri Kathak.[16] She learnt Bharatnatyam and dance forms under K.
J.Sarasa.She had also learnt Kuchipudi under Padma Bhushan Guru Dr. Vempati Chin
na Satyam. She became an accomplished dancer and gave her debut dance performanc
e at the Rasika Ranjani Sabha in Mylapore in May 1960.[17] The Chief Guest at th
e Arangetram was Shivaji Ganesan , who expressed wish that Jayalalitha becomes a
film star in future.[18]
While a child, Jayalalithaa acted in the Kannada-language film Sri Shaila Mahath
me (1961), which had Rajkumar and Krishna Kumari in lead roles.[19] She had been
taken to the studio by her mother as she was shooting in the same premises for
a different film. While Jayalalithaa was watching the shooting, a problem arose
as the child actor playing the Goddess Parvathy in a school drama scene in the f
ilm failed to show up and the producer Neerlahalli Thalikerappa and director Aro
or Pattabhi asked Sandhya if Jayalalitha could be asked to act in the dance sequ
ence. Sandhya agreed and Jayalalitha was swiftly dressed up as Parvathy and the
scene was shot.[20]
She played Krishna in a three-minute dance sequence held on stage in the Hindi f
ilm Manmauji (1962) and danced with Kumari Naaz who played Radha. Y. G. Parthasa
rathy ran the drama troupe United Amateur Artistes (UAA), which staged English a
nd Tamil plays. Soon Jayalalitha while a schoolgirl began acting in some plays o
f Parthasarathy along with her mother and aunt. She acted in small roles in play
s such as Tea House of the August Moon and Undersecretary between 1960 and 1964.
Shankar Giri, the son of the former Indian President V. V. Giri, saw her small
role in the English play Tea Houses of August Moon and was impressed. Shankar Gi
ri approached her mother Sandhya and told he wanted to cast her daughter in an E
nglish film called The Epistle. Sandhya reluctantly agreed with the condition th
at shooting should be held only during weekends or school holidays.[17]
Sandhya had acted in the 1964 Tamil film Karnan, produced and directed by Kannad
a film-maker B. R. Panthulu. Jayalalithaa accompanied her mother to a party rela
ted to the film and was spotted by Panthulu, who then decided to cast her opposi
te Kalyankumar in the Kannada movie Chinnada Gombe. He promised to finish all sh
ooting within two months in order not to interfere with her education. Since Jay
alalitha would be studying for her PUC in two months' time, Sandhya had declined
the offer initially.[21] Sandhya agreed when that promise was made and Jayalali
thaa started acting and she was paid ?3,000 (equivalent to ?110,000 or US$1,700
in 2016). Panthulu kept his promise and completed shooting in six weeks. Jayalal
ithaa had forgotten all about films after acting in her Kannada debut film and h
ad got ready to attend classes at Stella Maris as she had an ambition to be a la
wyer. But the Kannada debut film became a blockbuster in 1964 and she became a w
ell-known face. Meanwhile, Jayalalithaa continued acting in Parthasarathy's play
s. She played the leading role in plays such as Malathi, The Whole Truth, and th
e dance drama Kaveri Thanda Kalaiselvi between 1960 and 1966. She made her debut
as the lead actress in Kannada films while still in school, age 15, in Chinnada
Gombe (1964).[21] She also appeared in a dance sequence of a song named "Mallig

eya Hoovinantha" in the movie Amarashilpi Jakannachari (1964).[3]

She made her debut in Tamil theatre in April 1964, when she played a sales girl
in the drama named Undersecretary. Parthasarthy and Sandhya were the lead charac
ters, while Jayalalitha and Cho Ramaswamy were paired together and A. R. Sriniva
san was also involved. The play was based on the lives of middle aged couple and
Jayalaitha played character of sales girl in the drama. Her performance caused
Parthasarthy to make her lead heroine in a drama named Malathy. Meanwhile, the f
ilms she had shot during her vacation in April May 1964
Chinnada Gombe and Manushu
lu Mamathalu became blockbusters. By end of 1965 she had become popular among fi
lm producers and directors.[21] She was approached by C. V. Sridhar for her Tami
l film debut as well. Between 1964 and 1966 she did around 35 shows of drama nam
ed Malathy and later discontinued as she became very busy in films.[17] It was d
uring the year 1964, financial debts had increased of Sandhaya and she suggested
her daughter to make use of the increasing film offers coming her way.[22]
Jayalalithaa's debut in Tamil cinema was the leading role in Vennira Aadai (1965
), directed by C. V. Sridhar. She made her debut in Telugu films as lead actress
in Manushulu Mamathalu opposite Akkineni Nageshwara Rao. Her last Telugu releas
e was also opposite Akkineni Nageswara Rao in the film Nayakudu Vinayakudu, whic
h was released in 1980.[23] She was the first heroine to appear in skirts in Tam
il films.[24] She acted in one Hindi film called Izzat, with Dharmendra as her m
ale costar in 1968.[25] She starred in 28 box-office hit films with M.G. Ramacha
ndran between 1965 and 1973.[26] The first with MGR was B.R. Panthalu's Aayirath
il Oruvan in 1965 and their last film together was Pattikaattu Ponnaiya in 1973.
[27]
Jayalalitha donated gold jewelleries she had to the then Prime Minister Lal Baha
dur Shastri during the 1965 Indo-Pak war.[28]
She had 11 successful releases in Tamil in 1966. In the opening credits of Arasa
Katalai, for the first time her name was affixed with the phrase Kavarchi Kanni
.[29] In 1967 she bought her bungalow, Veda Nilayam, in Poes Gardens for ?1.32 l
akh (equivalent to ?49 lakh or US$73,000 in 2016).[30] Sandow M. M. A. Chinnappa
Thevar was on the lookout for a regular heroine for his production after he had
fight with the actress Savithri after the release of Vetaikkaran, and he signed
Jayalalitha on in 1965. She became a regular heroine for production house Devar
films from 1966.[31]
Jaishankar was romantically paired with Jayalalithaa in eight Tamil films includ
ing Muthuchippi, Yaar Nee?, Nee (film), Vairam, Vandhale Magarasi, Bommalattam (
1968 film) (1968), Raja Veetu Pillai and Avalukku Aayiram Kangal whereas the fil
ms Thanga Gopuram and Gowri Kalyanam had him play elder brother to her. Jayalali
tha acted in twelve films as heroine opposite N. T. Rama Rao, in Telugu
Gopaludu
Bhoopaludu (1967), Chikkadu Dorakadu (1967), Tikka Shankaraiah (1968), Niluvu D
opidi (1968), Baghdad Gaja Donga (1968), Kathanayakudu (1969 film) (1969), Kadal
adu Vadaladu (1969), Gandikota Rahasyam (1969), Ali Baba 40 Dongalu (1970), Shri
Krishna Vijayam (1970), Shri Krishna Satya (1971), Devudu Chesina Manushulu (19
73). Jayalalitha had 7 films with Akkineni Nageswara Rao in Telugu Manashulu Mam
atalu (1965), Aastiparulu (1966), Brahmachari (1968), Aadarsa Kutumbam (1969), A
drushtavanthalu (1969), Bharya Biddalu (1971), Nayakudu Vinayakudu (1980). She a
lso made guest appearance in Telugu film Navarthi (1966). Her films in Telugu in
cluded two films with Krishna and one each with Sobhan Babu, Jaggaiah, Ramakrish
na and Haranath.[32] She has been given on-screen credit as Kalai Selvi in most
of her Tamil films since 1967.[21]
Later career[edit]
List of Best Actress awards for J.Jayalalithaa
Award Wins

Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actress

5[33]
Tamil Nadu Cinema Fan Award for Best Actress
8[34]
Filmfare Award for Best Actress - Tamil
5[35]
Filmfare Award for Best Actress
Telugu
1[34]
Russian Film festival
1[34]
Madras Film Association Awards for Best Actress
7[36]
Between 1965 and 1973, Jayalalithaa starred opposite M. G. Ramachandran in a num
ber of successful films, including Aayirathil Oruvan, Kavalkaran, Adimai Penn, E
ngal Thangam, Kudiyirundha Koyil, Ragasiya Police 115 and Nam Naadu.[25][37] Cho
Ramaswamy cast her in the lead role in his directorial venture Yarrukkum Vetkam
Illai.[38]
She acted with Ravichandran in 10 films
Gowri Kalyanam (1966), Kumari Penn (1966
), Naan (1967), Magarasi (1967), Maadi Veettu Mappilai (1967), Panakkara Pillai
(1968), Moondru Yezhuthu (1968), Andru Kanda Mugam (1968), Avalukku Aayiram Kang
al and Baghdad Perazhagi (1974).[21] In 1972, she acted opposite Sivaji Ganesan
in Pattikada Pattanama, which went on to win the National Film Award for Best Fe
ature Film in Tamil in 1973.
In 1973, she acted in Sri Krishna Satya, which won her the Filmfare Award for Be
st Actress in Telugu.[39] Her other films with Sivaji Ganesan include Galatta Ka
lyanam and Deiva Magan; the latter holds the distinction of being the first Tami
l film to be submitted by India for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language F
ilm.[40]
Jayalalitha was paired opposite Sivaji Ganesan in 17 films. She acted in six fil
ms with R. Muthuraman as a romantic leading pair Dhikku Theriyadha Kaattil, Thir
umangalyam, Kanavan Manaivi, Avandhan Manidhan, Suryagandhi, Anbu Thangai[21] an
d Muthuraman played supporting roles in Kannan En Kadhalan, Major Chandrakanth,
Naan (1967 film), En Annan, Adi Parashakti, Thaer Thiruvizha, Dharmam Engey, Chi
tra Pournami and Oru Thaai Makkal. She made her debut in Malayalam with Jesus (1
973).[41] Her 100th film was Thirumangalyam (1974), directed by A. Vincent.[42]
She was romantically paired opposite Sivakumar in Kandan Karunai and Shri Krishn
a Leelai.Sivakumar played supporting roles in Shakti Leelai, Yarrukum Vetkam Ila
li, Thirumangalyam, Annaivelakanni, Kavalkaran, Motoram Sunderapillai and Ganga
Gowri.[43]
The heroes of her films never objected to the title of the film being conferred
on the female lead played by Jayalalitha. Adimai Penn, Kanni Thaai, and Kannan E
n Kadhalan had Ramachandran as the lead male hero but the story and the title wa
s built around the character played by Jayalalithaa. Similarly, Engerindo Vandha
al, Sumathi En Sundari, and Anbai Thedi had Sivaji Ganeshan as the male lead but
the title and the story was built around her character. She did many female-cen
tric films where the story revolved on her character, such as Vennira Adai, Yaar
Nee?, Kumari Penn, Nee, Gowri Kalyanam, Magaraasi, Muthu Chippi, Thanga Gopuram
, Avalukku Ayiram Kangal, Annamitta Kai, Vandhaale Magaraasi, Suryagandhi, Thiru
mangalyam, Yarukkum Vetkam Illai, and Kanavan Manaivi.
She received the title "Nadippuku Ilakkium Vahuthuvar" and also won Tamil Nadu C
inema Fan Award for Best Actress for her 100th film in 1974.[44] Her last film i
n Tamil was Nadhiyai Thedi Vandha Kadal (1980).[25] Her last film as the heroine
was Nayakudu Vinayakudu in Telugu,[45] which became the highest grosser of the
year in Telugu.

Her successful Kannada films include Badukuva Daari (1966), Mavana Magalu (1965)
, Nanna Kartavya (1965), Chinnada Gombe (1964) and Mane Aliya (1964). Jayalalith
aa holds the record for having been the Tamil actress with maximum silver jubile
e hits in her career
85 hits of 92 Tamil films as main female lead heroine and i
n addition she also has all 28 films in Telugu as silver jubilee hits.[22] She w
as the highest paid Indian actress from 1965 1980. She made guest appearances in n
ine films and six of her films were dubbed into Hindi. She had 119 box office hi
ts between 1961 and 1980, of the total 125 films she did as the main female lead
. She made a brief appearance in 1992's Neenga Nalla Irukkanum.[46]
Jayalalithaa won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actress for Thanga Gop
uram in 1971, Raman Thediya Seethai in 1972, Suryagandhi in 1973, Thirumangalyam
in 1974, Yarukkum Vetkam Illai in 1975.[47] She acted in mythological films lik
e Kandan Karunai, Aadhi Parashakti, Shri Krishna Satya, Shri Krishna Vijayam, Sh
ri Rama Katha, Shri Krishna Leelai, Shakti Leelai, Ganga Gowri, Annai Velankanni
, and Jesus. Her period dramas include Ayirathil Oruvan, Neerum Neruppum, Mani M
agudam, Adimai Penn, Ali Baba 40 Dongalu, Arasa Katalai, and Baghdad Perazhagi.
She acquired the reputation of being a multi-faceted actor equally comfortable i
n fantasy and mythological genres as well as in modern social dramas[48] and hen
ce in 1969, in Tamil Conference, she was given the tag of Kaveri Thandha Kalai S
elvi.[49] She and Saroja Devi have been cited as the first female superstars of
Tamil Cinema. She did double roles in eight films.[50] Her performance in Pattik
ada Pattanama, Suryagandhi were critically acclaimed and won her consecutive Fil
mfare Award for Best Actress in 1972 and 1973 respectively.
From 1968-73, Jaya at peak of career took interviews and wrote columns in the ma
gazines like Bommai. She wrote a column-Ennanga Selar in magazine Tughlaq in the
1970s. She also wrote short story "Oravin Kaidhigal" for the magazine Kalki, Ma
nadhdai Thotaa Malargal for Thaai magazine in the early 1980s etc.[51] She wrote
about her own life in a serialised memoir in the Tamil weekly magazine Kumudam.
[52]
In 1980, she decided to voluntarily decline any new film offers. The journalist
Brian Laul wrote an article specifying Jayalalitha was trying for a comeback but
was not being offered any roles. Jayalalitha chose to respond to him by writing
a letter, in which she mentioned that she was not struggling to make any comeba
ck and that she turned down the offer from producer Balaji to star opposite in B
illa opposite Rajnikanth. She added she wanted to pursue other interests and was
not interested in pursuing her film career any further.[53]
Political career[edit]
Early political career[edit]
Jayalalithaa claims that MGR, who had been chief minister for the state since 19
77, was instrumental in introducing her to politics.[3][54] In 1982, she joined
the AIADMK, which was founded by MGR.[55] Her maiden public speech, "Pennin Peru
mai" ("The Greatness of a Woman"), was delivered at the AIADMK's political confe
rence in the same year.[56]Her seat number in Rajya Sabha was 185,which was same
as that of C.N.Annadurai had while he was in Rajya Sabha.[57]Even the then Prim
e Minister Indira Gandhi and the Rajya Sabha member Khushwant Singh came to witn
ess her speech which was widely acclaimed for its clarity of diction and elegant
prose.[58] In 1983, she became propaganda secretary for the party and was selec
ted as its candidate in the by-election for the Tiruchendur Assembly constituenc
y.[55]
MGR wanted her to be a member of the Rajya Sabha because of her fluency in Engli
sh.[59] Indira Gandhi lauded Jayalalitha for the various speeches she made on is
sues including the one on internal security in Rajya Sabha.[60] Jayalalithaa was
made nominated and elected to that body in 1984 and retained her seat until 198
9.[61] Her success in her role as propaganda secretary caused resentment among h

