Practicing Success

Target Exam

CUET

Subject

Political Science

Chapter

Politics in India Since Independence: Regional Aspirations

Question:

Which of the following was, not a demand made by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in its three-pronged agitation in 1953-54?

Options:

It demanded the restoration of the original name of the Kallakudi railway station.

It demanded to make Hindi the official language of India.

It demanded giving Tamil cultural history greater importance in school curricula.

It was against the craft education scheme of the State government.

Correct Answer:

It demanded to make Hindi the official language of India.

Explanation:

It agitated against making Hindi the official language of India. The success of the anti-Hindi agitation of 1965 added to the DMK s popularity.

Vadakku Vaazhgiradhu; Therkku Thaeikiradhu’ [The north thrives even as the south decays]. This popular slogan sums up the dominant sentiments of one of India’s most effective regional movements, the Dravidian movement, at one point of time. This was one of the first regional movements in Indian politics. Though some sections of this movement had ambitions of creating a Dravida nation, the movement did not take to arms. It used democratic means like public debates and the electoral platform to achieve its ends. This strategy paid off as the movement acquired political power in the State and also became influential at the national level. The Dravidian movement led to the formation of Dravidar Kazhagam [DK] under the leadership of Tamil social reformer E.V. Ramasami ‘Periyar’. The organisation strongly opposed the Brahmins’ dominance and affirmed regional pride against the political, economic and cultural domination of the North. Initially, the Dravidian movement spoke in terms of the whole of south India; however lack of support from other States limited the movement to Tamil Nadu.