Vijayakanth, once rated as the future Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and the founding leader of Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam, breathed his last on Thursday morning. The seventy-one-year-old Vijayakanth had been suffering from a series of ailments since 2016 and was not in the best of health for the last five years. He was the Leader of Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly during 2011-2016. He was diagnosed with Covid-19 and pneumonia and was on life support in a private hospital in Chennai for the last four days. Vijayakanth is survived by his wife, Premalatha (who was elected as MDMK general secretary earlier this month), and two sons.
Known as Black MGR and the poor man’s Rajnikanth, the actor who had a series of hits in low-budget movies turned to politics in 2005 with the launching of DMDK. The party won 8.38 per cent of popular votes in the 2006 Assembly poll despite contesting without any alliance.
Though the DMDK fielded candidates in all the 234 constituencies, Vijayakanth was the lone winner. He forged an alliance with the AIADMK in the 2011 assembly election and bagged 29 seats, making the DMDK the second-largest party in the House after the AIADMK. This saw his rise as Leader of the Opposition. But the camaraderie with Jayalalithaa ended soon, and since then, the DMDK failed to win any seats in the assembly polls. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who always maintained a special relationship with the actor-turned politician, expressed his sorrow over the demise of Vijayakanth. “Extremely saddened by the passing away of Thiru Vijayakanth Ji.
“A legend of the Tamil film world, his charismatic performances captured the hearts of millions. As a political leader, he was deeply committed to public service, leaving a lasting impact on Tamil Nadu’s political landscape. His passing leaves a void that will be hard to fill. He was a close friend, and I fondly recall my interactions with him over the years. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with his family, fans, and numerous followers,” said the Prime Minister in his social media post. Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi, senior BJP leaders, and Chief Minister MK Stalin expressed their condolences and pain over the death of the DMDK leader. “Deeply pained by the passing away of the accomplished actor, dedicated leader, and great humanitarian Vijayakanth. His outstanding contributions to cinema, politics, and service to society will ever be remembered. My prayers are with his family and countless followers,” said the Governor in his message.
