TIRUCHY: Veteran PMK leader and two-time MLA ‘Kaduvetti’ J Guru passed away at a private hospital here on Friday evening after prolonged illness. He was 57. He is survived by wife and two children.
A trusted lieutenant of party founder S Ramadoss, Guru was a fiery orator known for organising his community men. He headed the Vanniyar Sangam for long. Born to Rathina Jayaraman and Kalyani on February 1, 1961 in Kaduvetti, a remote village in Ariyalur district, Guru joined the Vanniyar Sangam as a cadre in 1980, but rose through the ranks to become president of the outfit in early 2000s.
“Guru mobilized cadre and conducted week-long road blockade from Jayankondam to Sethiathope during the reservation protest in 1987,” recalled M.Gnanamurthy, who is now a union secretary DMK. More than others, for the people of Ariyalur, Guru was an endearing leader who spearheaded protest against NLC India’s Jayankondam project.
“Demanding hike in compensation for the land acquired and jobs for the affected people, Guru organised several protests and ensured the project did not take off unless the affected people are compensated properly,” said Soundar Rajan, a resident of Pudukudi. Similarly, Guru led protests seeking adequate compensations for those affected by quarries of cement factories in Ariyalur. Above all, when Ramadoss and Rajinikant locked horns over the latter’s Baba in 2002, Guru saw to it that the movie was not screened in the district.