Aladi Aruna (alias) V ArunachalamNadar | |
|---|---|
| Minister of Law | |
| In office 1996–2001 | |
| Chief Minister | M. Karunanidhi |
| Member of Parliament,Rajya Sabha | |
| In office 25 July 1983 – 24 July 1989 | |
| Constituency | Tamil Nadu |
| Member of Parliament,Lok Sabha | |
| In office 1977–1980 | |
| Preceded by | S. A. Muruganantham |
| Succeeded by | D. S. A. Sivaprakasam |
| Constituency | Tirunelveli |
| Member of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 1996–2001 | |
| Preceded by | S. S. Ramasubbu |
| Succeeded by | P. G. Rajendran Nadar |
| In office 1967–1977 | |
| Preceded by | S. Chellapandian |
| Succeeded by | V. Karuppasamy Pandian |
| Constituency | Alangulam |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1933-07-09)9 July 1933 Aladipatti,Tirunelveli,Madras Presidency,British India (NowTamil Nadu,India) |
| Died | 31 December 2004(2004-12-31) (aged 71) Alangulam, Tirunelveli, India |
| Manner of death | Assassination |
| Political party | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| Other political affiliations | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| Spouse | Kamala |
| Children | Five sons andPoongothai Aladi Aruna |
| Parent(s) | Vaithiyalingam Nadar and Pathirakaaliyammal |
| Alma mater | St. John's College, Palayamkottai,Madras Law College[1] |
| Source:[1] | |
Aladi Aruna (alias) V ArunachalamNadar (9 July 1933 - 31 December 2004) was an Indian politician. He was the Law Minister ofTamil Nadu. He was elected to theTamil Nadu legislative assembly as a member of theDravida Munnetra Kazhagam fromAlangulam constituency in the1967,1971 and1996 elections.[2][3]He was elected to theLok Sabha, thelower house ofIndia's Parliament, fromTirunelveli constituency in the1977 elections.[4] He was also a member of theRajya Sabha, theupper house of India's Parliament, as a member of theAnna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. He came into the limelight when he issued a dissent note in the JPC report on theBofors Scandal against a clean chit to Rajiv Gandhi government.[5][6][7] He was hacked to death in 2004.[8]
Aladipatti Arunachalam Nadar, alias Aladi Aruna, was born inAladipatti, a village about 30 kilometres fromTirunelveli, to Vaithiyalingam Nadar and Pathirakaaliyammal. His father was a farmer and also owned a provisions store. He was the eldest son in the family with two brothers and two sisters.[citation needed]
After his primary school education at the Primary school in Aladipatti, he completed his high school education from Tirunelveli. He graduated in B.A. (Economics) from St.John's College, Palayamkottai, Tirunelveli and aBachelor of Law degree fromMadras Law College.[1]
He was married to Kamala with whom he had five sons and a daughter.[9] His daughter,Poongothai Aladi Aruna, followed him into politics.[10]
He founded Einstein College of Engineering in Tamil Nadu in 2004 and was also instrumental in the success of Dhanalakshmi Higher Secondary School established in 1913, a 100-year school in North Chennai.[citation needed]
Though born into a family that traditionally held the priestdom of the famous Vaithiyalingasamy Kovil in Aladipatti, he was strongly influenced by the rationalist movement spearheaded by Periyar and greatly enchanted with the silver-tongued oratory ofC. N. Annadurai andM. Karunanidhi. These influences soon became his guiding forces and he entered the political movement even as a young student and actively participated in the "Anti-Hindi agitation". His book "Hindi Egathipathiyam" is considered a treatise on the movement.
He started his political career by unsuccessfully contesting in the Assembly elections fromAlangulam as aDravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) candidate in1962. He was later elected to the Assembly on two occasions in1967 and1971 as a DMK candidate. He was greatly responsible for the organisation of cooperatives for the beedi workers during this period. He also won Lok Sabha election in 1977 from Tirunelveli.
He later joined theAnna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and was elected to the Lok Sabha, from Tirunelveli and laterM. G. Ramachandran nominated him to theRajya Sabha fromTamil Nadu in 1984. He also served as the leader of the AIADMK in the Rajya Sabha. During this tenure, he served as a member of the Joint Parliament Committee that probed theBofors scandal. He raised a dissent note on the report of the Joint Parliamentary Committee which examined the Bofors Scam, which was a death-knell to the Rajiv Gandhi government. Aladi Aruna's comment in the dissent note said "The son (Rajiv Gandhi) has surpassed mother (Indira Gandhi) in corruption and abuse of power".[11]
After the death of Ramachandran, he rejoined the DMK and was appointed its spokesperson. He was the first person to hold office as spokesperson in the DMK.