igh-ranking members of the party. By engineering a rift between her and MGR, the
se members influenced MGR to stop her writing about her personal life in a Tamil
magazine. Despite these machinations, she remained admired by the rank and file
of the party.[3]
In 1984, when MGR was incapacitated due to a stroke, Jayalalithaa was said to ha
ve attempted to take over the position of chief minister or the party on the pre
text that his health would prevent him from the proper execution of his duties.[
62] She successfully led the campaign in the 1984 general elections, in which th
e ADMK allied with the Congress.[61] Following his death in 1987, the AIADMK spl
it into two factions: one supported his widow, Janaki Ramachandran, and the othe
r favoured Jayalalithaa. Janaki was selected as the Chief Minister on 7 January
1988 with the support of 96 members; due in part to irregularities by speaker P.
H. Pandian, who dismissed six members to ease her victory, she won a motion of c
onfidence in the house. However, Rajiv Gandhi used Article 356 of the Constituti
on of India to dismiss the Janaki-led government and impose president's rule on
the state.[3][63][64]
Jayalalithaa contested the subsequent 1989 elections on the basis of being MGR's
political heir.[65][66]
Leader of the Opposition, 1989[edit]
She was elected to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly in 1989 as a representati
ve of the Bodinayakkanur (State Assembly Constituency). This election saw the Ja
yalalithaa-led faction of the AIADMK win 27 seats and Jayalalithaa became the fi
rst woman to be elected Leader of the Opposition. In February 1989, the two fact
ions of ADMK merged and they unanimously accepted Jayalalithaa as their leader a
nd the "Two leaves" symbol of the party was restored.[17]
On 25 March 1989, amidst heavy violence inside the house among the ruling DMK pa
rty members and the opposition, Jayalilatha was brutally attacked and visibly mo
lested by the ruling DMK members in front of the assembly speaker on the behest
of Chief Minister Karunanidhi.[67] Jayalalitha left the Assembly with her torn s
aree -drawing a parallel with the shameful disrobing of Draupadi in the epic Mah
abharata.[68][69][70][71][72] At the peak of the situation, Jayalalithaa was abo
ut to leave the house, she vowed to not enter the house "until as a Chief Minist
er".[73][74] In spite of some sections of media terming it as a theatrics, it re
ceived a lot of media coverage and sympathy from the public.[75][76][77] During
the 1989 general elections, the ADMK allied with the Congress party and was hand
ed a significant victory. The ADMK, under her leadership, also won the by-electi
ons in Marungapuri, Madurai East and Peranamallur assembly constituencies.[61]
First term as Chief Minister, 1991[edit]
In 1991, following the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi days before the elections,
her alliance with the Indian National Congress enabled her to ride the wave of s
ympathy that gave the coalition victory.[78][79] The ADMK alliance with the Cong
ress won 225 out of the 234 seats contested and won all 39 constituencies in the
centre.[61] Re-elected to the assembly, she became the first female, and the yo
ungest, chief minister, of Tamil Nadu, to serve a full term, serving from 24 Jun
e 1991 to 12 May 1996.[61][64] In 1992, her government introduced the "Cradle Ba
by Scheme". At that time the ratio of male to female in some parts of Tamil Nadu
was skewed by the practice of female infanticide and the abortion of female foe
tuses. The government established centres in some areas, these being equipped to
receive and place into adoption unwanted female babies. The scheme was extended
in 2011.[80] Her party had 26 elected members to the assembly. Her government w
as the first to introduce police stations operated solely by women. She introduc
ed 30% quota for women in all police jobs and established as many as 57 all-wome
n police stations. There were other all-women establishments like libraries, sto
res, banks and co-operative elections.[81] She began to be referred as Thanga Go
puram, Thanga Chillai and Thanga Tharagai (Golden Maiden) by her followers.[82]

Loss of power, 1996[edit]

The Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK lost power in the 1996 elections, when it won 4 of t
he 168 seats that they contested.[83] Jayalalithaa was herself defeated by the D
MK candidate in Bargur Constituency.[84] The outcome has been attributed to an a
nti-incumbency sentiment and several allegations of corruption and malfeasance a
gainst her and her ministers.[79][83] The wedding event of her foster son Sudhak
aran, who married a granddaughter of the Tamil film actor Shivaji Ganesan, was h
eld on 7 September 1995 at Chennai and was viewed on large screens by over 150,0
00 people. The event holds two Guinness World Records: one is for the most guest
s at a wedding and the other is for being the largest wedding banquet.[3][85][86
] Subsequently, in November 2011, Jayalalithaa told a special court than the ent
ire ?6 crore (equivalent to ?25 crore or US$3.7 million in 2016) expenses associ
ated with the wedding were paid by the family of the bride.[87] There were sever
al corruption cases filed against her by the ruling DMK government headed by Kar
unanidhi. Jayalalitha was arrested on 7 December 1996 and was remanded to 30-day
judicial custody in connection with the Colour TV scam, which charged her with
receiving kickbacks to the tune of ?10.13 crore (equivalent to ?42 crore or US$6
.3 million in 2016). The investigation alleged that the amount through the TV de
alers were routed in the form of cheques to a relative of Sasikala, who had quot
ed Jayalalitha's residence as hers. She earlier filed an anticipatory bail in th
e trial court, which was rejected on 7 December 1996.[88] She was acquitted in t
he case on 30 May 2000 by the trial court and the High Court upheld the order of
the lower court.[89][90]
Second term as Chief Minister, 2001[edit]
Jayalalithaa was barred from standing as a candidate in the 2001 elections becau
se she was found guilty of criminal offences, including allegedly obtaining prop
erty belonging to a state-operated agency called TANSI. Although she appealed to
the Supreme Court, having been sentenced to five years' imprisonment, the matte
r was not resolved at the time of the elections.[91] Despite this, the AIADMK wo
n a majority and she was installed as Chief Minister as a non-elected member of
the state assembly on 14 May 2001.[64] She was also convicted in Pleasant Stay h
otel case on 3 February 2000 by a trial court to one-year imprisonment. Jayalali
thaa was acquitted in both the TANSI and Pleasant Stay Hotel cases on 4 December
2001 and the Supreme Court upheld the order of the High Court on 24 November 20
03.[92][93]
Her appointment was legally voided in September 2001 when the Supreme Court rule
d that she could not hold it whilst convicted of criminal acts.[91] O. Panneerse
lvam, a minister in her party, was subsequently installed as the Chief Minister.
However, his government was purported to have been puppeted and micro-managed b
y Jayalalithaa.[64][94]
Subsequently, in March 2003, Jayalalithaa assumed the position of Chief Minister
once more, having been acquitted of some charges by the Madras High Court.[95]
This cleared the way for her to contest a mid-term poll to the Andipatti constit
uency, after the sitting MLA for the seat, gave up his membership, which she won
by a handsome margin.[96] India's first company of female police commandos was
set up in Tamil Nadu in 2003. They underwent the same training as their male cou
nterparts, covering the handling of weapons, detection and disposal of bombs, dr
iving, horseriding, and adventure sports.[97]
Third term as Chief Minister, 2011[edit]
Jayalaithaa with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in July 2011
In April 2011, the AIADMK was part of a 13-party alliance that won the 14th stat
e assembly elections. Jayalalithaa was sworn in as the chief minister of Tamil N
adu for the third time on 16 May 2011, having been elected unanimously as the le
ader of the AIADMK party subsequent to those elections.[98]

