On Wednesday, freedom fighter CPM leader N Sankaraiah (aged 102) passed away in a private hospital in Chennai. He had reportedly been suffering from cold and fever and was admitted to hospital where he breathed his last. His last rites will be performed on Thursday. He is survived by two sons and a daughter.
TN CM M K Stalin announced that during the final rites, state honours would be accorded to the mortal remains of N Sankaraiah. Stalin and senior ministers visited his home to pay their last respects on Wednesday. Numerous political parties posted their condolences on social media as well. BJP leader K Annamalai wrote, “A veteran political leader and one of the founders of the Marxist Communist Party, I am deeply saddened to learn of Mr Sankaraiah’s demise. Senior leader Mr Sankaraiah’s demise is a big loss for Tamil Nadu politics. On behalf of @BJP4TamilNadu, I offer my deepest condolences to Mr Sankaraiah’s family and friends. Om Shanti.”
N Sankaraiah, born on July 15, 1922, in Tirunelveli district, played an important role during India’s freedom struggle and was one of the founding members of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). He was one of the 32 members who walked out of the Communist Party of India’s (CPI) National Council meeting in 1964. This resulted in the formation of the CPM party.
The veteran political leader was also a founder of the Madras Students Union and he went on to become the Union secretary as well. Sankaraiah was arrested in 1941 during the freedom struggle and was released from jail one day before India’s independence in 1947. He has been part of the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly – he was elected once from the Madurai West constituency in 1967 and Madurai East constituency in 1977 and 1980. Recently, the TN government wanted to honour N Sankaraiah with an honorary doctorate from Madurai Kamaraj University. However, Governor RN Ravi did not approve this proposal.