Senior CPI leader D Pandian passes away in Chennai at 89

Chennai: CPI veteran and the party’s former state secretary D Pandian died here on Friday following illness, the party said. The 88-year old former MP was not keeping well and had been admitted to a government hospital where he breathed his last Friday. Tamil Nadu Governor Banwailal Purohit, Chief Minister K Palaniswami, DMK President M K Stalin and others condoled his death. In his six decade-long political career, Pandian was an active trade union leader among others and had participated in Railway and port union activities, CPI state secretary R Mutharasan said in a party release.

He represented the then North Madras Lok Sabha segment in 1989 and 1991. He was injured in the bomb blast at an election rally at Sriperumbudur near here in 1991 in which former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was killed and lived with shrapnels throughout his life, Mutharasan said.

Pandian headed the party’s state unit from 2005 to 2015 and is hailed as a good orator while he had also written over 30 books and penned a number of articles in the party mouthpiece ‘Jakansakthi.’ He was in the forefront on issues like eradication of superstition, promoting science and social justice. He will be laid to rest near Usilampatti in Madurai on Saturday.