Preceded by V.R. Nedunchezhiyan Occupation Actress, Politician Children Surendran Ramachandran Political party ADMK | Constituency Andipatti Role Indian Politician Name V. Janaki Siblings P. Narayanan | |
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Spouse M. G. Ramachandran (m. 1963–1987) Movies Similar People M G Ramachandran, C N Annadurai, Papanasam Sivan, C R Subburaman, V Dakshinamoorthy Died 19 May 1996 (aged 72), Madras, Tamil Nadu, India Cause of death Cardiac Arrest Resting place M.G.R. Thottam Parents Rajagopal Iyer (father), Narayani Amma (mother) Relatives Papanasam Sivan In office 7 January 1988 – 30 January 1988 Governor Sundar Lal Khurana Preceded by M. G. Ramachandran Succeeded by President's rule Born 30 November 1923, Vaikom, Travancore Kingdom, British India | ||
Janaki Ramachandran (30 November 1923 – née Valkom Narayani Janaki,19 May 1996), commonly known as V. N. Janaki, was a Tamil actress and politician. She was the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for 23 days from 7th January 1988 to the 30th of same month, when her cabinet and state assembly were collectively dissolved by central government for law and order failure.
Contents
- MGR Janaki Addressing Tamilnadu after being sworn in as Chief Minister
- Early life
- Personal life
- Political career
- Death
- After Death
- Filmography
- References
MGR Janaki Addressing Tamilnadu after being sworn in as Chief Minister
Early life
She was born to Narayani Amma in Tamil family in the town of Vaikom, Kottayam in Travancore. She had a brother P. Narayanan who was an educationalist. Her father's younger brother was Papanasam Sivan. Janaki was a successful actress in late 1940s and starred in more than 25 movies including Mohini, Raja Mukthi, Velaikaari, Aiyiram Thalaivangiya Aboorva Chintamani, Devaki and Marudhanaattu Ilavarasi. M. G. Ramachandran had written in his autobiography that in late 1940s and in 1950, Janaki was earning double the income he received as an actor.
Personal life
Janaki married twice. Her first husband was Ganapathy Bhat whom she married in 1939. The couple had one son called Surendran, who currently has the rights to M.G.Ramachandran's autobiography. More than two decades later, in 1963, she married for the second time, to the Tamil cinema actor M. G. Ramachandran. M.G.R and Janaki did not have any children.
Political career
In 1987, when her husband M. G. Ramachandran died, Janaki was asked by party members to take his place. She took his place as the Leader of the AIADMK party, which subsequently split into two factions. Janaki Ramachandran assumed the role of Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in January 1988 following the demise of her husband. However, her tenure was brief, lasting merely 24 days, marking it as the shortest in the history of Tamil Nadu.
Her ministry went for a sensitive vote of confidence of the Eighth Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly in January 1988. This was because AIADMK coalition with 194 MLAs had split into 3 factions, with one faction supporting jayalalitha (30 MLA) and other supporting the new CM janaki (101). The congress party, under the directive of its national chief and then PM Rajiv Gandhi, had decided to completely vote neutral. The opposition severely demanded secret singular voting in the assembly, on the day of vote. But the speaker, rejected this. The speaker was a janaki supporter, and had already disqualified 30 MLA of jayalalltha faction, and also 15 MLA of DMK from MLA office, the previous day. He had also decreed that the cabinet must garner support of MLAs, who were physically present in the assembly at the time of vote. So instead of proving majority in 234 with just 101, janaki had to prove majority in 198, which was easily possible. So, the speaker silenced the assembly, and called for vote. The DMK and AIADMK MLAs clashed within assembly, and many were injured bloodily, including the speaker. Without alternative, the speaker requested the CM to protect the house, and as a last measure, the CM called police into the house to quell the riot. Police and goons (disguised as police) classed with each other. In midst of all these problems, the speaker announced unilaterally that the cabinet had won motion of confidence, and then ordered everyone to leave the hall, and he himself left the hall.
But the Central Government under the late Rajiv Gandhi, refused to accept this motion of confidence, and used Article 356 of the Constitution of India to dismiss her government in February the same year. Her party was subsequently defeated in the next elections that were held in 1989. She quit politics after the unification of the two factions of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam .
Death
She died of a cardiac arrest on 19 May 1996.
After Death
Janaki Ramachandran gifted her property in Avvai Shanmugham Salai (Lloyds Road) in honour of her husband to the AIADMK. It subsequently became the headquarters of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party in 1986. She also willed her property in Arcot Street in T.Nagar to set up the Dr.MGR Memorial House in 1988. She was the founder chairman of The Satya Educational & Charitable Society managing many free educational institutions in Chennai. She gave property worth many million dollars for the establishment of educational and charitable institutions in Tamil Nadu. She was also instrumental in setting up the Janaki Ramachandran Educational & Charitable Trust. and are her gifts to charity.