INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
So, what happened in TN during the Emergency?In TN, Congress (O) leader K Kamaraj fretted that the nation was lost
He died a broken man on October 2, 1975
CPM opposed the Emergency
Pushed to a corner, the DMK chose to oppose the measure
men, including his son Stalin and nephew, the late Murasoli Maran.On June 26, 1975, and well through to the next morning, Karunanidhi was
unanimously by 63 of the 75 members present
Hitler.There was no going back now
In 1994, Karunanidhi claimed a central minister(most likely C Subramaniam) came home to advise him to retract the resolution and, in return,
Karunanidhi says he chose not to bend
But the relationship with the Congress (I) was beyond mend, and the Emergency was just the last straw.Karunanidhi had taken care to see that
But these nuances were lost on Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who was under a siege mentality
20-point programme to rein in prices and alleviate rural indebtedness
However, three days later, Murasoli Maran told the US consul general in Chennai that the DMK was prepared for the long haul, that Indira
Gandhi was wooing Kamaraj, for with him beside her, she would feel emboldened to strike at the DMK
We gave ?6 crore for the 1971 war fund
He noted that 30,000 houses for Adi Dravidas and plans for 5,000 houses for fishermen were underway and that the 20-point programme fell
Only six weeks later, Karunanidhi would extend an olive branch to Indira Gandhi when on August 9, 1975, at the fifth Tirunelveli district
His recent trip to New Delhi, although still somewhat shrouded in mystery, represents further erosion of his early (in the emergency) stand
Ashok Mehta, A B Vajpayee and Biju Patnaik were present
welcome address, Karunanidhi said that a way must be found to normalise the situation in the country
On some conditioning the talks to lifting the Emergency, Karunanidhi sagely said conditionalities from either side would be unhelpful
Karunanidhi forwarded it with a letter to Indira Gandhi
It is unclear if Indira Gandhi responded to this letter
However, events cascaded fast, and Indira Gandhi felt confident enough to announce elections and release the leaders.
