DMK MLA J Anbazhagan Dies of Covid-19 on 62nd Birthday, First Legislator from Tamil Nadu to Succumb to Virus

DMK MLA J Anbazhagan died early on Wednesday morning of acute respiratory distress, the manifestation of the Covid-19 disease, nearly a week after he was admitted to a hospital. He was 61.

Anbazhagan’s admission to hospital had kept anxious cadre from the opposition camp on their toes, many of whom were raising at every opportunity the lapses made by the E Palaniswami government in tackling the virus.

There was briefly a ray of hope from the Dr Rela Hospital, which had said his situation was improving. However, on Tuesday, the hospital declared him "very critical”, saying his existing kidney disease pared his chances.

"Inspite of full medical support, including mechanical ventilation at our COVID-19 facility, he succumbed to his illness," Dr Rela Institute and Medical Centre said in a statement condoling his death.

Anbazhagan, who would have turned 62 on Wednesday, is the first big political figure to have fallen prey to the coronavirus in Tamil Nadu. He was actively involved in MK Stalin's ‘Ondrinaivom Va’ (Let's come together) initiative to provide relief materials to the people in distress in the state.

A three-time MLA, Anbazhagan was elected to the assembly in 2001, 2011 and 2016. He was elected from T Nagar constituency in Chennai in 2001 but moved to Chepauk in 2011 after being defeated in 2006.

A bold and senior party functionary, he was the Chennai West District Secretary and he has successfully organised a slew of party events and is close to party chief MK Stalin.

A backbencher in the Assembly, Anbazhagan was among DMK's noted articulate members in the House and he had often locked horns with ministers and ruling AIADMK MLAs over several issues. A vocal critic of the AIADMK government, he tore a copy of Governor Barwarilal Purohit's address to the Assembly in January this year and put it on the table of Speaker P Dhanapal and he was briefly suspended.

Chief Minister K Palaniswami said Anbazhagan was a leading DMK functionary and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family and party workers.

Announcing a three-day mourning, Stalin said in a statement: “I am not able accept that Anbazhagan is not there.... How will I say my condolences to his family members."

(With PTI inputs)