CHENNAI: After eight days of treatment, DMK MLA J Anbazhagan succumbed to "severe Covid-19 pneumonia" at the Dr Rela Institute and Medical Centre here on Wednesday. He is the first legislator in the country to have died of the viral infection.
Anbazhagan was admitted to the hospital with severe acute respiratory distress on June 2 and tested positive at the time of admission. He had been involved in party activities and made public appearances till May 27, participating in the DMK's 'Ondrinaivom Vaa' initiative, and distributing relief materials to people.
He was put on a ventilator on June 3. He was being weaned off the ventilator when his condition worsened again, a statement from the hospital said on June 8. He was declared dead at 8.05 am on Wednesday, which was, incidentally, his 62nd birthday.
His last rites were performed at the Kannammapet burial ground. Hundreds of DMK cadres were in attendance and the police had a tough time regulating the crowd.
Meanwhile, DMK president MK Stalin and other senior leaders paid floral tribute to Anbazhagan's portrait at Anna Arivalayam, the party's headquarters in the city.
Stalin had earlier visited the hospital before Anbazhagan's death was announced. The DMK has cancelled all its events for the next three days and lowered the party flag to half-mast.
Anbazhagan was one of the party's most prominent faces in Chennai and his death has come as a huge blow to functionaries.
The three-time MLA was elected from the Chepauk-Triplicane constituency in 2011 and 2016 and from T Nagar in 2001. He was one of the most outspoken leaders in the party and enjoyed great cadre support within the party.
DMK Rajya Sabha MP, P Wilson, told New Indian Express that the deceased MLA had been instrumental in getting a CBI inquiry into the illegal sale of gutka and pan masala in the State.
"Anbazhagan fought the crucial gutka case in which there was collusion among politicians, bureaucrats from Central and State government departments and Corporation officials. He fought the case in the Supreme Court and succeeded," Wilson said. As the powerful secretary of the party’s Chennai West District unit, Anbazhagan was known for not mincing words during the party's internal meetings. He also maintained cordial relationships with party leaders from rival parties.
T Nagar MLA, VP Kalairajan, who recently joined the DMK, described Anbazhagan as a good human being.
"Though I defeated him in the 2006 election in T Nagar, he arranged a grand welcome for me when I joined DMK. He also supported me in carrying out party activities," he said. Saidapet DMK MLA Ma Subramanian said Anbazhagan was always approachable to his constituents and party cadres.
T Mari, a DMK supporter from Chepauk, said Anbazhagan had never missed a meeting or function organised by party workers. "He treated all party workers as equals, which gained him support among the cadre and people," he said.
Anbazhagan was known to speak his mind even in the State Assembly. He was briefly suspended from Assembly this January after he tore up a copy of Governor Banwarilal Purohit's address to the House and placed the pieces of paper on the table of Speaker P Dhanapal.
Throughout his political career, Anbazhagan identified himself as a follower of the late DMK leader M Karunanidhi.
His father Jeyaraman, popularly known as Pazhakadai Jeyaraman, was a frontline functionary of the party since its launch in 1949. He was a prison-mate of DMK president MK Stalin when they were both imprisoned under MISA during the Emergency.
Anbazhagan was appointed as DMK's youth wing organiser for T Nagar area in 1987. Later he became the DMK's T Nagar unit secretary in the early 1990s after his father's demise. He was elected as South Chennai district secretary in 2002.
Anbazhagam is the fifth DMK MLA in the 15th Assembly to have died. The others are former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi (Thiruvarur), K Radhamani (Vikravandi), KPP Samy (Tiruvottiyur) and S Kathavarayan (Gudiyatham).