K. Krishnasamy (born 3 April 1952) is an Indian physician, social worker and politician who was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu. He founded the Puthiya Tamilagam party in 1999[1] and was elected to the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly from Ottapidaram constituency in 1996 election and as Puthiya Tamilagam candidate in 2011 Alliance with All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party.
K. Krishnasamy | |
|---|---|
 K.Krishnasamy, former MLA, Puthiya Tamilagam Party founder and president | |
| Former Member of Ottapidaram Constituency | |
| In office 2011–2016 | |
| Founder & Chairperson of Puthiya Tamilagam Party | |
| Assumed office 15 December 1997 | |
| Preceded by | position established |
| Personal details | |
| Born | K. Krishnasamy 3 April 1952 Masagoundenpudur,Udumalaipettai Coimbatore District, Madras State (now in Tiruppur District, Tamil Nadu), India |
| Political party |  Puthiya Tamilagam Party (1997 - Present) |
| Spouse | Dr. Chandrika Krishnasamy B.Sc M.B.B.S |
| Children | Dr Sangeetha Krishnasamy Dr Shyam Krishnasamy |
| Parent(s) | Karuppusamy (father)
Thamaraiammal |
| Residence(s) | Podigai Illam, Kuniyamuthur, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Education | School: Government High School, Poolavadi Bachelor of Medicine: Tirunelveli Medical College (1972–75) |
| Occupation | Physician, Politician |
| Website | ptparty.org |
Political views
editKrishnasamy on 2019, supported the three language policy in Tamil Nadu and Hindi as a third language for Tamil students.[2] Speaking at a function in Paramakudi in 2019 Krishnasamy said to his party youngsters, "Even if women of a different caste loves you, you should stay away. We have to move forward".[3][4]
He supported NEET for Tamil Nadu in August 2017 in a demonstration when AIADMK, DMK and many other parties opposed it.[5] Former CPI(M) legislator K. Balabharathi accused him of hypocrisy, recalling that in 2011, the Krishnasamy had thanked then Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa for recommending a medical college seat for his daughter.[6][7]
Krishnaswamy has supported many policies and positions espoused by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).[6] He has insisted that the Hindu Nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is a nationalist organisation and not a communal organization.[8] He also claimed that there is no evidence the BJP government is trying to impose Hindi across India. His critics alleged that Krishnaswamy is appeasing the BJP and the RSS for personal gain.[6]
Political career
editHe founded Puthiya Tamilagam, a political party based in Tamil Nadu, India.[9]
The Puthiya Tamilagam contested the 1999 Lok Sabha elections[10] and ten seats in the 2001 state assembly elections, the latter in alliance with the DMK. It won no seats in either case.[citation needed] InIn the 2009 elections to the Lok Sabha, K. Krishnasamy lost to P. Lingam of CPI.[citation needed]
For the 2011 state elections, it allied with the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party and won two seats: K. Krishnasamy secured 71,330 votes in Ottapidaram constituency and A. Ramaswamy secured 75,124 votes in Nilakkottai constituency.[11]
During the 2014 Lok Sabha elections Puthiya Tamilagam joined with the DMK as part of the Democratic Progressive Alliance. It contested just the Tenkasi constituency, where Krishnasamy lost by 161,774 votes to the AIADMK candidate, M. Vansanthi.[citation needed]
The Puthiya Tamilagam allied with the DMK for the 2016 state assembly elections and contested the seats of Ottapidaram, Srivilliputhur, Krishnarajapuram and Vasudevanallur. Krishnasamy lost to Sundarraj of the AIADMK by 493 votes in Ottapidaram.[citation needed]
In 2019, Lok Sabha election Puthiya Tamilagam party joined the AIADMK-BJP-PMK alliance in Tamil Nadu as part of the National Democratic Alliance. Puthiya Tamilagam was allocated one constituency to contest, with Krishnasamy standing in Tenkasi for the sixth time.[12]
Elections contested and positions held
editTamilnadu State Legislative Assembly Elections Contested
