Jayalalithaa’s multi-talented guru, Tamil Nadu’s Chanakya is no more
CHENNAI: Thespian, writer and former parliamentarian Cho S Ramaswamy, who first mooted the idea of Narendra Modi as a prime ministerial candidate, died after a heart attack in Chennai on Wednesday. He was 82.
Cho’s personal physician Vijayabhaskar said the former Rajya Sabha member passed away around 3.58 am at Apollo hospital, where AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa battled for life for more than two months before breathing her last on Monday.
Incidentally, Jayalalithaa and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were among the political heavyweights who had called on Cho at the hospital in August last year when he was unwell.
Born into a family of lawyers, Cho initially took up the legal profession. He founded and edited political magazine Thuglak, fearlessly criticising state governments as well as the Centre. Yet, cutting across the political spectrum, he shared personal rapport with many leaders, including former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, BJP patriarch LK Advani and DMK chief M Karunanidhi.
Cho spoke of Modi as a prime ministerial candidate at a time when Advani was thought to be the frontrunner
Cho Ramaswamy was insightful, frank and brilliant. Pained by his demise. Condolences to his family and the countless readers of Thuglak (magazine).
in the BJP. He had introduced Modi to Tamil Nadu voters through his magazine’s annual readers’ meeting. At these events, Cho took questions from readers and replied in his unique style laced with sarcasm and wit.
His satirical take on the political situation of the times in Thuglak, launched in 1970, was a hit with readers. Cho also acted in “Mohammed Bin Tuglaq”, a biting political satire. Often taking on the establishment, Cho had opposed the Emergency.
Cho is survived by his wife, son and daughter. PM Modi condoled his demise in a series of tweets. He referred to Cho as a “dear friend” and described him as a multidimensional personality, towering intellectual and great nationalist. The PM also shared a video, on Twitter, in which Cho had called him a “Merchant of Death”, evidently using satire to target his critics.
Despite his opposition to the DMK regime in 2010, Cho was friendly with Karunanidhi. In the 1996 assembly polls, Cho was instrumental in roping in superstar-actor Rajinikanth to bless the DMK, which was still smarting from its loss to Jayalalithaa in 1991.
In 2010, it was Cho who brought Jayalalithaa and Captain Vijayakanth together, leading to formation of a formidable team that decimated the DMK. He was cremated at Besant Nagar in south Chennai. Sasikala Natarajan, Jayalalithaa’s closest confidante, was among those who bid him farewell. NARENDRA MODI,
Prime Minister, on Twitter
Despite many political differences, he had great love and affection for me. He was a friend and a political critic who could convey his message with humour.
M KARUNANIDHI, DMK chief
He was a close friend. Our friendship dates back to 1978. Whenever I was in Chennai, I used to pay a visit to him at least once a week. His death is not an ordinary loss.
RAJINIKANTH, Tamil Superstar