Politics
Post-independence, Iyengars, along with Iyers, have been marginalised by the anti-Brahmin Movement in Tamil Nadu. Prior to independence, Iyengars along with Iyers, held a monopoly over education and had a firm control over the administrative machinery in Madras province. The first Congress Chief Minister of Madras province, the first Indian Governor-General of India and a leading luminary of the freedom movement, Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari, were all Iyengars. However, ironically, it was partially to Rajaji's policies, that Tamil Brahmins, owe their downfall. A couple of legislations brought into effect by the Rajaji Government that ruled from 1937 to 1940 and 1950 to 1952 decreed that the children in a family should learn and master the trade of their parents and that Hindi should be made compulsory for government jobs. These legislations, more than anything else, were responsible for vitiating the communal atmosphere in the province resulting in the rapid growth of the Dravidian Movement. Rajaji was elected for a second term in 1952 but with Rajaji's resignation as Chief Minister two years later and his replacement by Kamaraj, the downfall began. Iyers and Iyengars were gradually effaced out of the political scene by the rise of Dravidianism and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam which captured power in 1967. Today, Iyengars, along with Iyers, have almost disappeared from the political arena with the exception of a few individuals. Brahmin individuals still continue to wield considerable authority as the example of Jayalalithaa Jayaram, AIADMK which is a Dravidian party, the current Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu would indicate.
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Famous quotes containing the word politics:
“From the beginning, the placement of [Clarence] Thomas on the high court was seen as a political end justifying almost any means. The full story of his confirmation raises questions not only about who lied and why, but, more important, about what happens when politics becomes total war and the truth—and those who tell it—are merely unfortunate sacrifices on the way to winning.”
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