Travancore Tamil Nadu Congress
{{EngvarB|date=February 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2014}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2019}}
{{Infobox Indian political party
|party_name=Travancore Tamil Nadu Congress
|colorcode={{party color|Travancore Tamil Nadu Congress}}
|logo=
|foundation=1945
|dissolution=1957
|split=
|successor=
|merged=
|predecessor=
|eci=
|founder=Sam Nathaniel|leader=A. Nesamony|colours={{colour box|{{party color|Travancore Tamil Nadu Congress}}}} OrangeRed|abbreviation=TTNC}}
The Travancore Tamil Nadu Congress (TTNC) was a political party in the Indian state of Travancore-Cochin. The party was founded by Sam Nathaniel and led by A. Nesamony, both natives of Palliyadi.{{cite news | url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/remembering-marshal-nesamony/article4057148.ece | title=Remembering Marshal Nesamony | work=The Hindu | date=2 November 2012 | access-date=3 February 2014}}
History
The Kingdom of Travancore was a princely state of India. Its population included an ethnic Malayali majority and a Tamil minority; the later suffered linguistic discrimination in education, and leaders of Tamil organisations expressed concern about disadvantage from lack of economic development.{{cite book|author1=Kumari Thanthai, Marshall A. Nesamony|author2=Dr.Peter, Dr. Ivy Peter|author3=Peter|title=Liberation of the Oppressed a Continuous Struggle|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p_nHft2p3moC&pg=PA244|publisher=History Kanyakumari District|page=244|id=GGKEY:4WSDDCN93JK}}{{cite news | url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/veteran-congress-leader-dennis-dead/article4837949.ece | title=Veteran Congress leader Dennis dead | newspaper=The Hindu | date=22 June 2013 | access-date=22 February 2014}} The Tamil minority formed several political parties, one of them being Travancore Tamil Nadu Congress.{{cite web | url=http://www.kanniyakumarihistory.com/kkhistory.html | title=Kanniyakumari History | publisher=History council of Kanniyakumari district | access-date=21 February 2014}}
The party's original platform was the formation of a separate Tamil state within Travancore.{{cite book|author1=Kumari Thanthai, Marshall A. Nesamony|author2=Dr.Peter, Dr. Ivy Peter|author3=Peter|title=Liberation of the Oppressed a Continuous Struggle|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p_nHft2p3moC&pg=PA135|publisher=History Kanyakumari District|page=135|id=GGKEY:4WSDDCN93JK}} The party contested the first Travancore constituent assembly election in 1948 and won 14 seats in the 120-seat legislature.{{cite web | url=http://kerala.gov.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3776&Itemid=3022 | title=History of Kerala Legislature | publisher=Government of Kerala | access-date=3 February 2014 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130402165025/http://kerala.gov.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3776&Itemid=3022 | archive-date=2 April 2013 | df=dmy-all }}
In 1949, as part of the integration of India, Kingdom of Travancore merged with Kingdom of Cochin, another princely state, to form Travancore-Cochin.{{cite book|author1=John Jeya Paul|author2=Keith E. Yandell|title=Religion and Public Culture: Encounters and Identities in Modern South India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x3GuKnZTGG4C&pg=PA189|year=2000|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-0-7007-1101-7|page=189}} Rajpramukh became the Governor. The Travancore Tamil Nadu Congress party won 9 or 10{{cite book|last=Chander|first=N. Jose|title=Coalition Politics: The Indian Experience|publisher=Concept Publishing Company|date=2004|pages=74|isbn=9788180690921}} seats in the first Travancore-Cochin assembly election. In the assembly, it supported the Indian National Congress to form a ruling coalition. It withdrew this support after 19 months because of differences with Congress over policy regarding Tamil-speaking parts of the state.{{cite book|author=Meera Srivastava|title=Constitutional Crisis in the States in India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DAroH5ZqPgsC&pg=PA50|year=1980|publisher=Concept Publishing Company|page=50|id=GGKEY:0BS5QYU7XF2}} In the second assembly election in 1954, TTNC won 12 seats. In the same year, TTNC called for the merger of Tamil-dominated taluks such as Thovalai, Agasteeswaram, Kalkulam, Vilavancode, Neyyatinkara, Shenkottai, Devikulam and Peerumedu with Madras state.{{cite news | url=http://www.theweekendleader.com/Causes/912/Idukki-for-TN.html | title=Historically and demographically, Peermedu and Devikulam taluks belong to TN | work=The weekendleader | date=6 January 2012 | access-date=3 February 2014}} In August 1954, a street protest organised by the TTNC in support of these mergers took a violent turn. Police attempting to maintain control opened fire on protesters. Four people were killed and about a dozen sustained injuries.{{cite book|author=Manisha|title=Profiles of Indian Prime Ministers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lSCyVxEg2t4C&pg=PA311|year=2010|publisher=Mittal Publications|isbn=978-81-7099-976-8|page=311}}
Following the recommendations of the States Reorganisation Commission, the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 restructured Indian regional jurisdictions. In this process, some Tamil regions (present day Kanyakumari district{{efn|Kanyakumari district consists of former Travancore taluks such as Agastheeswaram, Kallkkulam, Thovalai and Vilavancode}}) of Travancore-Cochin merged with Madras state (present day Tamil Nadu{{efn|Madras state renamed as Tamil Nadu on 14 January 1969{{cite web | url=http://www.assembly.tn.gov.in/history/history.htm | title=Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly History | publisher=Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly | access-date=20 February 2014}}}}) on 1 November 1956.{{cite web | url=http://www.tn.gov.in/district_details/573 | title=Nagercoil | publisher=Government of Tamil Nadu | access-date=18 February 2014}}{{cite news | url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil_nadu/Floral-tributes-on-Kumari-TN-merger-day-to-Nesamony/2013/11/01/article1867432.ece | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140301133336/http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil_nadu/Floral-tributes-on-Kumari-TN-merger-day-to-Nesamony/2013/11/01/article1867432.ece | url-status=dead | archive-date=1 March 2014 | title=Floral tributes on Kumari-TN merger day to Nesamony | work=The New Indian Express | date=1 November 2011 | access-date=3 February 2014 | quote=November 1, the day of merger of Kanyakumari district with Tamil Nadu}} Other Tamil-majority areas remained in Travancore–Cochin, including Neyyatinkkara South, Nedumangad East, Devikulam and Peerumedu. Following this reorganisation, the Travancore Tamil Nadu Congress successfully fielded a candidate in the Travancore–Cochin state election; once in the Assembly, he lobbied for amalgamation of further Tamil areas into the Tamil Nadu state.{{cite news|url=http://www.theweekendleader.com/Causes/912/Idukki-for-TN.html#sthash.zIoI2iPJ.dpu|title=Historically and demographically, Peerumedu and Devikulam taluks belong to TNf|last=Arunachalam|first=S|date=6 January 2012|work=The Weekend Leader|access-date=20 May 2014}}
After the merger of the regions, the leaders dissolved the party in 1957 and joined the ruling Congress party.{{cite book|author1=Kumari Thanthai, Marshall A. Nesamony|author2=Dr.Peter, Dr. Ivy Peter|author3=Peter|title=Liberation of the Oppressed a Continuous Struggle|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p_nHft2p3moC&pg=PA130|publisher=History Kanyakumari District|page=130|id=GGKEY:4WSDDCN93JK}}
Notes
{{notelist}}