On 19 December 2011, Jayalalithaa expelled her long-time close aide Sasikala Nat
arajan and 13 others from the AIADMK after she became aware that Sasikala and he
r family were working against her.[99] Most of the party members welcomed her de
cision,[100] and on 2 February 2012, Tehelka magazine claimed that Natarajan and
some of her relatives were conspiring to kill her by poisoning her food over a
period of time.[101] The matter was resolved by 31 March when Sasikala Natarajan
was reinstated as a party member after issuing a written apology.[102]Sasikala
in her written apology mentioned that she had no ambitions either in the party o
r in the government and wanted to serve Jayalalitha and added that she became aw
are of misdeeds done by her family members when Jayalalitha was in power.Only af
ter Sasikala promised to be not in touch with her family members, Jayalalitha al
lowed Sasikala back in her house and party.[103]
Disproportionate Assets case, 2014[edit]
See also: Disproportionate Asset case against Jayalalithaa
On 27 September 2014, Jayalalithaa was sentenced to four years in jail and fined
?100 crore (equivalent to ?112 crore or US$17 million in 2016) by the Special C
ourt in Bangalore. She was convicted in an 18-year-old disproportionate assets c
ase that was launched by Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy (now a member
of Bharatiya Janata Party) on 20 August 1996 on the basis of an Income Tax Depar
tment report on her. Jayalalithaa's close aide Sasikala Natarajan, her niece Ila
varasi, her nephew and the chief minister's disowned foster son Sudhakaran were
also convicted. They were sentenced to four years in jail and fined ?10 crore (e
quivalent to ?11 crore or US$1.7 million in 2016) each. Special Judge John Micha
el D'Cunha convicted her to owning assets to the tune of ?66.65 crore (equivalen
t to ?255 crore or US$38 million in 2016) (which includes 2,000 acres (810 ha) o
f land, 30 kilograms (66 lb) of gold and 12,000 saris) disproportionate to her k
nown sources of income during 1991 96 when she was chief minister for the first ti
me. The verdict was delivered by a makeshift court in the Parappana Agrahara pri
son complex in the presence of Jayalalithaa and the other accused. She was autom
atically disqualified from the post of CM and the legislative assembly of Tamil
Nadu and was the first Indian chief minister to be disqualified.[104] O. Panneer
selvam, a minister in her party, succeeded her as the Chief Minister on 29 Septe
mber 2014.[105] On 17 October 2014, the Supreme Court granted her two months' ba
il and suspended her sentence.[106] On 11 May 2015, a special Bench of the Karna
taka High Court set aside her conviction on appeal and acquitted her and the all
eged associates Sasikala Natarajan, her niece Ilavarasi, her nephew and Jayalali
thaa's disowned foster son Sudhakaran.[107]
Return as Chief Minister, 2015[edit]
The acquittal allowed her once again to hold office and on 23 May 2015, Jayalali
thaa was sworn in[108] as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for the fifth time. She w
as subsequently re-elected by the electorate of the Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar (Sta
te Assembly Constituency) of North Chennai in the by-election held on 27 June 20
15. In a landslide victory, she polled more than 88 per cent votes of the 74.4 p
er cent turnout, winning by a margin of over 150,000 votes.[109]
Elected as Chief Minister in 2016[edit]
Jayalalithaa was again elected as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in the May 2016 e
lections. She retained the R. K. Nagar constituency with a margin of 39,545 vote
s over her DMK rival.[110] She became the first leader in Tamil Nadu to serve co
nsecutive terms as Chief Minister since the death of MGR in 1987.[111] In her vi
ctory speech, she commented, "Even when 10 parties allied themselves against me,
I did not have a coalition and I placed my faith in God and built an alliance w
ith the people. It is clear that the people have faith in me and I have total fa
ith in the people."[112]
Death and reactions[edit]

Jayalalithaa's memorial.
On 22 September 2016, Jayalalithaa was admitted to Apollo Hospitals in Chennai,
as she suffered from infection and acute dehydration. Her official duties were h
anded over to her aide O. Panneerselvam on 12 October 2016.[113] She was also sa
id to be suffering from severe pulmonary infection and septicaemia, which were c
ured. On 4 December 2016, she was re-admitted to the critical care unit after su
ffering a cardiac arrest around 16:45.[114] The hospital released a press statem
ent stating that her condition was "very critical" and that she was on life supp
ort.[115] On 5 December 2016, the hospital officially announced her death 23:30
IST.[116][117]
Government of India declared a one-day national mourning with the national flag
in all government buildings flying at half-mast. While a seven-day mourning from
6 12 December 2016 was observed by Government of Tamil Nadu,[118] also three day
state mourning from 6 8 December 2016 were observed by Government of Kerala,[119]
and Government of Puducherry.[120] One day state mourning on 6 December 2016 was
observed by Government of Karnataka,[121] Government of Punjab,[122] Government
of Uttarakhand and Government of Bihar.[123] Her body was kept in state at her
residence in Poes Garden and Rajaji Hall. Her last rites were performed on the e
vening of 6 December 2016 and she was interred in the northern end of the Marina
Beach in Chennai in sandalwood casket, near the grave of her mentor M. G. Ramac
handran.[124] Various film celebrities including Rajinikanth, Vijay, Dhamu, Naya
nthara, Prabhu, Suriya, Sivakarthikeyan, Silambarasan, Vijay Sethupathi, Dhanush
, Sarathkumar, Radha Ravi, Vyjanthimala, Vadivelu, Ilaiyaraaja, Sachu, Sivakumar
, Saroja Devi, Thanu, Karthi, Ponvannan, Nassar, Vishal, Vivek, Kushboo, Sundar
C, Vijayakumar, Arun Vijay, Revathi, Simran[125] as well as several politicians,
[126] including President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, C. Vid
yasagar Rao, M. K. Stalin, Vaiko, Vijaykanth, Rahul Gandhi, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ve
nkaiah Naidu and Pon Radhakrishnan and more paid homage to her at Rajaji Hall.[1
27] The final rites were performed by Sasikala and her nephew Deepak Jayakumar.[
128]
Legislative career[edit]
Elections contested[edit]
Year
Constituency
Result Vote percentage Opposition Candidate
Oppositi
on Party
Opposition vote percentage
1989
Bodinayakkanur Won
54.51 Muthumanokaran DMK
27.27[129]
1991
Bargur Won
69.3
T. Rajendar
TMK
29.34[84]
1991
Kangayam
Won
63.4
N. S. Rajkumar Mandradiar
DMK
32.85[130]
1996
Bargur Lost
43.54 E. G. Sugavanam DMK
50.71[84]
2001
Andipatti, Krishnagiri, Bhuvanagiri, Pudukkottai
Nomination rejec
ted[131]
2002
Andipatti
Won
58.22 Vaigai Sekar
DMK
27.64[96]
2006
Andipatti
Won
55.04 Seeman DMK
36.29[132]
2011
Srirangam
Won
58.99 N Anand DMK
35.55[133][134]
2015
R.K. Nagar
Won
88.43 C Mahendran
CPI
5.35[135]
2016
R.K. Nagar
Won
55.87 Shimla Muthuchozhan
DMK
33.14[13
6]
Awards and honours[edit]
In 1972, Jayalalithaa was awarded the Kalaimamani by the Government of Tamil Nad
u.[137] She has received several honorary doctorates and other honours, beginnin
g with an award from the University of Madras in 1991.[137][138]
Notes[edit]
Jump up ^ In 2001, Jayalalitha appended an additional letter a to her name for n
umerological reasons.[1][2]
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Further reading[edit]
Ramaswamy, Vijaya (2007). Historical dictionary of the Tamils. United States: Sc
arecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-470-82958-5.
Swaminathan, Roopa (2002). M.G. Ramachandran: Jewel of the Masses. Rupa Publicat
ions. p. 1986. ISBN 9788171678976.
Velayutham, Selvaraj (2008). Tamil Cinema: The Cultural Politics of India's Othe
r Film Industry. Routledge. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-415-39680-6.
Sir Stanley Reed, ed. (1983). The Times of India directory and year book includi
ng who's who. Bennett Coleman. Times of India Press.
Vassanthi (2008). Cut-outs, Caste and Cines Stars. Penguin Books India. ISBN 978
0143063124.
Vanitha, Rose (2005). Love's Rite. Penguin Books India. ISBN 9780144000593.
Das, Sumita (2005). Refugee Management: Sri Lankan Refugges in Tamil Nadu, 1983 20
00. Mittal publications. ISBN 9788183240666.
Jagmohan (2007). My Frozen Turbulence In Kashmir. Allied Publishers. ISBN 978818
1242174.
External links[edit]
Find more about
Jayalalithaa
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Media from Commons
Quotations from Wikiquote
Profile at BBC News
Jayalalithaa: From Alluring Actress to Powerful Politician-by D.B.S. Jeyaraj
BBC News article Jayalalitha returns to power (dated 2 March 2002)
BBC Controversial life of Jayalalitha
BBC Hardtalk RealPlayer video of Jayalalitha (RealPlayer required)
J.Jayalalitha at the Internet Movie Database
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Karunanidhi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Kalaignar" redirects here. For the television channel, see Kalaignar TV.
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M Karunanidhi
?? ?????????
3rd, 4th, 10th, 12th, 14th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
In office
15 May 2011
13 May 2006
Preceded by
J. Jayalalithaa
Succeeded by
J. Jayalalithaa
Constituency
Chepauk
In office
13 May 1996 13 May 2001
Preceded by
J. Jayalalithaa
Succeeded by
J. Jayalalithaa
Constituency
Chepauk
In office
27 January 1989
30 January 1991
Preceded by
Janaki Ramachandran
Succeeded by
J. Jayalalithaa
Constituency
Harbour
In office
15 March 1971 31 January 1976
Preceded by
President's rule
Succeeded by
President's rule
Constituency
Saidapet

