There is no doubt that K. Kamaraj is a political legend in Tamil Nadu. The State’s good showing over the years in terms of Human Development Indicators can be directly attributed to the former chief minister’s pioneering work in the fields of education, child welfare and infrastructure development.
The man is also known for his spartan lifestyle, honesty and administrative acumen. The hugely popular noon-meal scheme was also his brain child. While M.G. Ramachandran expanded the scheme, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader M. Karunanidhi introduced egg as part of the menu. In her manifesto for the 2016 elections, incumbent Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has promised to provide breakfast under the scheme.
However, leaders of both DMK and AIADMK, including present and past ministers, desist from entering the Kamaraj Illam in Virudhunagar, the ancestral house of the leader, which has been turned into a memorial.
The unwillingness stems from the belief that entering the memorial would lead to loss of political office. “They garland his statues elsewhere in the town, but not in the memorial even on his birth anniversary,” a Congress leader says, on condition of anonymity.
Busting the myth
According to records, since 2012, none of the leaders from these two major Dravidian parties has visited the memorial. In fact, MDMK founder-leader Vaiko announced in 2014 that he would break the jinx of losing the election by visiting the great leader’s memorial. Before he went on a procession from the town to file his nomination for Virudhunagar Lok Sabha constituency, he garlanded the bust at Kamaraj Illam. “I will prove this sentiment wrong by winning this election,” he said while addressing voters of the town. However, he lost.
While incidents like this add to the myth and superstition, there are others who pooh-pooh the idea. Former Virudhunagar MP, B. Manicka Tagore, who won on a Congress ticket, said that he had visited Kamaraj Illam before filing his nomination in 2009. “No God will punish the upright. And, Kamaraj is our God. Any fear is unfounded,” said former vice-chairman of Virudhunagar municipality S. Balakrishnasamy.