He became a Law Minister of Tamil Nadu after winning the assembly election contesting as a DMK candidate in1996.[9] He was instrumental in the establishment of the law university in Chennai and setting up the High Court branch in Madurai, bringing a law college to Tirunelveli.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIADMK | P. G. Rajendran | 58,498 | 48.95% | New | |
| DMK | Aladi Aruna | 54,387 | 45.51% | −0.59 | |
| MDMK | S. S. Krishnasamy | 3,320 | 2.78% | −9.58 | |
| Independent | S. Vaikuntam | 1,561 | 1.31% | New | |
| Independent | P. Ravi Kumar | 821 | 0.69% | New | |
| Margin of victory | 4,111 | 3.44% | −17.58% | ||
| Turnout | 119,509 | 65.37% | −7.55% | ||
| Registered electors | 182,877 | ||||
| AIADMKgain fromDMK | Swing | 2.85% | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DMK | Aladi Aruna | 53,374 | 46.10% | +12.72 | |
| INC | M. S. Kamaraj | 29,038 | 25.08% | −37.61 | |
| MDMK | M. P. Murugiah | 14,309 | 12.36% | New | |
| AIIC(T) | S. S. Ramasubbu | 6,475 | 5.59% | New | |
| BJP | S. V. Anburaj | 3,236 | 2.80% | New | |
| Independent | I. Poolpandian | 2,186 | 1.89% | New | |
| Independent | S. Murugiah @ Murugiah Pandian | 1,500 | 1.30% | New | |
| Independent | S. Shunmugaih Pandian | 864 | 0.75% | New | |
| Margin of victory | 24,336 | 21.02% | −8.29% | ||
| Turnout | 115,771 | 72.92% | 3.47% | ||
| Registered electors | 167,697 | ||||
| DMKgain fromINC | Swing | -16.59% | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INC | S. S. Ramasubbu | 31,314 | 28.57% | New | |
| DMK | M. P. Murugiah | 30,832 | 28.13% | −2.53 | |
| AIADMK | V. Karuppasamy Pandian | 23,964 | 21.87% | −32.62 | |
| AIADMK | Aladi Aruna | 20,867 | 19.04% | −35.45 | |
| Margin of victory | 482 | 0.44% | −23.38% | ||
| Turnout | 109,598 | 79.43% | 3.67% | ||
| Registered electors | 140,927 | ||||
| INCgain fromAIADMK | Swing | -25.92% | |||
He participated in and led various agitations against Hindi during 1962 - 1967, was imprisoned for more than a year during that Anti Hindi Movement. He organized Beedi rollers of Tirunelveli to come under a forum and made them powerful. It is his efforts that got the beedi rollers separate ID cards and getting benefits from State and Central Governments. He was always a star speaker in all meetings and conferences, it was said that Aringar Anna will tell the meeting organisers to make Aladi Aruna speak after his arrival as he wants to listen to the speech of Aladi Aruna. Never in his political life accused of any allegations in any form. Even the apposition political party leader admired him for his honesty, integrity and service. He was one of the respected politicians in New Delhi. He was suspended from DMK party for alleged anti-party activities.[15] He accused the party of sidelining those who opposeM. K. Stalin emerging as a potential candidate for Chief Minister. He also said that Stalin was unfit to become Chief Minister or lead the party headed by stalwarts such asC. N. Annadurai andM. Karunanidhi.
Aladi Aruna was one of the foremost Dravidian writers in English. He has authored several books in English and Tamil.He has written several books on varied topics.[9]Unfederal Features of the Indian Constitution is notable among his booksDefend Our Rights - which discusses center state relationshipVoice for the States - A compilation of his various speeches in Parliament. He was the editor of weekly "Ennam" .[citation needed]
His other works in Tamil include,
Aladi Aruna was murdered during a morning walk near Alangulam, inTenkasi district on 31 December 2004. He was 71. His friend R. Ponraj who also accompanied him was killed and Socrates,TASMAC bar attendant from Aladipatti survived the attack.[9]
According to police, Aruna was attacked by a gang instructed by his friend and local educationistS. A. Raja, with whom he had fallen out over setting up of educational institutions in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu. Raja was arrested in January 2005 but was bailed by theSupreme Court of India in July 2006.[16] The district court acquitted Raja on 15 April 2008.[17] The High Court reversed the verdict on 5 August 2009.[18] The Supreme Court then again acquitted and released him on 30 July 2010, writing that the high court could not establish that he was guilty.[19][20]
Two of the accused, Balamurugan and Azhagar, were convicted in Tirunelveli principal sessions court and sentenced to death in April 2008. A third, Veldurai, was convicted for a violation of the Arms Act and sentenced to three years in prison. Six others were acquitted, including Raja.[21]
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