How M. Karunanidhi’s landmark reforms shaped Tamil Nadu’s political and economical landscapes

Tributes to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s President M Karunanidhi have flowed in all directions – literary, political and editorial. Yet, it is in the administrative realm that the five-time Chief Minister had some of his greatest impact. Over a nineteen year tenure, spread across five decades, Karunanidhi’s legislative accomplishments have changed the socio-economic landscape of Tamil Nadu; and its ripples have been found in other parts of the Indian nation-state as well. 

Actor Radhika Sarathkumar says that yesteryear actor M.R. Radha coined the honorific “Kalaignar” for Karunanidhi, when they worked together on the stage play “Thookumedai”, in respect of his artistry and literary skill. Had Radha witnessed Karunanidhi’s governance in all his five terms, it is my intuition that he may have revised it to reflect the latter’s administrative excellence. 

It is not an easy task to provide a report card of legislative progress for a five-time Chief Minister. It must be remembered that he first took oath as Chief Minister on 10 February 1967 and stepped down for the last time on 13 May 2011. He had governed Tamil Nadu at various points over a forty four year period during which the economic landscape had undergone tectonic changes. To appreciate this, in 1970-71, the Indian per capita Net National Income (at factor cost at constant prices) was INR 10,016 and today it is around INR 82,269. While the length and breadth of the legislative achievements over this era are enormous, like the person himself, it is the tenacious adaptability over the long period during which he strode the political arena which stand out. 

Land Rights and Agrarian Agenda

The early Karunanidhi years, namely 1969 to 1976, witnessed prioritisation of social reforms over all others. The Tamil Nadu Agricultural Labourer Fair Wages Act 1969 was enacted to enforce payment of fair wages to agricultural labourers in the Cauvery delta region and penalise landowners who exploited labourers. Another act, in the same year, would ensure that all tenancy rights and interests were maintained in the revenue records for the first time. In the following year, the Tamil Nadu Land Reforms (Reduction of Ceiling on Land) Act 1970 was passed, a law which sought to reduce disparities in land holdings by reducing the land ceiling limit from 30 standard acres to 15 standard acres, was passed. This set of reforms culminated in the setting up of the specialist university for development of agriculture, learning and research in to the agricultural sciences through the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Act 1971. Taken together, this set of agrarian and land-related laws formed the first bundle of administrative measures targeted for the development of rural Tamil Nadu. This was, perhaps, unsurprising given Karunanidhi was familiar with the problems faced by farmers and farm labourers, as even in his first term as a Member of Legislative Assembly for Kulithalai, he spoke about the Nangavaram farm labourers’ agitation of 1957. 

Commissioned Administrative Reforms 

Also, during the early years as Chief Minister, Karunanidhi would go on to establish some very important Commissions. The first was a Committee “to study centre-state relations” and make recommendations about what powers to transfer to the states. It had always been the dream of former Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai (Anna) to amend the constitution in a manner to transfer power from the Centre to the States, it was Kalaignar who would act on it. During his first Chief Ministerial visit to New Delhi, in March 1969, Karunanidhi announced in a press conference that his government was considering setting up an expert committee to study centre-state relations. Later, that August, he announced the formation of a three-member Committee headed by Dr. P.V. Rajamannar to examine the Constitutional provisions to suggest measures to secure “utmost autonomy of the State in the executive, legislative and judicial branches”. The recommendations of the Rajamannar Committee, submitted on 27 May 1971,  laid out a comprehensive road map towards a more federal constitution. It made far reaching recommendations on a broad range of subjects, from setting up an inter-state council comprised of all chief ministers, with the prime minister as chairman; to the appointment of governors. It suggested guidelines on matters ranging from the appointment of chief ministers to the dismissal of a minority government. 

A Backward Classes Commission was constituted under the chairmanship of A.N. Sattanathan to give recommendations on improving the welfare of backward classes. Based on the report of the Sattanathan Commission, the government increased reservation quota of the backward classes in educational institutions and government employment from 25 percent to 31 percent; and for Scheduled Castes from 16 percent to 18 percent. Similarly, a Police Commission was constituted during this time, under the leadership of R.A. Gopalasamy to give recommendations on revision of pay scales of policemen. Based on the report of the Police Commission, the pay scales of policemen were substantially increased and the meritorious service of police personnel were rewarded with annual awards. Other administrative reforms, during those years, included the acceptance and implementation of the Second Pay Commission for government employees and the abolition of the confidential report system. 

