Janaki Ramachandran (
Malayalam: <big>ജാനകി രാമചന്ദ്രന്</big>), popularly known as V.N. Janaki (November 30, 1923 – May 19, 1996), was an
Indian Tamil actress and politician. She was born to Rajagopal Iyer and Narayani Amma in the town of
Vaikom in
Kerala State. She had a brother P. Narayanan who was an educationalist. She was a successful actress and starred in more than 25 movies including
Velaikari, and
Aiyiram Thalaivangiya Aboorva Chintamani. She starred opposite
M. G. Ramachandran in many films. She married M. G. Ramachandran.
When M.G.Ramachandran died in 1987, she succeeded him as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and the Leader of the AIADMK party (which later split into two factions). Janaki Ramachandran became
Chief minister in January 1988 after her husband's death, but the government lasted only 24 days, the shortest in the
history of Tamil Nadu. Her ministry won the vote of confidence of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly in January 1988 but the Central Government under the late Rajiv Gandhi used Article 356 of the Constitution of India to dismiss her government. Her party was defeated in the next elections held in 1989 and she quit politics after the unification of the two factions of the
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam .
She died of a cardiac arrest on 19 May 1996.
Janaki Ramachandran gifted her property in Avvai Shanmugham Salai (Lloyds Road) to house the headquarters of the
All India Anna Dravida......
Read More