V. R. Nedunchezhiyan (11 July 1920 – 12 January 2000) was an Indian politician and writer. He served thrice as the Chief Minister of the state of Tamil Nadu, India. He was also senior cabinet minister under the governments of C. N. Annadurai, M. Karunanidhi, M. G. Ramachandran and J. Jayalalithaa. For his literary contributions, he was also known as "Navalar" or the eloquent.^[1]

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Quick Facts Acting Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Governor ...

V. R. Nedunchezhiyan
"Navalar" V. R. Nedunchezhiyan
Acting Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
In office 24 December 1987 – 7 January 1988
Governor	Sundar Lal Khurana
Political Party	All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Preceded by	M. G. Ramachandran
Succeeded by	V. N. Janaki Ramachandran
Constituency	Athoor
In office 16 November 1984 – 9 February 1985
Political Party	All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Preceded by	M. G. Ramachandran
Succeeded by	M. G. Ramachandran
In office 3 February 1969 – 10 February 1969
Governor	Sardar Ujjal Singh
Political Party	Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
Preceded by	C. N. Annadurai
Succeeded by	M. Karunanidhi
Constituency	Triplicane
Minister of Finance, Tamil Nadu
In office 24 June 1991 – 12 May 1996
Chief Minister	J. Jayalalithaa
Preceded by	M. Karunanidhi
Succeeded by	M. Karunanidhi
In office 9 June 1980 – 24 December 1987
Chief Minister	M. G. Ramachandran
Preceded by	Nanjil K. Manoharan
Succeeded by	M. Karunanidhi
Minister of Education, Tamil Nadu
In office 13 August 1969 – 31 January 1976
Chief Minister	M. Karunanidhi
Preceded by	S. Madhavan
Succeeded by	C. Aranganayagam
In office 6 March 1967 – 10 February 1969
Chief Minister	C. N. Annadurai himself
Preceded by	M. Bhaktavatsalam
Succeeded by	M. Karunanidhi
4th Leader of the Opposition in the Madras Legislative Assembly
In office 29 March 1962 – 28 February 1967
Deputy	M. Karunanidhi
Chief Minister	K. Kamaraj M. Bhakthavatsalam
Preceded by	V. K. Ramaswami
Succeeded by	P. G. Karuthiruman
Constituency	Triplicane
Member of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly
In office 1991–1996
Leader of the House	Himself
Preceded by	G. Ponnu Pillai
Succeeded by	N. R. Alagaraja
Constituency	Theni
In office 1984–1989
Leader of the House	Himself
Preceded by	A. Vellaisamy
Succeeded by	I. Periasamy
Constituency	Athoor
In office 1980–1984
Leader of the House	Himself
Preceded by	G. R. Edmund
Succeeded by	S. Narayanan
Constituency	Thirunelveli
In office 1962–1977
Leader of the House	B. Bakshatvalasam Himself M. Karunanidhi
Preceded by	K. S. G. Haja Shareef
Succeeded by	M. Aranganathan
Constituency	Triplicane
2nd General Secretary of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
In office 23 June 1978 – 10 June 1980
Preceded by	M. G. Ramachandran
Succeeded by	P. U. Shanmugam
In office September 1977 - 23 June 1978 Interim
General Secretary.	M. G. Ramachandran
2nd General Secretary of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
In office 4 February 1969 – 16 May 1977
Preceded by	C. N. Annadurai
Succeeded by	K. Anbazhagan
In office 24 April 1955 – 24 September 1960
Preceded by	C. N. Annadurai
Succeeded by	C. N. Annadurai
3rd Presidium Chairperson of AIADMK
In office 1996 – 12 January 2000
General Secretary	J.Jayalalithaa
Preceded by	E. V. A. Vallimuthu[Note 1]
Succeeded by	K. Kalimuthu
Personal details
Born	Ra. Go. Narayanasamy[citation needed] 11 July 1920 Thirukannapuram, Madras Presidency, British India (present-day Tamil Nadu, India)
Died	12 January 2000(2000-01-12) (aged 79) Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Cause of death	Heart failure
Political party	All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (1977-2000)
Other political affiliations	Dravidar Kazhagam (1944-1949) Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (1949-1977) Makkal Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (own party;1977)
Spouse(s)	Visalakshi (m. 1950; d. 2016)
Children	1 son
Relatives	Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan (grandson)
Residence(s)	Seethamma Colony, Teynampet, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
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Nedunchezhiyan was born at Thirukannapuram on 11 July 1920. He graduated with a master's degree and a doctorate in Tamil literature from Annamalai University. He became involved in politics while at the university and joined the Dravidar Kazhagam party in 1944. In 1949, he and C. N. Annadurai formed the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), with the latter as leader and Nedunchezhiyan acting as deputy general secretary until 1955. He was general secretary between 1955 and 1960 and then chairman of the party's general council until 1969.^[2]

