of the hierarchy. As a student of the Intermediate Course in Pachaiyappa's College in Chennai, he participated in the programmes and agitations of DK. In the year 1944 he was declared as the Commander-in-chief of the Black Shirt Brigade of Periyar's movement. In DMK In 1949, he along with Annadurai split from the DK and formed their own party DMK. The breakaway is attributed to the marriage of Periyar to a lady much younger. The DMK picked up the Tamil Nationalistic ideologies from its parent organisation but upheld the principles of democratic party organisation. In the inaugural function they had kept one empty chair on the head of the dais for Periyar, saying that he was their permanent leader. However, faced with the reality of an independent India setting in motion the democratic process under a new Constitution, DMK preferred to keep the separatist issue on the backburner. Breakaway from DMK In 1961 along with Tamil poet Kannadasan and Pazha Nedumaran he found a new party Tamil National Party. The break away is variably attributed to be caused by personal difference that arose because of ascendency of M. Karunanidhi in the party and also to the differences in DMK's call for independent nation of Dravida Nadu. Sampath's ideologies varied from those of Annadurai. The latter preferred constitutional means in pursuing a Tamil state and was keen on contesting in elections for the same. Sampath found Annadurai too moderate and pressed for more radical policies, direct actions and militant methods. Moreover, Annadurai was politically inclined towards Rajagopalachari’s Swatantra Party, whereas Sampath was keen to ally with the Communist Party of India. Later one more founder members of DMK, actor Sivaji Ganesan would move to Sampath's TNP, after his feud with the DMK leadership and calling it a glamour party. Merger into Congress In 1964 Sampath, with invitation from Kamaraj merged his party with the Congress. Sampath later started Congress journals namely Tamil Cheithi, Jayaberigai (Dailies) and Alaigal (Weekly), but incurred heavy financial losses. To ensure the victory of the Congress Parliament candidates in Tamil Nadu, Indira Gandhi entrusted the entire election responsibility in the hands of Sampath in the year 1977. Sampath was made secretary of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee and later appointed as the vice-president of the TNCC. It was Sampath who translated the speeches made by Indira Gandhi into Tamil. Sampath donated his property, 'Jawahar Illam', at Erode,