In office
10 February 1969
4 January 1971
Preceded by
V. R. Nedunchezhiyan (acting)
Succeeded by
President's rule
Constituency
Saidapet
Personal details
Born
Daksinamoorthy
3 June 1924 (age 92)
Thirukuvalai,
Tanjore district,
Madras Presidency,
British India
Nationality
Indian
Political party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Spouse(s)
Padmavathi (deceased)
Dayalu
Rajathi
Children
M. K. Muthu
M. K. Alagiri
M. K. Stalin
M. K. Tamilarasu
M. K. Selvi
M. K. Kanimozhi
Residence
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Religion
Atheism
Signature
Website Official website
In this Indian name, the name Muthuvel is a patronymic, not a family name, and t
he person should be referred to by the given name, Karunanidhi.
Muthuvel Karunanidhi (born as Daksinamoorthy on 3 June 1924)[1][2] is an Indian
politician who has served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on five separate occas
ions. He is the head of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK),[3] a Dravidian poli
tical party in the state of Tamil Nadu. He has been the leader of the DMK since
the death of its founder, C. N. Annadurai, in 1969.[4] He holds the record of wi
nning his seat in every election in which he has participated, in a political ca
reer spanning more than 60 years.[5][6] In the 2004 Lok Sabha Elections, he led
the DMK-led DPA (UPA and Left Parties) in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry to win all 4
0 Lok Sabha seats. In the following 2009 Lok Sabha Elections, he was able to inc
rease the number of seats for the DMK from 16 to 18 seats, and led the UPA in Ta
mil Nadu and Puducherry, to win 28 seats, even with a significantly smaller coal
ition. He is also a playwright and screenwriter in Tamil cinema. He is popularly
called Kalaignar.[7][8][9] Since 1975, Karunanidhi has published six volumes of
his autobiography, Nenjukku Neethi.[10]
Contents [hide]
1
Personal life
2
Screenwriting
3
Literature
3.1
Films
4
Politics
4.1
Entry into politics
4.2
Rise to power
4.3
Editor and publisher
4.4
World Tamil Conference
5
Awards and titles
6
Controversies
6.1
Desecrating Hindu Gods
6.2
Ram Setu remarks
6.3
Connections with LTTE
6.4
Allegations of nepotism[citation needed]

6.4.1 Involvement in 2G Scam

7
Elections contested and positions held
7.1
Posts in legislature
8
See also
9
Notes
10
References
11
External links
Personal life[edit]
M.Karunanidhi was born as Dakshinamoorthy[2] in Thirukuvalai, Nagapattinam distr
ict[11][12] on 3 June 1924 to Muthuvel and Anjugam.[1] He married three times; h
is wives are the late Padmavathy, Dayalu Ammal and Rajathi Ammal.[13][14] Karuna
nidhi's first wife Padmavathy was a sister of Chidambaram S. Jeyaraman, notable
Tamil musician, music director and playback singer. She died young. Karunanidhi'
s sons are M. K. Muthu, M. K. Alagiri, M. K. Stalin, and M. K. Tamilarasu. His d
aughters are Selvi and Kanimozhi. Kanimozhi is a Rajya Sabha MP. M. K. Muthu, hi
s eldest son was born to Padmavathy, who died at a young age. Alagiri, Stalin, S
elvi and Tamilarasu were born to Dayalu, while Kanimozhi is the only daughter fr
om his third wife, Rajathi. He has donated his house, that is to be converted in
to a free hospital for the poor after the lifetime of him and his wife Dayalu .[
15][16] He is an atheist.[17]
Screenwriting[edit]
See also: Parasakthi (1952 film) and Tamil cinema and Dravidian politics
Karunanidhi began his career as a screenwriter in the Tamil film industry.[18] T
hrough his wit and oratorical skills he rapidly rose as a popular politician. He
was famous for writing historical and social (reformist) stories which propagat
ed the socialist and rationalist ideals of the Dravidian movement to which he be
longed. He first began using Tamil cinema to propagate his political ideas throu
gh the movie Parasakthi.[19] Parasakthi was a turning point in Tamil cinema, as
it espoused the ideologies of the Dravidian movement and also introduced two pro
minent actors of Tamil filmdom, Sivaji Ganesan and S. S. Rajendran.[20] The movi
e was initially banned but was eventually released in 1952.[20] It was a huge bo
x office hit, but its release was marred with controversies. The movie was oppos
ed by orthodox Hindus since it contained elements that criticized Brahmanism.[21
] Two other movies written by Karunanidhi that contained such messages were Pana
m and Thangarathnam.[19] These movies contained themes such as widow remarriage,
abolition of untouchability, self-respect marriages, abolition of zamindari and
abolition of religious hypocrisy.[20] As his movies and plays with strong socia
l messages became popular, they suffered from increased censorship; two of his p
lays in the 1950s were banned.[20]
Karunanidhi rose to fame as a scriptwriter for the Modern Theatres Studio in Sal
em about 350 kilometers from Madras or present day Chennai. T R Sundaram, the ow
ner of Modern Theatres Studio at Yercaud foot hills, was instrumental in honouri
ng the talents of Karunanidhi, Jayalalithaa and M G Ramachandran. Even today, wh
enever Karunanidhi visits Salem, he takes a ride through Modern Theatres ( now a
gated community of exclusive bungalows)and goes up to the first hair pin bend o
n the Yercaud hill road to relive nostalgia.
Literature[edit]
Karunanidhi is known for his contributions to Tamil literature. His contribution
s cover a wide range: poems, letters, screenplays, novels, biographies, historic
al novels, stage-plays, dialogues and movie songs. He has written Kuraloviam for
Thirukural, Tholkaappiya Poonga, Poombukar, as well as many poems, essays and b
ooks. Apart from literature, Karunanidhi has also contributed to the Tamil langu
age through art and architecture. Like the Kuraloviyam, in which Kalaignar wrote
about Thirukkural, through the construction of Valluvar Kottam he gave an archi
tectural presence to Thiruvalluvar, in Chennai. At Kanyakumari, Karunanidhi cons
tructed a 133-foot-high statue of Thiruvalluvar in honour of the scholar.

