Chennai, May 21 -- Call it history repeating itself. The induction of two Congress MLAs into the maiden Cabinet headed by Chief Minister andTVK Founder C Joseph Vijay has revived memories of a similar political development and transformation that took place more than seven decades ago in Tamil Nadu politics.
After Independence, the then Madras State witnessed its first Assembly election in 1951-52. In that election, Congress failed to secure a clear majority on its own, while the CPI emerged as the single largest party. However, Congress had the last laugh by forming the government with the support of the Commonweal Party, led by MA Manickavelu, a leader of the OBC Vanniyar community.
Interestingly, the Commonweal Party had contested the ...