Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam

Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Secretary-General	Vaiko
Lok Sabha leader	Ganesamoorthy
Founded	May 6, 1992
Headquarters	Thaayagam, Egmore, Chennai
Labour wing	Marumalarchi Labour Front
Ideology	Social democracy
Alliance	National Democratic Alliance (1998-2004, 2014-2014) United Progressive Alliance (2004-2008)
Seats in Lok Sabha	0 / 545
Election symbol
150px
Website
mdmk.org.in
Politics of India Political parties Elections

Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (Tamil: மறுமலர்ச்சி திராவிட முன்னேற்றக் கழகம்; English: Renaissance Dravida Progressive Congress; abbreviated as MDMK) is a political party active in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry. It was established by Vaiko in 1994.

History

Formation of MDMK

Vaiko was a member of Rajyasabha and a party activist of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. Vaiko grew in the party from his student days and actively participated in the party agitations and courted imprisonment several times. He was elected thrice to the Rajya Sabha and attracted the attention of many in parliament. In 1994, he was forced out of the parent body as he was seen as a threat to DMK chief Karunanidhi's son M.K. Stalin. Vaiko along with some district secretaries announced the decision to start rival DMK ultimately leading to naming of the part as MDMK.

Support to LTTE

Vaiko's sympathy for the cause of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam is widely known. He visited to the Jungles in Vavuniya to meet LTTE supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran.

Support to Mullai periyar Dam

Kerala government was keen in demolishing mullai periyar dam, this dam is the prime source for irrigation for more than 8 districts including Theni.

Split in MDMK

With the looming possibility of a vote of confidence in Parliament against UPA, two party MPs, L Ganesan and Ginjee N Ramachandran, claimed that they enjoy the support of the majority of party cadre and decided to pledge support to the UPA government. They later withdrew their claim and joined DMK when it was found that they had forged letters of support of party executives.

Boycott of Assembly Election 2011

Due to issues in seat sharing, MDMK quit the ADMK Alliance and boycotted the 2011 Assembly elections of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

Sanchi Protest

The MDMK protested the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa's visit to Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh. Vaiko and his party members traveled to Sanchi. People who traveled through roadways were stopped by the police near Gadchiroli. Some party members tried to reach the spot by rail and air but they were detained by police before reaching Sanchi.

MDMK snap ties with NDA

The MDMK snapped its ties with BJP, just after six months from 2014 election, accusing the BJP of acting against Tamil Interests, even though the BJP didn't try to assuage the MDMK regarding snapping of ties, which many people attribute to Dr. Swamy's lobbying against MDMK. Earlier in the month, Dr. Swamy of the BJP made a strong pitch against Vaiko accusing him of acting against national interests for his regional political benefits.

Party flag and symbol

The color of the top and bottom panel is red and middle panel is black. The election symbol is top. The party has a weekly journal called Sangoli which carries news and write ups for party workers.