Honourable S. S. Sivasankar | |
|---|---|
| Tamil Nadu Minister for Transport | |
| Assumed office 29 March 2022 | |
| Chief Minister | M.K. Stalin |
| Preceded by | Raja Kannappan |
| Tamil Nadu Minister for Backward Classes Welfare | |
| In office 7 May 2021 – 29 March 2022 | |
| Chief Minister | M.K. Stalin |
| Preceded by | S. Valarmathi |
| Succeeded by | Raja Kannappan |
| Member ofTamil Nadu Legislative Assembly | |
| Assumed office 11 May 2021 | |
| Preceded by | R. T. Ramachandran |
| Constituency | Kunnam |
| In office 23 May 2011 – 24 May 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency created |
| Succeeded by | R. T. Ramachandran |
| Constituency | Kunnam |
| In office 17 May 2006 – 22 May 2011 | |
| Preceded by | J. Guru |
| Succeeded by | None (Constituency merged withJayankondam andKunnam) |
| Constituency | Andimadam |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1969-03-24)24 March 1969 (age 56) Devanur,Tamil Nadu, India |
| Political party |  Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam(1993- present) |
| Spouse | Gayathridevi |
| Relations | S.S. Sivakumar (younger brother) |
| Children | Sivasaran Sivasurya |
| Parent(s) | Sivarajeshwari (mother) S. Sivasubramanian (father) |
| Alma mater | Annamalai University |
| Occupation | Politician writer |
| Website | http://sssivasankar.blogspot.com/ http://ss-sivasankar.blogspot.com/ |
S. S. Sivasankar is an Indian politician and writer from theDravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). He has representedAndimadam (2006–11),[1] andKunnam (2011–16; 2021-)[2] constituencies inTamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. From 7 May 2021 to 29 March 2022, he served as Minister for the Welfare of Backward, Most Backward and Denotified Communities in theCouncil of Ministers under M.K. Stalin.[3] On 29 March 2022, he assumed charge as the State'sMinister for Transport.[4]
Sivasankar has authored three books:Makkaludan En Anubavangal (orMakkalodu Naan) (2015),Chozhan Raja Prapthi (2019), andThozhar Chozhan (2019).
Sivasankar was born on 24 March 1969 in the village ofDevanur nearAndimadam in present-dayAriyalur district,Tamil Nadu. His fatherS. Sivasubramanian was an ardent supporter of theDravidian movement and was instrumental in strengthening the DMK in the district.[5] Sivasankar's mother is Sivarajeshwari.
After attending Andimadam Government School, Sivasankar studiedBachelor of Engineering in the Department ofElectrical andElectronics Engineering atAnnamalai University. After graduating in 1991, he worked for a private company inBangalore until 1993.[5]
Sivasankar's political career began when he participated in anAnti-Hindi conference organized by the DMK in Tiruchirappalli in December 1978.[6] He entered full-time politics in 1993, and was elected as the DMK Secretary of the Andimadam Union in 1999. In 2001, he was appointed DMK Secretary of the newly createdAriyalur district.After the district's DMK unit was merged with thePerambalur district unit, he continued as union secretary of Andimadam.[citation needed] Then, he once again became the District Secretary for Ariyalur and is presently in that post.
From 1996 to 2001, Sivasankar served as Deputy President of PerambalurDistrict Panchayat. Then he served as a member of Ariyalur District Panchayat till 2006.[7]
In the2006 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, Sivasankar successfully contested in his home constituency ofAndimadam.
In the2011 Assembly election, he won fromKunnam. On 31 January 2014, he was suspended for an entire assembly session for tearing up a copy of the customary speech byKonijeti Rosaiah, thenGovernor of Tamil Nadu.[8][9]
In the2016 Assembly election, Sivasankar contested fromAriyalur constituency and lost by 2,621 votes.
In the2021 Assembly election, he re-contested in Kunnam and won by 6,329 votes.
Following the victory of theDMK alliance in the 2021 election, Sivasankar was inducted into theM. K. Stalin ministry as Minister for the Welfare of Backward, Most Backward and Denotified Communities. On 29 March 2022, his portfolio was transferred toRaja Kannappan and he in turn replaced the latter asMinister for Transport.
| Year | Constituency | Result | Votes (%) | Opponent | Opponent's party | Opponent's votes (%) | Margin (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Andimadam | Won | 51,395 (45.32%) | K. Panneerselvam | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 45,567 (40.18%) | 5,828 (5.14%) |
| 2011 | Kunnam | Won | 81,723 (46.88%) | Durai Kamaraj | Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam | 58,766 (33.71%) | 22,957 (13.17%) |
| 2016 | Ariyalur | Runner-up | 85,902 (40.97%) | Thamarai S. Rajendran | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 88,523 (41.94%) | 2,621 (1.25%) |
| 2021 | Kunnam | Won | 1,03,922 (47.26%) | R. T. Ramachandran | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 97,593 (44.38%) | 6,329 (2.87%) |
Sivasankar was interested inphotography right from his college days. Consequently, he served as Secretary of the Photographers' Association. He has been a member of the Perambalur DistrictAthletics Association and as President of the Tamil NaduSilambam Association.
