Jayalalithaa is an influential figure in Tamil Nadu, no doubt. Her following is humongous in that her followers look up to her as ‘Amma’ or ‘mother’ or even ‘god’. She stares into the distance or, when looked at from a certain angle, glares at her supporters from the Godzilla-sized posters and cut outs all over the state. The supporters bathe the posters with milk on her birthday, wear headgear with her picture printed on it even on their wedding day, prostrate when she passes by and are even willing to be crucified to prove their loyalty.
To the former AIADMK legislator Rama Ramanathan, now in his early 50s, Amma means everything. So much so that she is the only person in the world who can influence his decision of marriage.
The former Kumbakonam legislator had vowed in 2001 to not get hitched until the party is voted back to power with Jayalalithaa as the chief minister and, most importantly, he himself wins a seat.
However, destiny hasn’t been kind to him. 15 years have passed by and he is yet to experience marital bliss.
In the 2001 elections, Ramanathan lost to Ko Si Mani, even though AIADMK roared back to power. In 2006, the party gave him another opportunity but DMK trumped AIADMK.
Even though AIADMK won the elections in 2011, Ramanathan lost to Mani’s protégé G Anbalagan.
Could 2016 have been the year for Ramanathan to settle down?
The upcoming polls held promise as Jayalalithaa looked at her popular best ahead of the elections. She had even announced his candidature from Kumbakonam.
According to a report in The Huffington Post on Monday, he received the painful news that Jayalalithaa had replaced him with S. Rathna—a bus fleet owner’s wife.
Telegraph reported that Ramanathan, who was busy campaigning, broke down and wept inside his car. He turned off his mobile phone and visited a relative’s farm to avoid meeting his supporters and media.
“I nurture the hope that I could still get a chance to contest. Even if I do not get the MLA ticket, I will still work to ensure our party wins in Kumbakonam and Amma returns as chief minister. Who would know this Ramanathan if Amma had not made me an MLA in 1991?” said Ramanathan.
It is surprising how he has kept his cool and supported ‘Amma’ even after the incident. One can never be angry at their ‘god’, can they?