The books written by Karunanidhi's include Sanga Thamizh, Thirukkural Urai, Ponn
ar Sankar, Romapuri Pandian, Thenpandi Singam, Vellikizhamai, Nenjukku Needhi, I
niyavai Irubathu and Kuraloviam. His books of prose and poetry number more than
100.
Karunanidhi's stage plays include: Manimagudam, Ore Ratham, Palaniappan, Thooku
Medai, Kagithapoo, Naane Arivali, Vellikizhamai, Udhayasooriyan and Silappathika
ram.
Films[edit]
At the age of 20, Karunanidhi went to work for Jupiter Pictures as a scriptwrite
r. His first film, Rajakumaari, gained him much popularity. It was here that his
skills as a scriptwriter were honed. He wrote 75 screenplays including: Rajakum
aari, Abimanyu, Manthiri Kumari, Marudhanaattu Ilavarasi, Manamagal, Devaki, Par
asakthi, Panam, Thirumbi Paar, Naam, Manohara, Ammaiappan, Malaikkallan, Rangoon
Radha, Raja Rani, Pudhaiyal, Pudhumai Pithan, Ellorum Innattu Mannar, Kuravanji
, Thayillapillai, Kaanchi Thalaivan, Poompuhar, Poomalai, Mani Makudam, Marakka
Mudiyuma?, Avan Pithana?, Pookkari, Needhikku Thandanai, Paalaivana Rojakkal, Pa
sa Paravaikal, Padadha Theneekkal, Niyaya Tharasu, Pasakiligal, Kannamma, Uliyin
Osai, Pen Singam,Ilaignan and Ponnar Shankar
Ponnar Shankar (2011)
Ilaignan (2011)
Pen Singam (2010)
Uliyin Osai (2008)
Pasa Kiligal (2006)
Kannamma (2005)
Mannin Maindhan (2005)
Puthiya Parasakthi (1996)
Madurai Meenakshi (1993)
Kavalukku Kettikaran (1990)
Nyaya Tharasu (1989)
Paasa Paravaigal (1988)
Paadatha Thenikkal (1988)
Neethikku Thandanai (1987)
Paalaivana Rojakkal (1985)
Kaalam Pathil Sollum (1980)
Pillaiyo Pillai (1972)
Avan Pithana? (1966)
Poomalai (1965)
Poompuhar (1964)
Kaanchi Thalaivan (1963)
Iruvar Ullam (1963)
Thayilla Pillai (1961)
Arasilangkumari (1961)
Kuravanji (1960)
Pudhumai Pithan (1957)
Pudhaiyal (1957)
Raja Rani (1956)
Rangoon Radha (1956)
Malaikkallan (1954)
Thirumbi Paar (1953)
Panam (1952)
Manohara (1952)
Manamagal (1952)
Parasakthi (1952)
Manthiri Kumari (1950)
Marudhanaattu Ilavarasi (1950)
Abimanyu (1948)
Rajakumaari (1947)

Politics[edit]
Entry into politics[edit]
Karunanidhi entered politics at the age of 14, inspired by a speech by Alagirisw
amii of the Justice Party, and participated in Anti-Hindi agitations. He founded
an organisation for the local youth of his locality. He circulated a handwritte
n newspaper called Manavar Nesan to its members. Later he founded a student orga
nisation called Tamil Nadu Tamil Manavar Mandram, which was the first student wi
ng of the Dravidan Movement. Karunanidhi involved himself and the student commun
ity in social work with other members. Here he started a newspaper for its membe
rs, which grew into Murasoli, the DMK party's official newspaper.
The first major protest that aided Karunanidhi in gaining ground in Tamil politi
cs was his involvement in the Kallakudi agitation in Kallakudi. Original name of
this industrial town was Kallakudi and it was changed to Dalmiapuram after a ce
ment mogul who built a cement plant there. DMK wanted to change the name back to
Kallakudi. In the protest Karunanidhi and his companions erased the name Dalmia
puram from the railway station and lay down on the tracks blocking the course of
trains. Two people died in the protest and Karunanidhi was arrested.[22]
Rise to power[edit]
Karunanidhi was first elected to the Tamil Nadu assembly in 1957 from the Kulith
alai assembly of Thiruchirapalli district. He became the DMK treasurer in 1961 a
nd deputy leader of opposition in the state assembly in the year 1962 and when t
he DMK came to power in 1967, he became the minister for public works. When Anna
durai expired in 1969, Karunanidhi became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and t
he first leader of DMK, since the leader post was left vacant for Periyar when A
nnadurai was alive (Annadurai was the general secretary only). He has held vario
us positions in the party and government during his long career in Tamil Nadu po
litical arena. However, he suffered multiple electoral defeats against his prima
ry opponent M.G.Ramachandran's ADMK until the latter's death in 1987.
After a brief stint as Chief Minister during the late 1980s (his government was
dismissed by the Central government on accusations of degrading Law and Order si
tuation in the state), Karunanidhi became the CM of Tamil Nadu in 1996 following
a sweeping electoral win in the preceding elections. Following a 5-year rule, h
is party again lost at the elections to J. Jayalalithaa's AIADMK in 2001. He was
however back in power when he took over as chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on 13 M
ay 2006 after his coalition defeated his main opponent J. Jayalalithaa in the Ma
y 2006 elections.[23] He currently represents the constituency of Tiruvarur in t
he Tamil Nadu state Legislative Assembly. He has been elected to the Tamil Nadu
Legislative Assembly 12 times and once to the now abolished Tamil Nadu Legislati
ve Council. At the end of the 5-year administration, the DMK lost the majority o
f seats in the legislative assembly of Tamil Nadu when elections were held in 20
11, thereby ceding power again to the AIADMK under J. Jayalalithaa.
Editor and publisher[edit]
He started Murasoli on 10 August 1942. He was the founding editor and publisher
of Murasoli during his boyhood as a monthly, then a weekly, and now a daily. He
used his talents as a journalist and cartoonist to bring issues relevant to his
political ideology before the public. He writes daily letters addressed to his p
arty workers by name; he has been writing these for over 50 years. In addition h
e has served as editor for Kudiyarasu and gave life to the journal Mutharam. He
is the founder of State Governments News Reel, Arasu Studio and also the Governm
ent Journal Tamil Arasu, published in Tamil and English.
World Tamil Conference[edit]
He delivered the special address on the inaugural day of 3rd World Tamil Confere
nce held in Paris in 1970, and also on the inaugural day of 6th World Tamil Conf
erence held in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) in 1987. He penned the song "Semmozhiyaan
a Tamizh Mozhiyaam", the official theme song for the World Classical Tamil Confe

rence 2010, that was set to tune by A. R. Rahman.[24]

Awards and titles[edit]
Annamalai University awarded him an honorary doctorate in 1971.[25]
He was awarded "Raja Rajan Award" by Tamil University, Thanjavur for his book "T
henpandi Singam".[25]
On 15 December 2006, the Governor of Tamil Nadu and the Chancellor of Madurai Ka
maraj University, Surjit Singh Barnala conferred an honorary doctorate on the Ch
ief Minister on the occasion of the 40th annual convocation.
In June 2007,[26][27][28] the Tamil Nadu Muslim Makkal Katchi announced that it
would confer the title 'Friend of the Muslim Community' ('Yaaran-E-Millath') upo
n M. Karunanidhi.
In June 2016, Karunanidhi received the Distinguished Statesman award [29]from th
e Rocheston Accreditation Institute, New York.
Controversies[edit]
He has been indicted by the Sarkaria commission for corruption in allotting tend
ers for the Veeranam project.[30] Indira Gandhi dismissed the Karunanidhi govern
ment based on charges of possible secession and corruption. His Government was t
he first state Government in India to be dismissed on charges of corruption. In
2001 Karunanidhi, former chief secretary, K.A. Nambiar, and a host of others wer
e arrested on charges of corruption in the construction of flyovers in Chennai.[
31] He and his party members were also charged under Sections 120(b) (criminal c
onspiracy), 167 (public servant framing an incorrect document with intent to cau
se injury), 420 (cheating) and 409 (criminal breach of trust) of the IPC, and Se
ction 13 (2) read with 13 (1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, but no pri
ma facie evidence was found against him and his son M K Stalin.[32][citation nee
ded]
Desecrating Hindu Gods[edit]
Karunanidhi and senior party members reportedly[citation needed] participated in
a rally in Villupuram on 15 September 2012, to celebrate the DMK founding day,
where they were reportedly received by a group of dancers made up as Hindu gods.
[citation needed] Dressed in costumes depicting Shiva, Parvathy, Murugan and Vin
ayaka, the dancers put up a show for this group of "atheist" leaders.[citation n
eeded] This development has not gone down well with the Hindu leaders with the T
N Hindu Maha Sabha president K. Srikandan sending a petition to the chief minist
er's cell and the director general of police, demanding the arrest of rally orga
niser K. Ponmudy and other office-bearers of the DMK under the National Security
Act. Karunanidhi and the DMK leaders have been criticized by Hindu outfits and
Casteist organizations for following the rationalistic principles of Periyar E.V
.Ramasamy which emphasize on abolition of caste and religious superstitions.[33]
Ram Setu remarks[edit]
In response to the Sethusamudram controversy, Karunanidhi questioned the existen
ce of the Hindu God Rama. He asked:
Some say there was a person over 1.7 million years ago. His name was Rama. Do no
t touch the bridge (Ramar Sethu) constructed by him. Who is this Rama? From whic
h engineering college did he graduate? Is there any proof for this?[34]
His remarks caused a
cused Karunanidhi of
from Karunanidhi if
any other religion;

firestorm of controversy. BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad ac

religious discrimination when noting "We would like to know
he would make a similar statement against religious head of
chance are he may not."[35]

