->Indian8888 at 08:41, 17 December 2021

2021-12-17T08:41:23Z

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{{Short description|Indian politician}}
{{use dmy dates|date=May 2017}}
{{use Indian English|date=May 2017}}

{{Infobox officeholder
| name = M. Appavu
| image =
| office = 14th [[List of speakers of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly|Speaker of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly]]
| term_start = 12 May 2021
| term_end =
| governor = [[Banwarilal Purohit]]
| deputy = [[K. Pitchandi]]
| 1blankname = [[Chief Government Whip]]
|1namedata = [[Kovai Chezhiyan]]
| predecessor = [[P. Dhanapal]]
| successor =
| constituency = [[Radhapuram (state assembly constituency)|Radhapuram]]
| office1 = [[Member of the Legislative Assembly (India)|Member of the Legislative Assembly]]
| term_start1 = 11 May 2021
| term_end1 =
| predecessor1 =I.S. Inba Durai
| constituency1 = [[Radhapuram (state assembly constituency)|Radhapuram]]
| term2 = 1996 - 2011
| predecessor2 = [[Ramani Nallathambi]]
| successor2 = [[S. Michael Rayappan]]
| constituency2 = [[Radhapuram (state assembly constituency)|Radhapuram]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1952|01|20}}
| birth_place = [[Tirunelveli district]], [[Tamil Nadu]]
| party = [[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]] (2006 - Present)
| otherparty =
[[Tamil Maanila Congress]] (1996-2001)
[[Independent politician]] (2001-2006)
| spouse = Vijaya
| children = 3 (2 sons and 1 daughter)
| parents = Muthuvelayudha Perumal
| profession = {{hlist|Teacher|Politician}}
}}

'''Muthuvelayudha Perumal Appavu''' is an Indian Tamil politician and [[Member of the Legislative Assembly (India)|Member of the Legislative Assembly]] (MLA) in [[Tamil Nadu]]. He is the current [[Speaker (politics)|Speaker]] of [[Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly]]. He has contested in the [[Radhapuram (State Assembly Constituency)|Radhapuram state assembly constituency]] and won four times. He is currently the Speaker of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.<ref>{{Cite news|last=|first=|date=13 May 2021|title=Newspaper report|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/from-teacher-to-speaker-of-tn/article34546685.ece|access-date=2021-08-26}}</ref>

== Elections ==
Appavu has been described by ''[[The Hindu]]'' as a regional "heavyweight" of the [[Indian National Congress]] (INC) who joined a splinter group, then stood for election as an independent during a period of intra-party troubles, and eventually transferred his allegiance to the [[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]] (DMK).<ref name="hindu2016"/> He has been elected to the [[Tamil Nadu legislative assembly]] as a [[Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar)]] candidate from Radhapuram in the [[1996 Tamil Nadu state assembly election|1996 election]],<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Election Commission of India |page=7 |url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_1996/StatisticalReport-TN96.pdf |title=Statistical Report on General Election, 1996 to the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu|accessdate=2017-05-06}}</ref> as an [[Independent (politics)|independent]] candidate in [[2001 Tamil Nadu state assembly election|2001]]<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Election Commission of India |page=10 |url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_2001/Stat_Rep_TN_2001.pdf |title=Statistical Report on General Election, 2001 to the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu |accessdate=2017-05-08}}</ref> and as a DMK candidate in [[2006 Tamil Nadu state assembly election|2006]].<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Election Commission of India |page=10 |url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/SE_2006/StatReport_TN_2006.pdf |title=Statistical Report on General Election, 2006 to the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu |accessdate=2017-05-08}}</ref>

The Radhapuram constituency was not contested by the DMK in the [[2011 Tamil Nadu state assembly election|2011 elections]] because they entered into an alliance with the INC.<ref>{{cite news |work=Rediff |title=DMK, Cong finalise constituencies for TN polls |date=16 March 2011 |url=http://www.rediff.com/news/report/congress-to-contest-5-seats-in-dmk-bastion-chennai/20110315.htm |accessdate=2017-05-08}}</ref> In the [[2016 Tamil Nadu state assembly election|2016 elections]], Appavu again contested the seat as a DMK candidate. In a surprise result, he lost by 49 votes to [[I. S. Inbadurai]] of the [[All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]] (AIADMK).<ref>{{cite news |work=The Hindu |date=20 May 2016 |url=http://www.thehindu.com/elections/tamilnadu2016/dmk-allies-make-a-comeback-in-tirunelveli-district/article8623532.ece |title=DMK, allies make a comeback in Tirunelveli district |accessdate=2017-05-08}}</ref> This was the narrowest losing margin in the state<ref>{{cite news |work=India Today |title=Karunanidhi clocks highest victory margin : PTI feed |agency=PTI |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/karunanidhi-clocks-highest-victory-margin/1/672822.html |date=20 March 2016 |accessdate=2017-05-08}}</ref> and he appealed against the outcome, arguing amongst other things that the [[Returning Officer]] had improperly rejected some postal votes.<ref name="businessstandard">{{cite news |work=Business Standard |url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/dmk-nominee-challenges-aiadmk-candidate-s-election-116080101772_1.html |title= DMK nominee challenges AIADMK candidate's election |agency=PTI |date=1 August 2016 |accessdate=2017-05-08}}</ref> He had staged a protest regarding the matter at the time of the count, which led to him being evicted from the building.<ref>{{cite news |date=4 August 2016 |title=Radhapuram issue: Ballot units shifted |work=Indian24 News |url=http://www.indian24news.com/sport/radhapuram-issue-ballot-units-shifted/137571-news |accessdate=2017-05-08}}</ref>

