Su. Thirunavukkarasar

Subburaman Thirunavukkarasar (born 13 July 1949) is an Indian politician. He was the State President of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee till 2 February 2019 and former secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) of the Indian National Congress (INC) party.[3] His introduction to politics in 1977 was facilitated by former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M. G. Ramachandran. Ramachandran founded the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) in 1972 and was facing his first elections for the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election in 1977. He identified Thirunavukkarasar, a lawyer by profession, to contest the Aranthangi assembly constituency. Thirunavukkarasar won the seat, aged 27, and was elected as the Deputy Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. He continued in that capacity till 1980. Subsequently, he served as Tamil Nadu state minister from 1980 to 1987 in the MGR cabinet, holding portfolios that included Industries, Housing Board, Excise and Handlooms. Later, he became a member of the Lok Sabha – the lower house of the Parliament of India – when he won the erstwhile Pudukottai Lok Sabha constituency. He served as Union Minister of state for shipping and later for telecommunications and information technology.[4]

Su. Thirunavukkarasar
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
Assumed office
23 May 2019
Preceded byP Kumar
ConstituencyTiruchirappalli
In office
1999–2004
Preceded byRaja Paramasivam
Succeeded byS. Regupathy
ConstituencyPudukottai
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
In office
30 June 2004 – 26 June 2010
ConstituencyMadhya Pradesh
President of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee
In office
2016–2019
Preceded byE. V. K. S. Elangovan
Succeeded byK. S. Alagiri
Minister of State for Shipping
In office
2002–2003
Prime MinisterAtal Bihari Vajpayee
Minister of State for Telecommunication and Information Technology
In office
2003–2004
Prime MinisterAtal Bihari Vajpayee
Minister of Industries, Housing Board, Excise and Handlooms
In office
1980–1987
Chief MinisterM. G. Ramachandran
Deputy Speaker, Tamilnadu Legislative Assembly
In office
1977–1980
SpeakerMunu Adhi
Preceded byN. Ganapathy
Succeeded byP. H. Pandian
Member of Legislative Assembly
In office
1977–1999
ConstituencyAranthangi assembly constituency
Personal details
Born (1949-07-13) 13 July 1949
Aranthangi, Madras Province, India
Political partyIndian National Congress (Since 2009)[1]
Other political
affiliations
ResidenceMadras

Thirunavukkarasar joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for a brief period and was also a member of the Rajya Sabha – the upper house of the Parliament of India – from the state of Madhya Pradesh. He is a Member of Parliament, representing Tiruchirappalli constituency in the Lok Sabha (the lower house of India's Parliament).

    Early life

    S. Thirunavukkarasar was born in Theeyathoor, Pudukkottai district, Tamil Nadu on 13 July 1949. He did his M.A., B.L. at Madras University, Chennai and Venkateshwara University, Tirupathi.[5]

    Career

    Thirunavukkarasar was elected from Aranthangi legislative assembly constituency at each election from 1977 to 1996. He resigned his seat on 15 October 1999.[6],he started Anna Puratchi Thalaivar Thamilga Munnetra Kazhagam with K. K. S. S. R. Ramachandran in 1991, it merged with AIADMK in 1996.

    He later started a new party called MGR Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in 1996 due to a rift with Jayalalitha, in the legislative assembly elections in Tamil Nadu 2001 MGR ADMK had put up three candidates (supported by NDA), out of whom two were elected. The party received 129 474 votes and in 2002 MGR ADMK merged with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).He won the Pudukottai Lok Sabha Constituency in 1999 and was Union minister of state for Shipping and later, Communication and Information Technology til 2004.


    He was appointed as the secretary of the AICC by the INC president, Sonia Gandhi. Currently, as AICC secretary, he is responsible for Telangana and participated in the selection of Jana Reddy as leader of the opposition.[7] Thirunavukkarasar was invited to inaugurate the Tamil Nadu chapter of Indian National Congress Overseas in New York, US.[8]

    Achievements as State Minister (Tamil Nadu)

    Thirunavukkarasar was the Industries, Handlooms and Commercial tax minister in the Ramachandran cabinet while simultaneously being the deputy speaker of the assembly. He established Tamil Nadu Magnesite Limited (TANMAG) and Tamil Nadu Minerals Limited (TAMIN) to further exploration of mineral resources in the state. Thirunavukkarasar also established several State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOTs). Several paper and sugar mills were established by Thirunavukkarasar.

    Believing in human resource development through education, he established schools, arts and science college and polytechnics in the 1980s. He also built small dams in rivers and started hospitals and primary health centers. These were done while there was hardly any awareness about water storage and health care.

    Minister in the Government of India

    As shipping minister, Thirunavukkarasar considered maritime education as necessary for the shipping industry. He emphasised the importance of technology and scientific training and encouraged the National Institute of Port Management to train more personnel. He also inaugurated new premises for Academy of Maritime Education and Training (AMET).[9]

    Congress relationship

    When Sonia Gandhi took over the presidency of Congress Party in 1998. In the 1998 Lok Sabha elections, MGRADMK founded by Thirunavukkarasar alligined with the Congress to face the polls.

    Thirunavukkarasar contested the Ramanathapuram Lok Sabha constituency when several congress stalwarts refused to contest the election. Recently in the year 2017 he was appointed as the State President of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee and has in the past served as the secretary of the All India Congress Committee from 2010 to 2017.

    Film career

    Thirunavukkarasar briefly worked as film distributor. He scripted and produced the film Maruthu Pandi (1990) and appeared in lead role in Agni Paarvai (1992).

    Personal life

    Su. Thirunavukkarasar married Jayanthi in 1978. They have three sons and two daughters.[5]

    References
    1. "S. Thirunavukkarasar leaves BJP to join Congress". The Hindu. 9 November 2009. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
    2. "The king and his pocket borough". The Hindu. 14 May 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
    3. "Our Organisation". Indian National Congress. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
    4. "BJP's Rajya Sabha member may join AIADMK". www.rediff.com. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
    5. "Biographical Sketch". Parliament of India. Archived from the original on 15 June 2009.
    6. "Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly (Eleventh Assembly): Review 1996-2001" (PDF). Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu. p. 20. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
    7. "Congress posts for losers in Telangana assembly and legislative council". The Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
    8. "INOC USA Tamil Nadu Chapter launched". India Post. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
    9. "'Maritime education key to shipping industry's growth'". The Hindu. 4 November 2002. Archived from the original on 29 June 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2017.

    3. http://www.outlookindia.com/printarticle.aspx?203657 4. http://expressindia.indianexpress.com/ie/daily/19980305/06450164.html 5. http://www.rediff.com/news/may/21aiadmk.htm 6. http://www.rediff.com/%0D%0Anews/1998/feb/20second.htm 7. http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/sonia-gandhis-election-campaign-it-is-a-spectacle-from-start-to-end/1/263584.html 7. http://expressindia.indianexpress.com/ie/daily/19970606/15750193.html 8. http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/while-mgr-recuperates-in-us-aiadmk-heads-for-a-split-jayalalitha-gets-a-rude-shock/1/353861.html

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