The 1967 Assembly election catapulted the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) to power and effectively banished the Congress from ever emerging as a ruling party in Tamil Nadu. Ironically, the one person who appeared to have anticipated the DMK’s victory was the last Congress Chief Minister, M. Bhaktavatsalam. A month before losing power to the DMK, Bhaktavatsalam seemed to have prepared for his exit.
On February 24, 1967, he wrote a note to the Public Department, “Records connected with the anti-Hindi imposition agitation need not be kept. This may also apply to records maintained by the police.” The following day, the Public Department issued an order, “With reference to the Chief Minister’s orders stating that records connected with the anti-Hindi agitation need not be kept, the files listed below are submitted for orders regarding destruction.”
