Update: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa died at 11.30 pm (IST) on Monday at Apollo Hospitals, Chennai. Her body has been kept at Rajaji Hall in Chennai for public homage. PM Narendra Modi will be visiting Chennai on Tuesday to pay his last respects to the 68-year-old leader of AIADMK.
Original story
In the normal course, the deteriorating health of an Indian chief minister would be of concern only to the state, the ruling party and its allies, if any, at the Centre. However, Tamil Nadu is different and therefore people would be tracking health updates of J Jayalalithaa far more closely than they would do otherwise.
Tamil Nadu is an auto hub and home to many automobile manufacturing plants, in addition to having offices of Wipro, TCS and Infosys. It also has many ports from which Indian goods, especially automobiles, are exported to various countries.
As is already known, Jayalalithaa has not been keeping good health and undergoing treatment at Apollo Hospital since September 22, 2016. Her health condition took a turn for the worse after she suffered a cardiac arrest on Sunday.
The former actor-turned politician surprised many Indian psephologists when her party AIADMK won a second straight mandate in May this year, bucking anti-incumbent the state is famous for.
But the going has been difficult for her and the state, when in September, a Supreme Court judgement on the Cauvery water dispute that went against neighbour Karnataka saw a spate of violent protests in both the states. Even before the century-old dispute could be amicably resolved, the state was dealt another blow in the form of her bad health.
In a state where identity/cult politics is probably the highest in India — members of her party including openly prostrate before her — the state is keeping its fingers crossed. Such states tend to witness disruption in normal life whenever their top leaders face trouble.
The state was hit by floods in December last year, impacting productivity at many companies.
Stakes high for India Inc.
Traditionally one of the most-developed states in the southern part of India, Tamil Nadu has many diplomatic missions, industries, offices and contributes significantly to the country's gross domestic product (GDP).
As recently as November 8, American auto maker Ford Motors had announced an investment of $195 million in a technology and business centre in Chennai over a five-year period, to develop new products, design mobility solutions and provide business services.
The company has invested about $2 billion in India since 1995 when it entered the country. It has two manufacturing facilities, in India, one of them being at Maraimalai Nagar, near Chennai, where it makes the Ford EcoSport and the Ford Endeavour. The other plant is in Sanand, Gujarat.
The state has also many cement plants.
Here are some key statistics about Tamil Nadu:
The state was the third-biggest contributor (8.16 percent) to India's GDP in 2014-15, after Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, according to the government of India.
The state's debt was also high, at Rs 1,95,920 crore (at the end of financial year 2014-15), according to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) statistics.
The fourth-largest Indian state's GDP (GSDP) was $175.33 billion in 2015-16 and the per capita GSDP $2,430.5 (at current prices), according to an update by India Brand Equity Foundation.
The state's emergence as auto hub earned it the sobriquet "Detroit of India," accounting for about 15.8 percent share in domestic production and 14.9 percent share in domestic sales. Companies that have a manufacturing base in the state include Eicher Motors (Royal Enfield motorcycles), Ashok Leyland (heavy vehicles), Nissan, Hyundai and Renault (cars) and TVS Motor (two wheelers).
The state has three major ports, 23 minor ports, and seven airports, besides a sprawling rail and road network, making it an ideal destination for manufacturers.
The state is famous for its Marina beach (in Chennai), Mahabalipuram temple (outskirts of Chennai), besides the controversial bull-taming race (jallikattu) organised during Pongal festival (mid-January) every year.
There are many business groups in Chennai, the most famous being TVS, TTK and Ramco. Besides, Tamil Nadu is famous for the movie industry (Kollywood) and Tamil films are popular not only in the state but also some Asean countries like Singapore and Malaysia.