“Harijan Welfare” Schemes

Another standout yet under-reported administrative accomplishment was the slew of incentives given to the education of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes students. According to the Tamil Nadu State Administration Report 1969-75, prizes in the form of clothing were given to Scheduled Castes students who demonstrated regular attendance in the schools. Similarly, the Headmasters and Headmistresses whose schools ensured 100% attendance were given silver medals. Mid-Day Meal scheme for the students in the Adi Dravidar Welfare Schools was sanctioned at a cost of INR 30 lakhs in the Budget Estimate of 1974-75. Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students who failed in Standards IX and X were given special coaching through a Government-sanctioned scheme. The incentive-based schemes, loan facilities and scholarships were expanded during the years of 1969 to 1975. Through a Government order, in 1970, tuition fees for Schedule Caste and Scheduled Tribe student upto Pre-University Courses were made exempt. Students were provided an interest-free loan for pursuing professional courses through a Government Order from 1972 onwards. A total of 377 students benefitted under this scheme from the year 1970-71 to 1974-75 amounting to about Rs.4,46,200/. Other schemes sanctioned the financial assistance for the training of five lawyers and five chartered accountants from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes communities. According to the Department of Harijan Welfare, the number of training centres for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes students for Tamil Nadu Public Service Commissions examinations was increased from 4 during 1966-67 to 30 in 1973-74. 

A recent report from 2015 showing that Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes children from Tamil Nadu are less likely to be underweight than children belonging to Other Backward Classes and forward castes in States like Gujarat is testament to the impact of targeted education-related reforms undertaken by the Karunanidhi-led government between 1969 and 1976. The slew of government orders issued during this period enabled tens of thousands of Dalit students to complete education, gain employment and lift their families out of poverty. 

Pioneering Initiatives

Until 1989, when Karunanidhi was re-elected for the third term as Chief Minister, the property and succession rights of sons and daughters within Hindu families were different. While sons could exercise complete right over their father’s property, daughters enjoyed this right only until they got married. The Self Respect Conference held in Chengalpet during February 1929 had passed a resolution demanding equal rights for women. In 1989, the The Hindu Succession (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Act 1989 finally provided equal succession rights. This law has had an understated yet significant impact in addressing the gender inequality. Bestowed with equal rights to the ancestral property, women, naturally, became economic partners within the households and were accorded due importance in decision-making. At the national level, the law was amended in 2005 to provide equal status for women. 

Similarly, the state has also been a role model for the welfare of differently-abled persons. The Tamil Nadu Welfare Board for the Disabled Persons Act 2007 and the creation of a dedicated department for the Welfare of the Differently-Abled in 2009. Yet, for years, there was no separate department at the Central level and it was part of the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment till the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities was created on 12.5.2012. Also, in the case of transgender persons, Tamil Nadu set up a Welfare Board on 15.04.2008 under the Ministry of Social Welfare. The Board was tasked with the formulation and implementation of welfare programmes for providing social security and status to the transgender community. These pioneering initiatives aimed at recognising the rights of transgender persons began took shapes years before the landmark judgment by the Supreme Court in the case of National Legal Services Authority vs Union of India in 2014. It is a matter of some concern that the Union Government is yet to pass the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill 2016 through the two houses of Parliament. 

Economic Impetus

The Dravidian economic model is best described, in Anna’s words, as Consumer Socialism. The model envisages the State to play the role of an enabler or catalyst of industrial growth with the interest of the consumer or the citizen, in this case, at the centre of the process. The early economic interventions of the Karunanidhi-government have focussed on increasing job opportunities by inviting industries – micro, small, medium or large – to open up in the state. 

