Durai Ramasamy
D. Ramasamy is an Indian politician and former Member of the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu. He joined the congress under the then mass leader K. Kamaraj. He rose to power steadily being the Vellakovil Panchayat board president for a period of 10 yrs and then the union chairman for 15 yrs and member of Legislative Assembly 5 times. When the Congress split in Tamil Nadu he joined the NCO under K. Kamaraj. After Kamaraj's sudden demise he, along with G. Moopanar, pulled the party together and merged it with Indira Congress. But in spite of this he was denied an electoral seat in 1980. So he contested as an Independent candidate. This was when Dr. MGR (then chief minister) invited him to his party. So he joined AIADMK and won the elections in 1980 and 1984. In 1989 he was one of the 28 MLA's of ADMK (JL) He was one who pulled the now chief minister of Tamil Nadu J. Jayalalitha out of the Assembly when the DMK members assaulted the opposition parties. In 1991 he was again elected from Vellakovil constituency and became the Minister for Rural Industries. But due to widespread Anti-incumbency wave he lost the election. In 2001 he was again denied an electoral seat from AIADMk so he contested as an independent candidate but lost the election as ADMK members were pumping in money for votes. But he still garnered a lead of 13000 votes in Vellakovil union but whereas the votes in Mulanur union pulled him down and he lost by 1500 votes. He was the only minister of the ADMK government 1991-1996 not to have been arrested under any corruption charges. He is a very straightforward man who is against corruption. He founded his own party and more than 35000 people enrolled in his party. He then again joined ADMK in 2010 and is now retired from active politics. Most political readers suggest his downfall was mainly due to him being straightforward and not bending. He was elected to the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly as an Indian National Congress candidate from Vellakoil constituency in 1977 election, and as an Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam candidate in 1980, 1984 and 1991 elections[1][2][3] and as an Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (Jayalalitha) candidate in 1989 election.[4]