AIADMK Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament and former Tamil Nadu Minister A Mohammedjan passed away due to a heart attack on Tuesday. The MP was feeling uneasy and complained of chest pain. He was taken to Walajapet General Hospital in Ranipet but he was declared dead. He was 72 years old.
The late MP’s relative told PTI, "He had just returned home (Ranipet) after campaigning for the Assembly polls. He then said he was experiencing chest pain. We rushed him to the hospital and on the way, he became unconscious. Doctors, after examination him, said he died of a heart attack."
Mohammedjan was Minister of Backward Classes during 2011-2013 in the cabinet of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. A noted AIADMK leader from the minority community in northern Tamil Nadu, Mohammedjan was elected to the Rajya Sabha in July 2019. He was also the chairman of the Tamil Nadu Waqf Board and joint secretary of AIADMK's Minorities Welfare Wing.
In 2019, Mohammedjan was removed from his position in Al Jamaat Federation for supporting the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) in the Rajya Sabha. He was a patron of the federation since 2010 and it consists of jamaats (congregation) from different regions, including Ranipet and Wallajah. In the statement from the Jaamat, the officer-bearer had said that the MP committed an offence and insulted the Muslims by voting in favour of the Bill, which is now the Citizens (Amendment) Act (CAA).
In a condolence statement, AIADMK top leaders, Chief Minister K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam said they were deeply grieved by the death of Mohammedjan.
A party worker since the early days of the founding of the AIADMK in 1972, he was loyal to founder MG Ramachandran and late Chief Minister 'Amma' (J Jayalalithaa). they said. “He has worked for the party at various levels, including the party's Ranipet town secretary,” read the joint statement from the two leaders, who conveyed their condolences to the bereaved family.
DMK president MK Stalin, too, expressed his condolences over Mohammedjan's death and praised him for being the voice of Tamil Nadu in the Rajya Sabha.