To facilitate growth of smaller scale industrial enterprises, the Tamil Nadu Small Industries Development Corporation Limited (SIDCO) was incorporated in 1970. The establishment of State Industrial Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT) was crucial in the creation of the first industrial estate spanning a 730-acre premises at Ranipet (Vellore) in 1973. This initiative gave birth to 107 new industries and opened thousands of job opportunities. Building on these efforts, in 1997, The Tamil Nadu Industrial Township Area Development Authority Act was enacted to “promote and assist the rapid and orderly establishment, growth and development of industries”. The Tamil Nadu Acquisition of Land for Industrial Purposes Act 1998 was a flagship law passed to facilitate acquisition of lands that is so essential for setting up of big industries. These, and other such inherent qualities, including a skilled workforce, rule of law, efficient bureaucracy and all-round social infrastructure, ensured that Tamil Nadu became an investment-friendly state. 

The Karunanidhi Government set up a its magnum opus state-of-the-art software park as a joint venture between two government agencies: TIDCO (Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation) and ELCOT (Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu). At the time of its co The TIDEL Information Technology Park, which was inaugurated by then Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee in July 2000, cemented Chennai’s place as a sought after software industry destination.

Building on the strong industrial base created over three decades, the automobile manufacturing sector took wings in and around Chennai. In 2008, it was estimated that 23 percent of the cars and 15 percent of the trucks and two-wheelers manufactured in India came from Chennai and Hosur. Around INR 15,000 crore new investment came directly into the automobiles and ancillary industries within the state in that year. Chennai became a manufacturing leader and was called the ‘Detroit of South Asia’.

Social Justice and Education

At times, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and, its predecessor, Dravidar Kazhagam have not been politically allied but even during those times, they have stayed ideologically aligned. Only a little more than year after the acrimonious split and the creation of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam led by Anna, both organizations stood shoulder-to-shoulder to protest the decision in State of Madras vs. Champakam Dorairajan case. Under Karunanidhi, the Department of Backward Classes was started in the year 1969 and the Department of Most Backward Classes and Denotified Communities in 1989. After the Sattanathan Commission, the J.A. Ambasankar Backward Classes Commission was constituted in 1982 and provided its recommendations in 1985. However, it was not until 1989, when Karunanidhi formed government, were the subdivision of reservations for Most Backward Classes carved out. 

In the year 2007, The Tamil Nadu Backward Class Christians and Backward Class Muslims (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions Including Private Educational Institutions and of Appointments or Posts in the Services Under the State) Act was legislated to create a subdivision of backward Muslims and Christians. This was further followed by The Tamil Nadu Arunthathiyars (Special Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions including Private Educational Institutions and of Appointments or Posts in the Services under the State within the Reservation for the Scheduled Castes) Act in 2009 creating sub-quotas to ensure the benefits of affirmative action trickled down. There were other novel innovations including preferential appointments for students who were educated in Tamil medium schools under the Tamil Nadu Appointment on Preferential Basis in the Services under the State of Persons Studied in Tamil Medium Act, 2010. In the same year, scholarship scheme was announced to provide for financial assistance to “first graduates” towards tuition fees and other fees for any professional courses.  

The Karunanidhi years witnessed more government colleges for engineering and medicine be opened than at any other time. In 1997, the Dr Ambedkar Law University was set up in Chennai as a premier law institute and also honour the memory of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. Periyar University  was also set up in the same year. In 2006 and 2007, Anna University was expanded to regional headquarters in Tiruchirapalli, Coimbatore and Tirunelveli, quadrupling the presence of the premier engineering university.  Similarly, The Tamil Nadu Admission in Professional Educational Institutions Act, 2006 was enacted to streamline the admission process to professional courses in engineering, medicine, dental, agriculture and architecture. This law extended reservations to cover 65% of seats in non-minority unaided (private) professional institutions and 50% in minority unaided institutions. Two major legislative reforms were seen in the school education sector as well: capping of fees and setting up of uniform curriculum in education (‘samacheer kalvi’). Over the years, the education sector – from primary to tertiary – underwent a gradual but definitive change. It is for this reason that the State has a Gross Enrolment Ratio of 42, which is comparable with European nations. More importantly, reforms such as the elimination of common entrance examinations have widened the base of students being admitted to professional courses. Empirical evidence shows that more women, rural and first generation graduates benefitted from these reforms. 

