its influence inland, despite considerable opposition
from local rulers. At Indian independence in
1947, Tamil Nadu was part of the administrative
region known as the Madras Presidency.
Tamil parties
have dominated the state legislature since
1967,
when the Congress was defeated—firstly
by the DMK, which aims for full autonomy for Tamil
Nadu within the Indian union; and during the 1990s
by the AIADMK, a more nationalistic breakaway fraction
of the DMK. The strength of the Tamil parties reflects
the determination of Tamilians to maintain their culture
and their vigilance as regards the intentions of
the national government; having a strong ethnic-linguistic
identity, Tamils have steadfastedly resisted attempts
by the national government to make Hindi India’s
national language. There are important sympathies
with the Tamil minority in Sri Lanka, and
the former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was
assassinated
in
Chennai by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam (Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka) separatist organization
in 1991.
This was in retaliation for the actions of
Indian peace-keeping troops he had sent to
Sri Lanka
in 1987 to help reduce conflict between the
Tamils and government forces.
|
