The Great Leader Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar condemned Dravidian Parties for separatism. Tamil Speech by S.V.Ramani.

The Great Leader Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar condemned Dravidian Parties for separatism. Tamil Speech by S.V.Ramani.

Muthuramalinga Thevar was born in the village of Pasumpon, Ramnad district. He hailed from a wealthy landlord family. Thevar was the only son of Ukkirapandi Thevar and Indirani. He had one sister, Janaki.
Thevar attended the 52nd annual session of the Indian National Congress, held in Tripuri in March 1939. At this meeting the presidency of Subhas Chandra Bose was challenged by Pattabhi Sitaramayya. Sitaramayya had the active support of Gandhi. Bose was re-elected as the Congress President. Thevar strongly supported Bose in the intra-Congress dispute.Thevar mobilised all south India votes for Bose.

Thevar, joined the Forward Bloc. When Bose visited Madurai on September 6, Thevar organized a massive rally as his reception.


The growing popularity in Thevar as a leader of elements opposing the official Congress leadership in Tamil Nadu troubled the Congress-led government. Thevar was also increasingly associated with labour militancy. A criminal case, the so-called Madura Security Case, was preceded against him. He was banned from leaving Madurai. When travelling to his birthplace, Pasumpon, in September 1940 he was apprehended and jailed for 18 months at the Central Jail in Tiruchirapalli. His capture sparked wide condemnation in Tamil Nadu.

Soon after his release he was again arrest, now under the Defence of India Rules. He was released from prison only on September 5, 1945.


In January 1952 the first general elections in independent India were held. The Forward Bloc contested with the aim of forming non-Congress governments at the Centre as well as in the states. Election was held simultaneously to the Lok Sabha as well as to the legislative assemblies of the states. Thevar contested the Aruppukottai constituency in the Lok Sabha election and the Mudukulathur constituency in the assembly election. He won in both cases. U. Muthuralingam Thevar died on October 30, 1963, on his 55th birthday

As an Indian nationalist, Thevar condemned the Dravidar Kazhagam its successor DMK for stimulating separatism and parochialism. Moreover he distrusted the Atheist element of the Dravidian political discourse.


Several official honours have been given to Thevar. In 1968 the Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar College was founded in Usilampatti .His biography was included in the high school textbooks in Tamil Nadu. In 1971 his cemetery in Pasumpon was converted into an official memorial. A life-size portrait of Thevar was installed in the Tamil Nadu assembly in 1980. In 1984, after the bifurcation of the Ramnad District the 'Pasumpon Muthuramalingam District' was created’ Greenways Road and Chamiers Road, two important arterial roads in Chennai, were renamed after Thevar, and currently there is a statue of Thevar where his eponymous road intersects with Anna Salai.

All Tamilians must follow the foot step of Thevar
and must work for the development of poor and downtrodden people.