Kaduvetti Guru facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kaduvetti Guru
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Member of the Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 2001–2006 |
|
| Preceded by | Rajendiran |
| Succeeded by | S. S. Sivasankar |
| Constituency | Andimadam (state assembly constituency) |
| In office 2011–2016 |
|
| Preceded by | K. Rajendran |
| Succeeded by | J. K. N. Ramajeyalingam |
| Constituency | Jayankondam |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
J Gurunathan
1 February 1961 Kaduvetti , Jayankondam, Udayarpalayam taluk, Ariyalur district, Tamil Nadu |
| Died | May 25, 2018 (aged 57) Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Political party | Pattali Makkal Katchi |
| Spouse | Latha |
| Children | Viruthambigai Kanalarasan |
| Parents | Jayaraman Kalyani |
| Residences | Kaduvetti , Jayankondam, Udayarpalayam taluk, Ariyalur district, Tamil Nadu |
Kaduvetti Guru, (born, J. Gurunathan) also known as J. Guru, (1 February 1961 – 25 May 2018) was an Indian politician, who was twice elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly in Tamil Nadu. He was the president of a caste organisation, the Vanniyar Sangam.
Guru was known for his inflammatory speeches and faced several legal cases.
Personal life
Gurunathan was born as J. Gurunathan on 1 February 1961 in Kaduvetti, now a part of Ariyalur district, Tamil Nadu to Rathina Jayaraman and Kalyani. He died on 25 May 2018, at the age of 57, in a private hospital, and was survived by son and daughter. He had been suffering from interstitial lung disease for several months, and underwent a tracheotomy.
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.
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.
Also known as Gurunathan, Guru represented the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) party that had been formed from the Vanniyar Sangam.
After an unsuccessful attempt to win a seat in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly in 1996, Gurunathan was elected as a PMK candidate from Andimadam constituency in the 2001 elections. He lost the contest for the Jayankondam constituency in the 2006 elections but won the seat in the 2011 elections. 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.
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. Guru was arrested and imprisoned on remand in July on suspicion of attempted murder. The PMK founder, S. Ramadoss, protested the arrest, claiming it was part of a political vendetta. 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.
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.
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.
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. Gurunathan is said to have fomented tension between Vanniyars and Dalits by publicly condemning marriages between the two. J Guru, allegedly called upon the community to “chop off the limbs” of anyone who falls in love with Vanniyar women.
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.