Thorn Embedded in Ayya’s Heart

Apart from the legislations and administrative orders dealt with already, there was one reform that was close to Karunanidhi’s heart. His ideological mentor Periyar had succeeded in breaking temple entry barriers by leading the the famous Vaikom agitation when Karunanidhi was a toddler. Less than a year as Chief Minister, Karunanidhi was informed of Periyar’s demand to abolish hereditary priesthood in Hindu temples. In 1970, Karunanidhi-led government took steps to amend the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act.  

The legislative amendment would say that a temple trustee was not under any legal obligation “to appoint the heir only” as the priest. The law was short-lived as it was challenged and taken up for hearing before the Supreme Court. In what is now known as the Seshammal vs Union of India case, the apex court held that though there was nothing unconstitutional about this amendment, the appointment of priests should not fall foul of Articles 25 and 26 which guaranteed the right to freedom of religion. The judgment of the Supreme Court was interpreted as a stalemate to the temple reforms. In retaliation, Periyar had announced protests against this judgment but had passed away before the scheduled date.

After a decision of the Supreme Court in 2002 in a matter regarding appointment of a non-Brahmin priest in a Kerala temple, N Adityan vs Travancore Devaswom Board, permitting the appointment of priests without any conditions, the decks seemed to have been cleared. Within days of returning to government, in 2006, Karunanidhi announced that his government would issue an ordinance to make way for appointment of priests from all castes. The government constituted a Committee under A.K. Rajan to study the the legal issues surrounding this matter and started centres to train priests in the agamic rituals. The law was again challenged and the matter went up to the Supreme Court in the Adi Sivachiriyargal vs State of Tamil Nadu. The final judgment, delivered in December 2015, upheld the law and opened the gates for appointments. On 29 July 2018, a few days after Karunanidhi was admitted to the hospital, the first non-Brahmin government trained priest was appointed to a Madurai temple by the Department of HIndu Religious and Charitable Endowments. 

Through out his nineteen years as Chief Minister, Karunanidhi has championed hundreds of legislations ranging from education to healthcare to reservations to industry. But, the unfinished legislative business of his political life would have to be the appointment of non-Brahmin priests. The Justice Party began almost a hundred years ago to advance the cause of non-Brahmins. Periyar fought for temple entry but was not able to succeed in breaking barriers to priesthood. At the commemoration of Periyar’s birth centenary in 1977, Maniammai rued that the Dravidian icon had died with a “thorn embedded in his heart” because he was unable to see this reform through. Temples have been seen as an insurmountable bastion of caste hierarchy and even Anna, during his two year stint as Chief Minister, was not able to make a mark. It fell upon Karunanidhi, in his fifth and final term heading the government, to legislate reforms that essentially strike at the root of caste hierarchy. For atheist Karunanidhi, who swore to remove the thorn embedded in his ideologue’s heart, this legislative accomplishment would have meant more than all others.

Karunanidhi’s administrative achievements may have began with land reforms and agrarian issues but he made long-lasting contribution to impacting the education landscape as well as industrial sector. More than anything else, Karunanidhi-led governments have always scored high in the social justice reforms. The principles of the Dravidian Movement underline every legislative reform undertaken during the terms of various DMK-led governments. In some way, a study in to the legislative achievements of Karunanidhi are intertwined with the study into the unique, and uniquely successful, Dravidian Movement itself. It is equally true that any history – there is a rich and diverse political and legal history waiting to be explored in depth – can not be written without giving due credit to the legislative prowess of Karunanidhi. 

Manuraj Shunmugasundaram 

The author is an Advocate practising in the Madras High Court and a Media Spokesperson of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. He had done his graduation from the Australia National University and law degree from the University of Delhi. He has been part of youth delegations to United States of America, European Union and Israel. He is currently part of the Steering Committee for School of Policy and Governance and the Steering Committee for Australia India Youth Dialogue. 

Link to the Article: https://frontline.thehindu.com/cover-story/landmark-reforms/article64759933.ece