Nationalist Congress Party spokesman D. P. Tripathi said, "Where is the need of

asking for evidence on the existence of Ram when lots of people have unreserved
faith in him?"[36]
In response to these statements, Karunanidhi defiantly stated, "Anyway, neither

Valmiki nor Ram is here now [to vouch for claims of Ram's existence]. There is o
nly a group that thinks of people as fools. They will be proved wrong."[36]
Several days later, he commented:
I have not said anything more than Valmiki, who authored Ramayana. Valmiki had e
ven stated that Rama was a drunkard. Have I said so?[37] Further adding: "Even m
y god is Ramasami"
Connections with LTTE[edit]
The interim report of Justice Jain Commission, which oversaw the investigation i
nto Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, indicted Karunanidhi for abetting the Liberati
on Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).[38] The interim report recommended that Tamil N
adu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and the DMK party be held responsible for abet
ting Rajiv Gandhi's murderers. The final report contained no such allegations.[3
9] In April 2009, in an interview to NDTV, Karunanidhi made a controversial rema
rk stating that "Prabhakaran is my good friend" and also said, "India could not
forgive the LTTE for assassinating Rajiv Gandhi".[40][41]
Allegations of nepotism[citation needed][edit]
Karunanidhi has been accused by opponents, by some members of his party, and by
other political observers of trying to promote nepotism[citation needed]. Many p
olitical opponents and DMK party senior leaders have been critical of the rise o
f M. K. Stalin in the party.[citation needed] But some of the party men have poi
nted out that Stalin has come up on his own. He has faced a lot of hardship sinc
e 1975, when he was jailed under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA)
and was beaten up in jail so brutally during the Emergency that a fellow DMK pa
rty prisoner died trying to save him.[42] Stalin was an MLA in 1989 and 1996 whe
n his father Karunanidhi was the Chief Minister, but he was not inducted into th
e Cabinet. He became Chennai's 44th mayor and its first directly elected mayor i
n 1996. It was only in his fourth term as MLA that he was made a Minister in the
Karunanidhi cabinet and then in 2009 was made the Deputy Chief Minister. His da
ughter Kanimozhi is a Rajya Sabha MP now.
Involvement in 2G Scam[edit]
As per the chargesheet filed by CBI, Kanimozhi has 100% stake in her family owne
d Kalaignar TV, her step-mother Dayalu Ammal owns 60% stake in the same channel.
CBI alleges that Kanimozhi was an "active brain" behind the channel's operation
s[48] and she worked along with former telecom minister A. Raja to get DB Realty
promoter Shahid Balwa to circuitously route 2 billion (US$36.2 million) to Kala
ignar TV. According to CBI, Kanimozhi was in regular touch with A Raja regarding
launching of Kalaignar TV channel and its other pending works.[49] CBI alleges
that A Raja was further pursuing the cause of Kalaignar TV not only for getting
registration of the company from Ministry of Information and Broadcasting but al
so for getting it in the DTH operator TATA Sky's bouquet. She was also summoned
by the Income Tax Department, Chennai for alleged tax evasion charges.[49][citat
ion needed]
On 3 July 2012, briefing the Joint parliamentary committee probing the scam, ED
claimed that it has enough evidence to convict DMK chief Karunanidhi's wife and
daughter Kanimozhi.[43][citation needed]
Elections contested and positions held[edit]
Year
Constituency
Result Vote percentage Opposition Candidate
on Party
Opposition vote percentage
1957
Kulithalai
Won
K. A. Dharmalingam
INC
1962
Thanjavur
Won
A. Y. S. Parisutha Nadar
1967
Saidapet
Won
S. G. Vinayagamurthy
INC
1971
Saidapet
Won
N. Kamalingam INC
1977
Anna Nagar
Won
50.1
G. Krishnamurthy
ADMK

Oppositi
INC
30.98[44

]
1980
Anna Nagar
Won
48.97 H.V.Hande
ADMK
48.31[44]
1989
Harbour Won
59.76 K.A.Wahab
Muslim League 13.84[45]
1991
Harbour Won
48.66 K. Suppu
ADMK
47.26[45]
1996
Chepauk Won
77.05 N.S. Nellai Kannan
INC
17.24[46]
2001
Chepauk Won
51.91 R. Damodharan INC
43.5[46]
2006
Chepauk Won
50.96 Dawood Miah Khan
Independent
38.25[46
]
2011
Thiruvarur
Won
62.9
M. Rajendran
ADMK
33.93[47]
2016
Thiruvarur
Won
R. Pannerselvam ADMK
Posts in legislature[edit]
Assembly
From
To
Position
Party - Number of seats
/Seats contested
Third Assembly 1962
1967
Deputy Leader of the Opposition 50/143[48]
Fourth Assembly 1967
1969
State Minister for Public Works 138/233[49]
Fourth Assembly 10 February 1969
5 January 1971 Chief Minister (1)[50]
136/233[51]
Fifth Assembly 15 March 1971 31 January 1976 Chief Minister (2)[50] 182/203[
52]
Sixth Assembly 25 July 1977
17 February 1980
Leader of the Opposition
(1)[50]
48/230[53]
Seventh Assembly
27 June 1980
18 August 1983 Leader of the Opposition
(2)[50]
37/112[54]
Ninth Assembly 27 January 1989 30 January 1991 Chief Minister (3)[50] 150/202[
55]
Eleventh Assembly
13 May 1996
14 May 2001
Chief Minister (4)[50]
173/182[56]
Thirteenth Assembly
13 May 2006
14 May 2011
Chief Minister (5)[50]
96/132[57]
Fourteenth Assembly
16 May 2011
Present MLA
23/124
See also[edit]
List of political families
Karunanidhi family
Notes[edit]
^ Jump up to: a b Mohan, Gopu (31 May 2009). "Karunanidhi's Kutumbam". The India
n Express. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b "With Them / Against Them: The DMK's bitter battles with the s
tate BJP continue, so how long can they hang on at the Centre?". Outlook India.
Retrieved 22 November 2013.
Jump up ^ "DMK's Official Homepage". Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. 9 December 2011.
Retrieved 22 November 2013.
Jump up ^ "Biography of Karunanaidhi in official party website". Dravida Munnetr
a Kazhagam. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
Jump up ^ "I am not a rich person:TN CM Karunanidhi proclaims". Asian Tribune. 2
December 2010. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
Jump up ^ "Karunanidhi wife pulls out stake in Sun TV". Indian Express. 8 Novemb
er 2005. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
Jump up ^ "M Karunanidhi: India's 91-year-old politician who is still fighting".
BBC News. 13 May 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
Jump up ^ "Kalaignar survives 4 challenging years". The Economic Times. 14 May 2
010. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
Jump up ^ "Hint of a secret in Kalaignar's largely set script". E P Unny. Indian
Express. 29 April 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
Jump up ^ "At 92, age no bar for Karunanidhi's passion for screenwriting". Zee N
ews. 7 June 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
Jump up ^ "Thirukuvalai Population - Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu". 2011 Census of I
ndia.
Jump up ^ Menon, Jeya (20 April 2005). "Karunanidhi's been nice, but his village
not blind to Amma option". The Indian Express. Thirukuvalai. Retrieved 22 Novem
ber 2013.

