A Lok Sabha election defeat and dismissal of the MGR Government

In January 1980, the DMK-Congress (I) combine in Tamil Nadu swept the Lok Sabha polls. The ruling AIADMK headed by actor-politician M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) faced a rout.

Even before Indira Gandhi could assume office of the Prime Minister for a fourth time, then DMK president M. Karunanidhi declared the election results should be considered as a clear verdict against the AIADMK government. The results, according to him, were an expression of “no trust” by the people and was more valuable than a no confidence motion passed in the Assembly. Karunanidhi told journalists, he would not demand the resignation of the MGR Ministry but the government must realise the signification of the poll verdict and act on it.

MGR was in no mood to oblige his friend turned political foe. On January 9, he told a press conference there was no need for the Ministry to resign as the people’s verdict was not against the State Government. Citing the victory of the candidates fielded by the AIADMK and its ally CPI (M) in two by-elections to the Assembly held along with the Lok Sabha polls, he said it clearly showed while expressing preference for Mrs Gandhi at the Centre, the people wanted AIADMK rule to continue in the State.

According to The Hindu Archives MGR argued the AIADMK, which contested in 24 Parliamentary seats comprising 144 Assembly segments, had secured about 48 lakh votes which was more than what it got during the Assembly elections in 1977 — 50 lakhs from 200 Assembly constituencies.

“If we have lost the confidence of the people, the number of votes secured by us should have come down, but it is not so,” he said.

Nearly a month later when there were talks in the corridors of power that the Indira Gandhi Government may dismiss governments in opposition-ruled States – citing the precedent set in 1977 by the Janata Party Government, MGR described it as “speculation”.

“Mr. Ramachandran, who was replying to newsmen’s questions in a relaxed mood, however, said anything was possible in politics. It would be nothing but madness if one were to be always brooding over the possibility of his dying. One could understand ‘death’ due to natural causes, but ‘unnatural death’ would not be acceptable in the eyes of justice,” a report in The Hindu dated February 8, 1980 said.

Karunanidhi, however, wouldn’t give up. A week later in the Assembly the DMK leader said he would leave the issue of resignation of the AIADMK Ministry to the “conscience” of the Chief Minister.

“He would only ask Mr. Ramachandran to consider what he (MGR) himself had said when the DMK lost the Lok Sabha by-election from Dindigul in 1974. Participating in the debate on the Governor’s address, Mr. Karunanidhi said that MGR, who was in the Opposition then, had sermonised the DMK not to utter falsehood and indulge in a reign of terror to stick to power. The DMK was also asked to face the electorate if it had anv courage,” a report said.

Election Advertisement. (Published on January 3, 1980)
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R. Shivaji Rao

On February 16, Indira Gandhi set up a Cabinet Sub-Committee comprising of her senior colleagues Zail Singh, R Venkataraman, P V Narasimha Rao, Shiv Shankar, Pranab Mukherjee and A P Sharma, to advise her “in the next day or two” on the constitutional and political aspects of the proposed move for dissolving the Assemblies in some of the non-Congress (I) States. The very next day, the Union Cabinet met and considered a Home Ministry note and by night acting on its recommendations, President N. Sanjiva Reddi issued a proclamation under Article 356 of the Constitution, dissolving the Assemblies in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa (now, Odisha), Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab and Gujarat.

According to report in The Hindu dated February 18, 1980, “The DMK President, Mr. M Karunanldhi who has been in Delhi for the last two days, has pressed hard for the inclusion of Tamil Nadu in the list of States covered by the Presidential Proclamation. He met the Prime Minister and Mr. Sanjay Gandhi as also several Cabinet Ministers today and pleaded for the continuance of the electoral alliance between Congress (I) and DMK during the Assembly poll.”

“That evening, an unfazed MGR watched M.K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar’s Sivakavi (1943) on television, and later expressed ‘happiness’ as his reaction to the dismissal. Hande [Cabinet colleague) who was with MGR that day said that MGR was genuinely happy as he had been turned into a lame duck chief minister following the AIADMK’s rout in the parliamentary polls,” wrote R Kannan in his biographical work MGR: A Life. Citing a third party work, the author added, “That evening, he [MGR] took Hande and journalist Manian to the Drive-In Woodlands restaurant and ordered masala dosas for the three. ‘Masala dosas are good here,’ he said happily.”

Nonetheless, according to The Hindu, the following morning, MGR reacted saying “democracy was on trial” and an injustice had been note quoting another injustice (1977 case) as precedent.

Four months later, MGR returned as Chief Minister after defeating the DMK-Congress (I) alliance in the Assembly elections.

Published – February 18, 2026 05:30 am IST