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Veteran Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Nallakannu passed away at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) in Chennai, on Wednesday, February 25. He was 101.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the hospital said that he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on February 1 due to health complications and had been undergoing treatment for hypertension, a kidney ailment, and difficulty swallowing. He had been admitted for specialised care and was attended to by a multi-disciplinary team of doctors.
“Over the past 24 days of treatment, his condition showed fluctuations. A multidisciplinary medical team continued to provide intensive care and close monitoring throughout this period. From early this morning, his ability to respond to medications gradually declined, and his condition became extremely critical. Despite being under advanced intensive care, all his vital organs eventually failed. With profound sorrow, we inform you that Mr Nallakannu passed away at 1.55 pm on February 25,” the statement read.
A native of Tiruvaikuntam in Thoothukudi district, Nallakannu was one of the tallest leaders of the CPI in Tamil Nadu and had been associated with the Left movement for several decades.
Born in 1925, he joined the Communist movement at the age of 15 and actively participated in numerous workers’ rights protests. He served as the Tamil Nadu State Secretary of the CPI for several years and was widely respected for his simple lifestyle and steadfast ideological commitment.
Among his notable contributions were sustained campaigns on inter-state river water disputes, particularly the Cauvery issue, where he consistently advocated for equitable water sharing for Tamil Nadu’s farmers.
He was also vocal against sand mining along the Thamirabarani river and sought a judicial ban on sand extraction from the river for five years.
During the Emergency (1975–77), he was imprisoned for his political activities. Over the years, he received several honours, including the Tamil Nadu government’s ‘Thagaisal Tamizhar’ award in 2022.
In 1999, Nallakannu contested the Lok Sabha elections from the Coimbatore constituency but was defeated by BJP’s C P Radhakrishnan.