J. Guru (alias) Gurunathan

Kaduvetti Guru
Member of the Legislative Assembly
In office
2001–2006
Preceded byRajendiran
Succeeded byS. S. Sivasankar
ConstituencyAndimadam (state assembly constituency)
In office
2011–2016
Preceded byK. Rajendran
Succeeded byJ. K. N. Ramajeyalingam
ConstituencyJayankondam
Personal details
Born
J Gurunathan

(1961-02-01)1 February 1961
Kaduvetti , Jayankondam, Udayarpalayam taluk, Ariyalur district, Tamil Nadu
DiedMay 25, 2018(2018-05-25) (aged 57)
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
NationalityIndian
Political partyPattali Makkal Katchi
SpouseLatha
ChildrenViruthambigai
Kanalarasan
Parent(s)Jayaraman
Kalyani
Residence(s)Kaduvetti , Jayankondam, Udayarpalayam taluk, Ariyalur district, Tamil Nadu

Kaduvetti Guru, (born, J. Gurunathan)[1] also known as J. Guru, (1 February 1961 – 25 May 2018) was an Indian politician,[2] who was twice elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly in Tamil Nadu.[3] He was the president of a caste organisation, the Vanniyar Sangam.[4]

Guru was known for his inflammatory speeches and faced several legal cases.[5]

Personal life

Gurunathan was born as J. Gurunathan[1] on 1 February 1961[6] in Kaduvetti, now a part of Ariyalur district, Tamil Nadu to Rathina Jayaraman and Kalyani.[7] He died on 25 May 2018, at the age of 57, in a private hospital, and was survived by son and daughter.[8] He had been suffering from interstitial lung disease for several months, and underwent a tracheotomy.[9]

Following Guru's death, members of the Vanniyar caste were accused of attacking 100 government buses across Tamil Nadu, and of forcing shops to close due to people being injured by stones being thrown.[10][11][12]

Political career

Gurunathan joined the Vanniyar Sangam caste organisation as a cadre in 1980 and rose through the ranks to become president in the early 2000s.[7]

Also known as Gurunathan,[13] Guru represented the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) party that had been formed from the Vanniyar Sangam.[14][15]

After an unsuccessful attempt to win a seat in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly in 1996,[16] Gurunathan was elected as a PMK candidate from Andimadam constituency in the 2001 elections.[17] He lost the contest for the Jayankondam constituency in the 2006 elections[18] but won the seat in the 2011 elections.[19] His attempt to defend it in the 2016 elections resulted in him coming second to J. K. N. Ramajeyalingam of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.[20]

Comments by Gurunathan against various Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) ministers in June 2008 caused the DMK to end its alliance with the PMK, although the relationship had been difficult for some time previously.[21] Guru was arrested and imprisoned on remand in July on suspicion of attempted murder.[22] The PMK founder, S. Ramadoss, protested the arrest, claiming it was part of a political vendetta.[21] The detention order, which had been made under the National Security Act and upheld by the Madras High Court was revoked in November of that year, with conditions attached that included he posted bail in the two outstanding cases against him, including the alleged attempted murder, and that he desisted from making inflammatory speeches.[23]

When Guru stood in the Tiruvannamalai constituency in the 2009 general elections, he suffered a record defeat as the DMK targeted PMK candidates after the break-up of the alliance.[24]

Kaduvetti Guru lodged a complaint to Police Commissioner in February 2012, seeking the arrest of Dinamalar editor Krishnamurthy and its publisher Lakshmipathy for publishing news insulting the Vanniyar caste and trying to create caste violence.[25][26]

In his controversial 2012 speech, Guru had reportedly said that in case of an inter-caste marriage, the groom should be killed. A few days after his virulent speech, around 250 houses of Dalits were burnt down in Dharmapuri following a love marriage.[27][28] Gurunathan is said to have fomented tension between Vanniyars and Dalits by publicly condemning marriages between the two.[29] J Guru, allegedly called upon the community to “chop off the limbs” of anyone who falls in love with Vanniyar women.[30]

Legal issues

Guru was acquitted in the 2008 attempted murder case in 2010 due to lack of evidence.[31] At the time of the 2011 state assembly elections, Guru and Bharatiya Janata Party candidate M. Muruganandam were noted as having the most outstanding cases of all the candidates, with nine each. Guru — whose cases mostly related to allegations of attempted murder, damage to public property and speeches inciting racial hatred — protested that he had never lost a case and has a clear conscience.[32]

There were further legal problems in 2012, when he was cited under the Indian Penal Code by the police for unlawful assembly and riot in relation to a speech he allegedly delivered at Thazhambur, Kancheepuram district. Furthermore, a speech at the Chithirai festival in Mamallapuram resulted in his 2013 arrest under the National Security Act.[1]

At the time of the 2016 state assembly elections, there were 18 police cases pending against Guru, of which charges had been pressed in six. This was the greatest number filed against any candidate, with the combined total for all candidates being 324.[33]

Controversy over death

In March 2019, Kaduvetti Guru's son, Kanalarasan, his sister and his mother had a press conference. The family claimed that Guru's death was not natural; Gurunathan was being held as a circumstantial prisoner and was seen as an obstacle to the growth of Anbumani. Guru's mother said her son could have been saved if he had been treated properly. The family said that the PMK high command claimed he would die and does not need treatment and said that the family was not permitted to accompany Gurunathan for treatment by the PMK high command and also said that the PMK high command wanted Kaduvetti Gurunathan dead for 30 years. They also said that the Vanniyar community would give a befitting reply to PMK.[34][35]

His son Kanalarasan claimed that his family has been targeted by thugs after his sister married against the wishes of party founder S Ramadoss. He said that his sister was married hastily because a group of people planned to kidnap and rape her and force her to marry a relative of S. Ramadoss.[36][35] He claims that they do not allow them to live peacefully and are attempting to drive them out of their house. He also claims that bribe has been offered to the family in order to keep them silent.[37]