Jump up ^ "In South India, more the merrier". The Times of India. 2 May 2006. Re
trieved 22 November 2013.
Jump up ^ N., Sathiya Moorthy (2 November 2008). "Rama, Ravana battle again in T
N". Madras: Rediff. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
Jump up ^ "Karunanidhi Donates his House to Establish Free Hospital for Poor". A
sian Tribune. 3 June 2010. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
Jump up ^ "The Wives & Wherefores". The Outlook. New Delhi. 8 June 2009. Retriev
ed 10 November 2013.
Jump up ^ http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/antihindu-rhetoric-nothing-new-f
or-atheist-dmk-chief/219610/
Jump up ^ "The Last Lear
The Long Profile of Karunanidhi in The Caravan". The Ca
ravan India. Archived from the original on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 22 November
2013.
^ Jump up to: a b Guneratne 2003, p. 216
^ Jump up to: a b c d Hardgrave, Jr, Robert L (1973). "Politics and the Film in
Tamilnadu: The Stars and the DMK". Asian Survey. 13 (3): 288 305. doi:10.1525/as.1
973.13.3.01p0314o.
Jump up ^ A., Srivathsan (12 June 2006). "Films and the politics of convenience"
. The Hindu. Chennai, India. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
Jump up ^ Ramaswamy 1997, p. 226
Jump up ^ Krishnakumar (25 April 2006). "The Sachin of TN politics". Rediff.com.
Retrieved 22 November 2013.
Jump up ^ T., Ramakrishnan (16 May 2010). "Front Page : Theme song launched for
world classical Tamil meet". The Hindu. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b "Awards". Drkalaignar.org. Retrieved 19 December 2011.[dead li
nk]
Jump up ^ "TMMK to confer Karunanidhi with 'Friend of the Community' title". new
kerala.com. United News of India. 3 June 2007. Chennai, 3 June: Tamil Nadu Chief
Minister and DMK President M Karunanidhi, who turned 84 today, will be conferre
d with the 'Friend of the Muslim Community' title by the Tamil Nadu Muslim Makka
l Katchi.
Jump up ^ United News of India (3 June 2007). "MK awarded 'Friend of the Communi
ty' title". oneindia.in.[dead link]
Jump up ^ United News of India (4 June 2007). "Karunanidhi turns 84". news.webin
dia123.com. The Tamil Nadu Muslim Makkal Katchi has decided to confer 'Yaaraan-E
-Millath (meaning friend of the Muslim community) title on Mr Karunanidhi to mar
k the occasion.
Jump up ^ . One India http://tamil.oneindia.com/news/tamilnadu/us-firm-honours-k
arunanidhi-256753.html. Missing or empty |title= (help)
Jump up ^ "The Hindu : What the Sarkaria Commission said". The Hindu. 10 June 20
01. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
Jump up ^ "Welcome to Frontline". 29 (01). Frontline.
Jump up ^ "Karunanidhi held in pre-dawn swoop Jailed on corruption charges". Blo
nnet.com. 31 December 2011. Archived from the original on 1 June 2006. Retrieved
24 January 2012.
Jump up ^ S. Thirunavukarasu (18 September 2012). "DMK lands in 'divine' trouble
". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
Jump up ^ Which engineering college did Rama study, asks Karuna, New India Press
Archived 9 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
18 September 2007
Jump up ^ "Karuna earns BJP's wrath for comments on Lord Ram". Rediff. 17 Septem
ber 2007. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b "DMK chief rubbishes Ram again". The Pioneer. 20 September 200
7. Archived from the original on 17 August 2007.
Jump up ^ As per Valmiki, Rama was a drunkard: Karunanidhi[permanent dead link]
AndhraNews.net
Jump up ^ "India Today Cover Story Jain Commission Revelations: Damning the DMK]
". India Today. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
Jump up ^ "No adverse comments on DMK leaders in Jain report". The Hindu. Chenna
i, India. 14 February 2004. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
Jump up ^ "Karunanidhi flip flops, says can't forgive LTTE". CNN-IBN. Retrieved

22 November 2013.
Jump up ^ TamilNet (21 April 2012). "Karunanidhi: "Tamil Eelam Still Around the
Corner"". Tamilnet.tv. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
Jump up ^ "Politics: Special Series; M K Stalin". India Today. 1 November 1999.
Retrieved 22 November 2013.
Jump up ^ "Enough proof to nail Karuna's wife, Kanimozhi in 2G scam: ED tells JP
C". Times of India. 4 July 2012. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
^ Jump up to: a b "Party wise comparison since 1977 in Anna Nagar constituency".
Election Commission of India. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b "Party wise comparison since 1977 in Harbour constituency". El
ection Commission of India. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b c "Party wise comparison since 1977 in Chepauk constituency".
Election Commission of India. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
Jump up ^ Statistical report on Tamil Nadu Assembly elections 2011, p. 191
Jump up ^ Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Quadrennial Review 1962-70 1967, pp. 6
-7
Jump up ^ Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Quadrennial Review 1967-70 1971, p. 7
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g "Details of Successive legislative assemblies consti
tuted under the constitution of India". Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. Archive
d from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
Jump up ^ Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Quadrennial Review 1967-70 1971, p. 14
5
Jump up ^ Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Quadrennial Review 1971-76 1976, p. 15
7
Jump up ^ Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Quadrennial Review 1977-80 1980, p. 9
Jump up ^ Statistical report on Tamil Nadu Assembly general elections 1980, p. 1
0
Jump up ^ Statistical report on Tamil Nadu Assembly general elections 1989, p. 1
0
Jump up ^ Statistical report on Tamil Nadu Assembly general elections 1996, p. 1
1
Jump up ^ Statistical report on Tamil Nadu Assembly general elections 2006, p. 1
1
References[edit]
Guneratne, Anthony R.; Wimal Dissanayake; Sumita S. Chakravarty (2003). Rethinki
ng Third Cinema. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-21354-1.
Ramaswamy, Sumathy (1997). Passions of the tongue: language devotion in Tamil In
dia, 1891 1970. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-20805-6 ISBN 978-0-52020805-6.
"Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Quadrennial Review 1962-67" (PDF). Fort St. Geo
rge, Madras: Legislative Assembly Department. June 1967.
"Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Quadrennial Review 1967-70" (PDF). Fort St. Geo
rge, Madras: Legislative Assembly Department. June 1971.
"Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Quadrennial Review 1971-76" (PDF). Fort St. Geo
rge, Madras: Legislative Assembly Department. June 1976.
"Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Quadrennial Review 1977-80" (PDF). Fort St. Geo
rge, Madras: Legislative Assembly Department. 1980.
"Statistical report on Tamil Nadu Assembly elections 2011" (PDF). New Delhi: Ele
ction Commission of India. 2011.
"Statistical report on Tamil Nadu Assembly general elections 1980" (PDF). New De
lhi: Election Commission of India. 1980.
"Statistical report on Tamil Nadu Assembly general elections 1989" (PDF). New De
lhi: Election Commission of India. 1989. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 O
ctober 2010.
"Statistical report on Tamil Nadu Assembly general elections 1996" (PDF). New De
lhi: Election Commission of India. 1996. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 O
ctober 2010.
"Statistical report on Tamil Nadu Assembly general elections 2006" (PDF). New De
lhi: Election Commission of India. 2006.
External links[edit]

The Last Lear: A Long Profile of Muthuvel Karunanidhi by Vinod K Jose in The Car
avan magazine
Muthuvel Karunanidhi: One Hundred Tamils of 20th Century[dead link]
Political offices
Preceded by
C. N. Annadurai Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
First Tenure
1969 1976
Vacant
President's Rule
Title next held by
M. G. Ramachandran
Vacant
President's Rule
Title last held by
Janaki Ramachandran
Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
Second Tenure
1989 1990
Vacant
President's Rule
Title next held by
J. Jayalalithaa
Preceded by
J. Jayalalithaa Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
Third Tenure
1996 2001
Succeeded by
J. Jayalalithaa
Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
Fourth Tenure
2006 2011
[show] v t e
Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu
[show] v t e
Dravidian political parties
Authority control
WorldCat Identities VIAF: 80705248 LCCN: n80045166 ISNI: 0000 0000 7883 6861 GND
: 136344690 SUDOC: 063464594
Categories: 1924 birthsDravidian movementLiving peopleChief Ministers of Tamil N
aduIndian atheistsTamil screenwritersDravida Munnetra Kazhagam politiciansIndian
s imprisoned during the Emergency (India)Leaders of the Opposition in Tamil Nadu
Karunanidhi familyChief ministers from Dravida Munnetra KazhagamTirukkural comme
ntators
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