Nedunchezhiyan was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu in 1962, succeeding K. S. G. Haja Shareef, who moved to a different constituency. In 1967, he became the Minister of Education when the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam took power. He was briefly acting Chief Minister for the state following C. N. Annadurai's death in 1969, taking the role until M. Karunanidhi was appointed. He then continued as a cabinet minister in the Karunanidhi cabinet until the DMK lost power in 1976.^[2]

Together with K. Rajaram, Nedunchezhiyan left the DMK to form a new political party called the Makkal Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam but this did not last long. The party merged with the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), which was by then in government, in 1978 and from 1980 Nedunchezhiyan was again a cabinet minister, this time as a Minister of Finance under the leadership of AIADMK's M. G. Ramachandran, until 1987. Nedunchezhiyan acting as deputy general secretary as 1977 and 1989. He was general secretary as 1977 and 1989. He became acting Chief Minister in 1988 when Ramachandran died.

Nedunchezhiyan briefly aligned himself with the J. Jayalalithaa-led group within the AIADMK but was expelled from the party in 1988 after disputes with its leaders. He stood in the 1989 state elections and later that year returned to the party fold after Jayalalithaa had successfully reunified it. He then served as Minister of Finance again between 1991 and 1996.^[2] Later, he served as General Council Leader Of AIADMK From 1996 to his death.

He married his wife, Visalakshi (AIADMK Spokesperson), in 1950, and they had one son.^[2]

Indian tennis player Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan is his grandson.

He died on heart failure at Apollo Hospital on 12 January 2000. At that time, AIADMK General Secretary Jayalalithaa sent a letter to Karunanidhi, who was the Chief Minister, asking for a place to bury Nedunchezhiyan next to Anna. But the then DMK government rejected that demand. After this, Nedunchezhiyan's body was cremated in Besant Nagar cemetery.

The character Madhivanan, played by Rajesh, in the 1997 film Iruvar is loosely based on Nedunchezhiyan.

This section does not cite any sources. (September 2020)

Name of the book with year of publication.

1. Decimal Research (1943)
2. The Late Dravidian (1948)
3. Language Struggle (1948)
4. Repository (1948)
5. Tears and Red Water Development Corporation (1951)
6. Rise Murasu
7. New Path
8. Veera tamilgam
9. Ancient Greek (1953)
10. Giordano Bruno (1953)
11. Charles Bradley (1953)
12. Religion and Superstition (1955)
13. Purananooru Treasure (1961)
14. DMK (1961)
15. Brotherhood with Anna (1961)
16. Heart great pleasure (1982)
17. Thought Flowers (1982)
18. Learning love scenes
19. Narrinai katcigal (1982)
20. Telling Taste (Short Views) (1985)
21. Culture Honor (1985)
22. Novel Announcements to the Novel Country (1988)
23. Vadakkalathur Raja Gopalanar Biography (1991)
24. Thirukkural - Novel Clarification (1991)

Biography of #RevolutionaryBharatidasan (1994)

1. War of Social Justice (1996)
2. History of the Dravidian Movement (Part I) (1996)
3. Jain Commission Report - A Study (1997)
4. What I Saw and Heard in Life (2000)

After His- # Thirukkural Novel Text (Portable Edition) (2001)

1. The parable of the sower (2004)

• First Nedunchezhiyan ministry
• Second Nedunchezhiyan ministry
• Pleasant Stay hotel case