M. Kannappan – Veteran leader of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam from Tamil Nadu

M. Kannappan is a veteran political leader associated with Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam from Tamil Nadu. A former parliamentarian, he served as the union minister for Non-conventional energy sources in A. B. Vajpayee’s NDA cabinet between 1999 and 2004, representing Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam when his party formed an alliance with ruling party. A veteran leader of state politics who has been associated with the field since 1960s, he has been elected to state assembly four times in 1967, 1972, 1989 and 2006, and has served as state minister thrice handling different portfolios.

M. Kannappan hails from Coimbatore. He joined politics in the 1960s as a member of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, and got elected to state assembly for the first time in 1967. In 1969 he sworn in as state minister for Hindu religious endowment boards and dairy development, a position he held till 1975. From there on he remained a prominent leader of DMK, and played the role of a remarkable leader during Emergency Period which earned him the nickname, “Karotti Kannappan”. He served as state minister two more times, till he left the party in 1994 following indifferences with DMK leader. He was one of the founding leaders of Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, and has been representing the party since 1994. Kannappan rejoined the DMK in 2008 after he reconciled with Karunanidhi.

M. Kannappan – Some interesting and less-known facts

M. Kannappan with Gingee N. Ramachandran

1. Noted Tamil actor Nandha is his grandson.

2. His son M. K. Muthu is a politician, associated with DMK.

3. He is known for his fearless talks in public and he remained the same during Emergency period as well.

4. He was one of the founding leaders of Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in 1994. However he re-joined DMK in 2008. Now MDMK is slowly merging with the parent party.

5. As a DMK candidate he won 1967, 1972 and 1989 state assembly elections. In 2006 he got elected as Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam candidate.

6. He contested 1996 and 1999 parliamentary elections, and got elected in 1999 representing Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.

7. He along with Union Finance minister Gingee N. Ramachandran withdrew their support to NDA government in December 2003 and submitted their resignations.  

8. He was instrumental in reviving the DMK in western Tamil Nadu, when the party went a down phase in the 1980s.

9. He reconciled with Karunanidhi in 2008 when he was ill and admitted in the hospital.