Makkal Tamil Desam Katchi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Makkal Tamil Desam Katchi (People's Tamil Land Party, in Tamil: மக்கள் தமிழ் தேசம் கட்சி), generally just called Makkal Tamil Desam, a political party in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. MTD was founded on August 22, 2000. MTD has its base amongst the Yadava caste in the southern parts of the state. The Tamil Nadu Yadava Mahasabai supported the formation of the party. The party leader is S. Kannappan, a former AIADMK minister. Kannappan had been expelled from AIADMK before the foundation of MTD.

Ahead of the 2001 Tamil Nadu assembly elections MTD joined the NDA.

On May 6, 2002 the Pondicherry unit of MTD broke away and joined Indian National Congress.

In the 2004 MTD took part in the People's Alliance, the third front in Tamil Nadu together with Janata Dal (United), Puthiya Tamizhagam and the Dalit Panthers of India. This front was basically formed by groups who were dissatisfied that BJP had put NDA aside in Tamil Nadu and instead had launched a pure BJP-AIADMK front in the elections. MTD contested under the JD(U) symbol.