Party Name : Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Constituency : Chennai Central
State : Tamil Nadu
Member Experience : Elected to Loksabha 5 time
Last Loksabha Attended : 13
Father's Name : Shri Shanmuga Sundaram
Mother's Name :
Date of birth : 17 Aug 1934
Profession : Journalist Social Worker
Positions held :
1967 Elected to 4th Lok Sabha1971 Re-elected to 5th Lok Sabha (2nd term)1977-95 Member, Rajya Sabha (three terms)Member, Committee on Public Undertakings (three terms)1980-82 Member, General Purposes Committee1980-82 and 1991-95 Member, Committee on Public Accounts1982-83 and 1987-88 Member, Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (two terms)1988-89 Member, Committee on Subordinate Legislation1989-90 Union Cabinet Minister, Urban Development1992-93 Member, Joint Parliamentary Committee to enquire into irregularities in the securities and banking transactions1996 Elected to 11th Lok Sabha (3rd term)1996 onwards Leader, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (D.M.K.) Parliamentary Party, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha1996-98 Union Cabinet Minister, Industry1998 Elected to 12th Lok Sabha (4th term)1998-99 Member, General Purposes CommitteeMember, Committee on CommerceMember, Consultative Committee, Ministry of External AffairsMember, Committee on Public Accounts1999 Re-elected to 13th Lok Sabha (5th term)Leader, D.M.K. Parliamentary Party, Lok Sabha13 Oct. 1999 onwards Union Cabinet Minister, Commerce and IndustryMember, General Purposes Committee
More Information :
Books Published
A number of books on politics and short story collections in Tamil. A book entitled, `State Autonomy - Manila Suyatchi`, is a research work on Centre-State Relations; Dravida Iyakka Varalaru Vol. I on History of the Dravidian Movement - another research work about its genesis and growth
Literary, Artistic & Scientific Accomplishments
Journalist, author and screen-playwright; provided screen-play and dialogues for more than 20 films in Tamil; produced five and directed two films; Conferred the title Kalai-Mamani by the Sangeet Natak Academy in 1975; Awarded, (i)President`s Certificate of Merit; and (ii) Tamil Nadu Government Award for three best feature films; Edited, (i) Murasoli daily - a newspaper in Tamil; and (ii) The Rising Sun - a weekly in English; and Publisher of Kunguman, Muththaram, Vannathirai and Sumangali (all in Tamil)
Social And Cultural Activities
Founder - Member and the first President, Madras Press Club; Trustee, Pachaiyappa`s Trust Board, 1970-78; and its President in 1976
Sports and Clubs
Member, India International Centre, New Delhi
Countries Visited
Widely travelled; Member, (i) Indian Parliamentary Delegation to Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference, London, 1989; and (ii) Indian Delegation to Germany and Ireland, 1994
Other Information
Arrested in 1965 during anti-Hindi agitation for his articles; detained for a year under Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) during Emergency; Participated in, (i) International Seminar of Harvard University conducted by Dr. Henry Kissinger, 1968; (ii) Oxford Strategic Leadership Programme, Templeton College, Oxford University, 1998; (iii) Harvard International Workshop on Privatization, Regulatory Reform and Corporate Governance, HIID, Harvard University, 1998; and (iv) Harvard Programme on Macro-economic Policy and Management, HIID, Harvard University, 1999; Actively associated with the Dravidian Movement and the D.M.K. Party since student days; Member, Executive Committee and the General Council, D.M.K. Party