In May 2020, PMK functionaries, attacked the son, son in law and relatives of J Guru with lethal weapons.[38]

Legacy

“Maaveeran J Guru Vanniyar Sangam" was formed in February 2019 and said it will oppose Anbumani Ramadoss in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The blatant sidelining and humiliation and harresment of family members of Guru, who till his demise was the president of the has led to this situation, declared Vengai Ayyanar, the coordinator.[39]

References

  1. ^ a b c "PMK leader 'Kaduvetti' Guru detained under NSA". The Hindu. Press Trust of India. 10 May 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  2. ^ "Kaduvetti Guru, BJP man have most cases against them". The Times of India.
  3. ^ "'Kaduvetti' Guru dead". The Hindu. 26 May 2018. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  4. ^ "Tension in Kaduvetti as Guru's kin attacked". DTNext.in. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  5. ^ "Former PMK MLA and Vanniyar heavyweight ‘Kaduvetti’ Guru passes away". The News Minute. 26 May 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  6. ^ "Thiru. J. Guru (a) Gurunathan (PMK)". Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  7. ^ a b "Veteran PMK leader 'Kaduvetti' J Guru, who stood for Vanniyar pride, passes away in Tamil Nadu". The New Indian Express.
  8. ^ "PMK ex-MLA 'Kaduvetti' Guru dead". The Hindu. 25 May 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  9. ^ "'Kaduvetti' Guru dead". The Hindu. 26 May 2018. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  10. ^ Priya, Lakshmi (27 May 2018). "பாமகவின் முன்னாள் எம்எல்ஏ ஜெ.குரு மரணம்... கடைகள் அடைப்பு.. 100 அரசு பேருந்துகள் மீது தாக்குதல் | PMK indulges in violence after the demise of J.Guru". Tamil Oneindia. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  11. ^ "Bandh-like situation in Ariyalur –". The Hindu.
  12. ^ "Notice to PMK chief over damage to public property by cadre | Madurai News". The Times of India. 21 August 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  13. ^ "Defamation proceedings against 'Kaduvetti' Guru stayed". The Times of India. 14 March 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  14. ^ "Senior Ramadoss arrested". The Telegraph. 1 May 2013. Archived from the original on 27 May 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  15. ^ "PMK finds an ally in Kongunadu Munnetra Kazhagam as protests spread". The Times of India. 2 May 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  16. ^ "Tamil Nadu Assembly Election Results in 1996". Infobase. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  17. ^ 2001 Tamil Nadu Election Results, Election Commission of India
  18. ^ "Tamil Nadu Assembly Election Results in 2006". Infobase. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  19. ^ "List of MLAs from Tamil Nadu 2011" (PDF). Government of Tamil Nadu. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 March 2012.
  20. ^ "Jayankondam (Tamil Nadu) Election Results". Infobase. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  21. ^ a b "PMK leader 'Kaduvetti' Guru held". Sify News. 5 July 2008. Archived from the original on 8 July 2008.
  22. ^ "Guru arrested on charges of attempt to murder". The Economic Times. Press Trust of India. 5 July 2008. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  23. ^ "Guru's detention under NSA revoked". The Hindu. 27 November 2008. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  24. ^ "Why The Tables Could Not Be turned". The Telegraph. 26 May 2009. Archived from the original on 26 May 2018. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  25. ^ "தினமலர் கிருஷ்ணமூர்த்தி, லட்சுமிபதி மீது போலீஸ் கமிஷனரிடம் புகார". Dinakaran. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  26. ^ "சாதி மோதலை தூண்ட சதி : தினமலர் கிருஷ்ணமூர்த்தி, லட்சுமிபதி மீது போலீஸ் கமிஷனரிடம் புகார". Dinakaran.com. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  27. ^ "Guru at it again, uses strong words". The New Indian Express.
  28. ^ "Quota for Vanniars running theme at PMK meeting". The Hindu.
  29. ^ "Love and violence in Dharmapuri". The Indian Express. 25 November 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  30. ^ "The Outrage Towards 'Jai Bhim' Shows Why It's Important To Tell Uncomfortable Stories". The Swaddle. 18 November 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  31. ^ "PMK leader Guru acquitted in 'attempt to murder' case". Zee News. Press Trust of India. 29 December 2010. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  32. ^ Sivakumar, B.; Ramanujam, K. (5 April 2011). "Kaduvetti Guru, BJP man have most cases against them". The Times of India. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  33. ^ Sivakumar, B. (11 May 2016). "At 324, no. of TN candidates with criminal cases doubles". The Times of India. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  34. ^ "குருவின் மரணம் இயற்கையானது அல்ல: அன்புமணியின் வளர்ச்சிக்கு குரு தடையாக இருப்பதாக கருதினார்கள்: குரு மகன் பேட்டி". nakkheeran. 10 March 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  35. ^ a b "'காடுவெட்டி குரு மரணம் இயற்கையானதல்ல': பாமக மீது சரமாரியாக புகார்". Puthiyathalaimurai.com (in Tamil). Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  36. ^ "Kaduvetti Guru's daughter, son-in-law seek protection". The Hindu. 2 December 2018. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  37. ^ "Kaduvetti Guru's wife is IJK candidate for Jayankondam". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  38. ^ "`நீங்க அரசியலுக்கு வரணுமானு கேட்டு தாக்குனாங்க!'-காடுவெட்டி குரு மகன், மருமகனுக்கு அரிவாள் வெட்டு". Vikatan.com/. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  39. ^ "Vanniyar Sangam splits, Kaduvetti guru's mom to fight Anbumani". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 16 February 2022.