| Year | Tamil title | Transliteration | Standardized English Title | Meaning | Type | Notes | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | மக்களுடன் என் அனுபவங்கள்: குன்னம் தொகுதி எம்.எல்.ஏவின் உணர்வும் பகிர்வும் (Alternative title)மக்களோடு நான் | Makkaḷuṭaṉ eṉ aṉupavaṅkaḷ: Kuṉṉam tokuti em.El.Ēviṉ uṇarvum pakirvum (Alternative title)Makkaḷōṭu nāṉ | Makkaludan En Anubavangal (Makkalodu Naan) | My Experiences with People: The Feeling and Sharing of the Kunnam MLA (Alternative title)I with the People | Diary | Collection of selectedFacebook posts by Sivasankar. | Kizhakku Pathipagam |
| 2019 | சோழன் ராஜா ப்ராப்தி | Cōḻaṉ rājā prāpti | Chozhan Raja Prapthi (?) | Fortune of theChola King (?) | Essay collection | Collection of articles featured on the guest page ofAndhimazhai magazine. | Anthimazhai Pathipagam |
| 2019 | "தோழர்" சோழன் | "Tōḻar" cōḻaṉ | Thozhar Chozhan | "Comrade Chola" | Historical Novel | Set in the backdrop ofNaxalism and Tamil separatist movements (such as theTNLA led byThamizharasan ofPonparappi). This novel went to the finals in the "Pen to Publish" contest held byKindle Direct Publishing in 2019.[10][11] | Amazon Kindle |
Sivasankar's residence is in Rajaji Nagar, Ariyalur. His wife Gayathridevi is aphysician hailing fromPapanasam (Thanjavur district).[12] The couple has two sons: Sivasaran and Sivasurya.[13]
Sivasankar was one of the participants in Season 14 episode 21 of the television showNeeya Naana hosted byGopinath Chandran onVijay TV. In this episode (titled "Gopinath discusses Tamil Nadu") that aired on 10 February 2013, a student presented her position againstreservation, citing 'arbitrary' caste-based concessions. In reply, Sivasankar famously gave an explanation:[14][15]
Student-1: ....It was said that there is no fee for female students appearing for theGATE [exam] . It is ₹ 600-700 for [male]SC students. For the rest, ₹ 1500. I say that such differences need not be there. Let [the fee] be equal for all. All are well off.
Sivasankar:...Whom do you say "are well off" ?
Student-1: ... I do not mean everyone. I say this of those who are well off.
Sivasankar: ...[citing the example of a running race quoted by another participant]... If [we] place a person 100 metres behind and place you 100 metres ahead...that person's chance [to win] is diminished... In other words, how many of those running by your side have your stamina?...Those without eyesight...and those with impairment in their legs are also required to run along...Such weaker sections are there....You are speaking withChennai in context. How many villages have you visited? Do you know the situation in villages. Even today, there's a compulsion in villages to work on the basis of one'scaste. Do you know that? Do you know that they are refused the opportunities before them?...Social justice is something with a long history. There's no need for you to know it in full. All communities must be respected equally. But without a chance for that, they are down. Those at the bottom should be given a hand and raised up..[That action] is reservation. Another student claims that he himself belongs to the oppressed community but says it is embarrassing to get [concessions]. How can you feel embarrassed? Do you know what profession your father, grandfather and ancestors undertook? Do you know how oppressed they were?...For the sole reason that you've got an opportunity for education, that you've entered a college, that your friends think ill, you say no [to reservation] This is your personal view. But how many of those who were refused this opportunity undertakecoolie work in the village? How many go toKerala for work? None of you have thought of their plight. You only think that today "I'm well off.."
[The student whom he mentioned speaks]: Sir! [Reservation] is like something to be taken advantage of. None of those [coming through] reservation study...There's a course calledTeacher Training. To study that, we're required to just passClass 12 ....One just studies a day before exams, write the exam and receives pass marks...It's going just like that...
Sivasankar:Thambi[a]! Do you know data regarding the number of SC students receiving high marks and getting placed inopen quota for the last 5-10 years? [Student 2 nods in the negative] You don't know! You generally speak based on hearsay from your friend. What profession your grandfather undertook?
Student-2:Coolie.
Sivasankar: From that place ... [you've] crossed this many generations due to this reservation. [Hence] your family is able to educate you. You must understand that. We cannot change our life according to the talk of some four friends. More oppressed generation like you should come up. Speak after realizing this.
— [16]