edit| Elections | Constituency | Party | Result | Vote percentage | Opposition Candidate | Opposition Party | Opposition vote percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Ottapidaram | JP | Won | 27.32 | S. Paulraj | AIADMK | 26.05 |
| 2001 | Valparai | PT | Lost | 33.11 | N. Kovaithangam | TMC(M) | 53.21 |
| Ottapidaram | PT | Lost | 42.59 | A. Sivaperumal | AIADMK | 43.30 | |
| 2006 | BSP | Lost | 29.76 | P. Mohan | AIADMK | 39.36 | |
| 2011 | PT | Won | 56.41 | Raja. S | DMK | 36.54 | |
| 2016 | PT | Lost | 40.26 | R. Sundararaj | AIADMK | 40.57 | |
| 2021 | PT | Lost | 3.68 | M. C. Shunmugaiah | DMK | 41.11 |
Lok Sabha Elections Contested
edit| Elections | Constituency | Party | Result | Vote percentage | Opposition Candidate | Opposition Party | Opposition vote percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Pollachi | DMK | Lost | 40.73 | R. Anna Nambi | AIADMK | 59.27 |
| 1996 | Tirunelveli | JP | Lost | 9.50 | D. S. A. Sivaprakasam | DMK | 45.53 |
| 1998 | Tenkasi | PT | Lost | 19.15 | S. Murugesan | AIADMK | 41.84 |
| 1999 | PT | Lost | 27.93 | S. Murugesan | AIADMK | 35.88 | |
| 2004 | JD(U) | Lost | 14.20 | M. Appadurai | CPI | 48.87 | |
| 2009 | PT | Lost | 15.69 | P. Lingam | CPI | 37.80 | |
| 2014 | PT | Lost | 26.19 | Vasanthi Murugesan | AIADMK | 42.31 | |
| 2019 | BJP | Lost | 33.67 | Dhanush M. Kumar | DMK | 45.11 | |
| 2024 | AIADMK | Lost | 22.08 | Dr Rani Sri Kumar | DMK | 40.97 |
Controversy
editWhen Krishnaswamy was asked at a press conference in May 2019 about his stance in the Bhartiya Janata Party's projects, including NEET and hydrocarbon exploration and the explanation for his failure in Tenkasi elections, Krishnaswamy claimed that the journalist who asked the question had further intentions and proceeded on to ask him what caste the journalist belonged to.[13] When asked why the journalist's caste was discussed when he was just doing his job of posing questions, Krishnasamy said, "The reporter kept repeating the same question. What's wrong with asking for one's caste? Is there no caste among all of you? "This led to a heated debate between him and the mediapersons, causing a controversy.[14][15]
References
edit- ^ 'Dalit stir' may divide TN voters
- ^ Tamilarasu, Prabhakar (4 June 2019). "Pro-BJP dalit leader backs Hindi as third language in Tamil Nadu". The Federal. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
- ^ thiraviaraj.rm. "வேற ஜாதி பெண்களை காதலிக்காதீங்க... டாக்டர் கிருஷ்ணசாமி வேண்டுகோள்..!". Asianet News Network Pvt Ltd (in Tamil). Retrieved 15 October 2021.
- ^ "வேற ஜாதி பெண்களை கல்யாணம் செய்யாதீங்க! !". Times Tamil News. 13 September 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
- ^ "NEET Exemption Not Required For Tamil Nadu: Dr K. Krishnasamy". NDTV.com. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
- ^ a b c Yamunan, Sruthisagar. "Power play: Why a popular Dalit leader in Tamil Nadu is backing the BJP on NEET". Scroll.in. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
- ^ Gajalakshmi (4 September 2017). "அனிதா விவகாரம்.. டாக்டர் கிருஷ்ணசாமிக்கு பாலபாரதி கடும் கண்டனம்". Tamil oneindia (in Tamil). Retrieved 21 January 2022.
- ^ Kolappan, B. (3 August 2017). "'Can't call BJP, RSS communal; their political agenda is nationalism'". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
- ^ "Registered Unrecognised Parties". Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2011.
- ^ Sudhakar, P. (16 March 2004). "Farming main source of livelihood". The Hindu. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
- ^ "Jaya takes lead in seat deal". Archived from the original on 24 February 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2011.
- ^ "Krishnasamy readies to fight in his stronghold Tenkasi for sixth time". The New Indian Express. 18 March 2019. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ "Chennai: Dr K Krishnasamy asks scirbe to identify his caste". Deccan Chronicle. 29 May 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
- ^ "Krishnasamy loses cool at press meet, asks journalist his caste". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
- ^ கலிலுல்லா.ச. "'நீ எந்த ஊரு.. எந்த சாதி?' - கிருஷ்ணசாமி செய்தியாளர் சந்திப்பில் சர்ச்சை!". vikatan.com (in Tamil). Retrieved 23 February 2021.