S. D. Somasundaram
Thiru S.D.Somasundaram,(Tamil: எஸ்.டி.சோமசுந்தரம்), popularly known as S.D.S is a veteran political leader and administrator who served as a Cabinet Minister in the State Government. Hailing from a hamlet of Sendankadu near Pattukottai town from an agricultural family, Thiru Somasundaram was an active social worker and was associated with various social organizations. Thiru S.D.S did his engineering (B.E mechanical ) from Annamalai University. He was a great athlete, a football player during his college days, and marathon race winner representing Tamil Nadu. After his graduation, S.D.S worked as an assistant engineer in public works department.
Thiru S.D.S began his political career as an activist of the Dravidar Kazhagam in 1947 and joined the DMK when the late C.N. Annadurai floated the party in 1949. He was first elected to parliament from the Thanjavur Lok Sabha constituency in Tamil Nadu in 1967 after defeating former president R. Venkataraman. He was re-elected from the same constituency in 1971 in DMK ticket and 1977 as AIADMK ticket.
In 1972, he was one of the first to leave the DMK along with M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) and was considered by the AIADMK middle and lower-level workers as a simple man who mixed with them easily and had a fairly clean record as a politician. MGR took the activities of SDS very much close to his heart. He resigned his MP post in 1977 and was nominated to the now-defunct legislative council.
Mr. S.D.S was an able parliamentarian and served as a Member of the Joint Committee on Salaries and Allowances of Members of Parliament during 1971-72, Committee on Private Members’ Bills and Resolutions during 1973-74; House Committee in 1977 and General Purposes Committee during 1977-78. He was the first insider to question MGR about the widespread corruptions during his term as chief minister. As a result of differences that existed between him and MGR, he decided to quit AIADMK and floated his own party "Namathu Kazhagam" meaning "Our party." Later he quickly folded his new party due to lack of mass appeal and returned to the AIADMK, to be in J. Jayalalitha's camp and served as revenue minister from 1991-1996.
Somasundaram was in charge for conducting the 8th Tamil World Conference at Thanjavur during his tenure as the revenue minister. Subsequently, due to difference of opinion with J. Jayalalithaa, he quit AIADMK again and floated another party called “ Puratchi Thalaivar AIADMK.”
Mr. S.D. Somasundaram died on 6 December 2001 at Chennai, at the age of 79.