He contested 2021 assembly election from Radhapuram constituency as a DMK candidate and won with a margin of about 5000 votes.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-08-26|title=Election Commission website|url=https://results.eci.gov.in/Result2021/ConstituencywiseS22228.htm?ac=228|url-status=live|website=eci.gov.in}}</ref>

In May 2021, he was elected unopposed as the speaker of the 16th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Newspaper report|work=DT Next|url=https://www.dtnext.in/News/TopNews/2021/05/12165706/1293714/Appavu-elected-Speaker-of-Tamil-Nadu-Assembly-unopposed.vpf|access-date=2021-08-26}}</ref>

== Campaigning ==
Appavu's campaigning for farmers' rights has led him to file [[Public interest litigation in India|Public Interest Litigation]] papers on several occasions.<ref name="businessstandard"/> In 2013, he spoke in court of the need to impose minimum price controls on agricultural produce in order to reduce the alleged incidence of suicide among farmers and to prevent profiteering by middlemen. He also wanted an improved agricultural insurance scheme to ward against the effects of crop losses that occurred as a consequence of natural events.<ref>{{cite news |work=The Times of India |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Ex-MLA-surprises-high-court-lawyers-argues-case-in-Tamil/articleshow/22725017.cms |title=Ex-MLA surprises high court lawyers, argues case in Tamil |first=A. |last=Subramani |date=19 September 2013 |accessdate=2017-05-08}}</ref>

Appavu has also been associated with matters relating to water supplies and was responsible for the introduction of drinking water schemes that use the [[Ponnankurichi]] and [[Tamirabarani]] rivers.<ref name="hindu2016">{{cite news |work=The Hindu |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/alliance-may-turn-favourable-for-dmk-in-radhapuram/article8518546.ece |title=Alliance may turn favourable for DMK in Radhapuram |first=P. |last=Sudhakar |date=25 April 2016 |accessdate=2017-05-08}}</ref> In 2017, he won an order at the [[Madras High Court]] that the [[Government of Tamil Nadu]] should comply with the court's instructions of 2002 to investigate the relationship between incidences of water scarcity and the practice of river sand quarrying for construction purposes.<ref>{{cite news |work=The Deccan Chronicle |url=http://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/020317/hc-directs-tn-govt-to-consider-mlas-ban-representation-to-river-sand-mining.html |title=HC directs TN govt to consider MLA's ban representation to river sand mining |agency=PTI |date=2 March 2017 |accessdate=2017-05-08}}</ref> At the same time, he was campaigning against water extraction from the Tamirabarani river by businesses associated with [[PepsiCo]] and [[Coca-Cola]]. He argued that the government was preferring the needs of the businesses over those of the population in area where water was scarce. He said that while other businesses that took more water were justified in doing so, the soft drinks businesses were exploitative because they were "commodifying water by fetching it for a minuscule price and selling it later for an astronomically higher price".<ref>{{cite news |work=The Hindu |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Madurai/pepsi/article17403017.ece |title= Will file review petition in Tamirabarani case: Appavu |date=3 March 2017 |accessdate=2017-05-08}}</ref>

There was some controversy in 2009 when there was an attempt to name a bus-stand in Radhapuram after the parents of DMK leader, [[Karunanidhi]], and to erect statues commemorating them. The AIADMK claimed that the DMK-led government was facilitating the idea but the government said that the project was led by Appavu and 90 per cent funded by him.<ref>{{cite news |title=No order to unveil statues, name bus stand after my parents:M Karunanidhi |date=14 October 2009 |work=Deccan Herald |agency=PTI |url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/30513/no-order-unveil-statues-name.html |accessdate=2017-05-08}}</ref> After much back-and-forth disputation, the stand was eventually named in honour of [[K. Kamaraj]] in 2010.<ref>{{cite news |title=Wait over, Congress activists celebrate |date=20 July 2010 |work=The New Indian Express |url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2010/jul/20/wait-over-congress-activists-celebrate-171342.html |accessdate=2017-05-08}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Appavu, M.}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam politicians]]
[[Category:Independent politicians in India]]
[[Category:Tamil Maanila Congress politicians]]
[[Category:Members of the 11th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly]]
[[Category:Members of the 12th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly]]
[[Category:Members of the 13th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly]]
[[Category:Members of the 16th Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly]]
[[Category:1952 births]]

M. Appavu - Revision history

->Indian8888 at 08:41, 17 December 2021