• During his early years, Mooppanar driven by his admiration for the social reformer
Periyar E. V. Ramasamy joined the
Dravidar Kazhagam and remained active within the organization from 1951 to 1965. • In the subsequent period, he began his involvement with the Congress Party his family's traditional political home. Specifically, starting in the latter half of 1970, he became active in the
Congress (O) the faction led by the towering figure of that era,
Kamarajar having joined its ranks through
Kumari Ananthan, a prominent Congress leader of the time. • After
Kamarajar’s death on 2 October 1975, the two Congress factions in Tamil Nadu merged in 1976. At the merger function,
Indira Gandhi announced that Mooppanar would be the president of the unified TNCC. • From then onwards, his rise in the Congress was swift. He was TNCC president from 1976 to 1980, and again in 1988–89. He was a puissant AICC general secretary from 1980 to 1988. Mooppanar founded the
Tamil Maanila Congress in the year 1996 (TMC) party. He was a Rajya Sabha member when he died. Both
Indira Gandhi and
Rajiv Gandhi offered him ministership but he declined. , son of G. K. Moopanar • He also shunned the Prime Minister’s post offered to him in April 1997 after the fall of the United Front government led by
H.D. Deve Gowda. In a volume titled Makkal Thalaivar Mooppanar, published by a TMC leader in August 2000, former Union Minister
R. Dhanuskodi Athithan has recalled that CPI(M) general secretary
Harkishan Singh Surjeet declared that "Mr. Mooppanar is the best and first choice" for the prime ministership. West Bengal Chief Minister
Jyoti Basu seconded the choice. However Mr. Mooppanar didn't accept it. • Mooppanar died on 30 August 2001, 11 days after celebrating his 70th birthday, at Sri Ramachandra Hospital in
Chennai, following a bout of
pneumonia. He was admitted there on 31 July for a
hip surgery, which was successful, but he suffered pneumonia as a complication, and his condition turned worse due to
pulmonary edema. His dead body was taken to his home and Rajaji Hall, and was later cremated with full state honours at Kamarajar Ground in Chennai on 31 August, in the presence of many people. • The TMC felt orphaned with the death of Mooppanar. The party quickly tried to steady itself when at a meeting of its legislators, Rajya Sabha members and leaders on 1 September, Mooppanar’s son
G. K. Vasan was elected TMC president. • After the demise of Mooppanar, under Vasan's leadership, the TMC merged back with the Congress led by
Soniya Gandhi. ==References==