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Who Built Tamil Nadu’s IT Sector?

By
The Commune
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On 26 April 2026, a clipping of DMK YouTuber Senthilvel went viral. In the clipping, he is seen abusing voters who happen to be IT employees for having voted for TVK.

He said, “Many people who work in IT companies have voted in Chennai for TVK. If someone is sitting with a plate of rice in front of them and eating that rice, and eating it with salt, that rice was given to them by the DMK. I’m using a slightly harsh word here, and I do not care about anything.” 

He further said, “Because in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh, there are no IT companies, boss. Did your grandfather and father study computers? No. When the computer was invented in the world and began slowly spreading to many countries, it was Rajiv Gandhi who brought computers into India. That’s right, he introduced it. But sadly, he was assassinated. After that there were many regime changes, forget all that. But in Tamil Nadu, during the early days of computers, one state understood that this was the computer age and that computers would be everything. That state brought computers into school textbooks, introduced computer education, introduced computer science courses, established computer colleges in every district and every town, educated you in computers, and then brought TIDEL Park and other huge IT parks into Tamil Nadu so that the children who studied computers could get jobs. The root of all that was laid by the DMK. Today, you go abroad from here, you go on onsite and offshore assignments, you go to America, get green cards, and settle there. All of that was seeded by the DMK. At that time, when Karunanidhi was planning computer education and computer studies, actor Vijay was dancing in songs with Sangavi. Actor Vijay was dancing with Simran. I’m not saying that’s wrong; that was his profession. But it was the DMK that built a computer empire so that you could study and become somebody important. You say you don’t want DMK, you don’t want AIADMK, but you will support 100 candidates who came from AIADMK, and if you think that is called change, then are you a bunch of educated fools or not? I’m saying it again: you are not going to win – that’s another matter. Leave that aside and speak honestly.”

He defended the party’s role in IT development under former leader Karunanidhi. The video clipping gained traction on social media platforms as the state waits for the results of the just concluded 2026 TN Assembly polls.

Let us take a look at who laid the foundation for IT development in Tamil Nadu, and no, it is not the DMK.

Foundational Decades: Pre-TIDEL Era

The IT landscape in Chennai began taking shape long before the TIDEL Park opened in 2000. Major global and domestic firms established operations in the city throughout the 1980s and 90s, catalyzed by earlier policy initiatives:

1965: The Congress-led government under Chief Minister Bhaktavatsalam established the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO), creating the state’s industrial framework.

1978: The M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) administration implemented the 10+2 school education system and established Anna University, pivotal steps in preparing a workforce.

1982–1984: The state introduced Computer Science and Engineering courses at Anna University, authorized private engineering colleges with government quotas, and established the Madras Export Processing Zone (MEPZ), creating the essential pipeline of talent and infrastructure.

Early IT Entrants: Firms like TCS (1983), CTS (1992), Polaris (1995), and Zoho (1996) were already active in Chennai before the TIDEL Park was ever commissioned.

These early firms relied on private funding and talent pools created by state education policies, rather than government-funded parks. The assertion by DMK supporters that IT companies arrived only after the DMK’s tenure is factually incorrect, as several key players had been operating for over a decade before the park’s inception.

The Myth of the DMK “Empire”

The DMK’s narrative often centers on TIDEL Park as the genesis of Tamil Nadu’s IT success. While TIDEL Park was indeed a significant state-funded infrastructure project, it was one node in a larger development story. By the time of its 2000 launch, it was building upon the environment fostered by the 1998 National Task Force on IT (constituted by the BJP government) and decades of educational reform.

Recent AIADMK administrations have also been instrumental in shaping the state’s modern technological and startup ecosystem. Initiatives formulated during their tenure include:

TANSIM (2018): Established to support startup innovation.

Startup Policy (2018): A key driver behind Tamil Nadu’s top-tier ranking in the 2021 national startup ecosystem assessment.

EV Policy (2019): A strategic push that helped diversify the state’s high-tech industrial portfolio.

Intellectual Appropriation or Development?

The DMK’s rhetoric, which often frames the IT sector as a personal achievement of the party or its leaders, is increasingly viewed as an act of political appropriation. By positioning TIDEL Park as the singular “birth” of IT in the state, the party obscures the contributions of predecessors and contemporary rivals alike.

The reality is that Tamil Nadu’s position as an IT powerhouse is the result of long-term continuity in governance, spanning Congress, AIADMK, and DMK administrations. The state’s competitive advantage was not “gifted” by any one party; it was built through cumulative investment in education, infrastructure, and SEZs over sixty years. Attempting to claim sole credit for a state-wide transformation is a political farce that ignores the collaborative, multi-generational effort that truly defined Tamil Nadu’s progress.

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