People's Democracy

TAMILNADU

Red Salute Comrade N Varadarajan

THOUSANDS of people poured into the town of Dindigul in south Tamilnadu to pay tearful last respects to their beloved leader Comrade N Varadarajan on April 11.

N Varadarajan, a veteren leader and former State secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and three-time MLA, died in Chennai on April 10. He was 87.

He is survived by his wife and two sons.

After keeping his body for Party leaders and cadre to pay their last respects at the Party state committee office, it was taken to Dindigul, his native district, where the last journey was held.

“He returned to Chennai on Tuesday morning after attending the 20th Party Congress in Kozhikode. He walked up the stairs to reach his room in the Party office, before feeling giddy. He was a diabetic,” said CPI(M) state secretary G Ramakrishnan.

The Tamilnadu state committee of the CPI(M) dips its red flag to pay tribute to Comrade N Varadharajan, he said.

Popularly known as NV in Party circles, Comrade N Varadarajan was one of the 32 members of the united Communist Party of India (CPI) who quit the Party in 1964 and formed the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in Tamilnadu.

N Varadarajan joined the Communist Party in 1943. He was doing Party work from underground for a year when the Party was banned in 1949.

Starting his career as a mill worker, he was dismissed by the management for organising a union. He worked among tannery workers, cigar-makers and sanitary workers in and around Dindigul as well as in unified Madurai district.

When the Emergency was declared, he again went underground. He had spent three years in jail in connection with his political activities. He was instrumental in creating the Tamilnadu Untouchability Eradication Front (TNUEF) and he consistently fought for securing three per cent exclusive reservation for Arundathiyars, a dalit sub-sect.

He was elected to the Tamilnadu assembly from the Vedasandur constituency in 1967. Subsequently, he represented Dindigul in 1977 and 1980. He was the Party's whip in the assembly.

After functioning as the Party's Madurai district secretary and member of the state committee and state secretariat, he was elected to the Central Committee in 1995. He was elected as Party secretary of Tamilnadu in 2002, 2005 and again in 2008.

Though the health condition was not good, the dedicated leader actively participated and observed the proceedings and discussions as a Central Committee member of the Party in the 20th Party Congress held at Kozhikode. He was one of the oldest leaders who participated in the Congress. The other veterans were R Umanath and V S Achuthanandan. N Varadarajan had attended 17 Party Congresses. Due to ill health, he was relieved from the Central Committee in Kozhikode.

TEARFUL

RED SALUTE

At Dindigul, Comrade N Varadarajan's body was kept in the district committee office of the Party for homage. K Varadarajan, Polit Bureau member, G Ramakrishnan, state secretary of the Party and state secretariat members paid their last respects. State committee members and district secretaries and thousands of Party workers rushed to Dindigul to pay red salute to their beloved and much respected leader Comrade NV.

Thousands of people from hundreds of villages in and around Dindigul district, various political party leaders and cadres, leaders of various dalit organisations and some traders thronged the Party office and paid homage.

In the evening, a huge procession marked  Comrade NV's last journey. At the crematorium, a condolence meeting was held. G Ramakrishnan and other leaders spoke.

CONDOLENCES

Tamilnadu governor K Rosaiah and chief minister Jayalalithaa condoled his death.

DMK president M Karunanidhi, TNCC president B S Gnanadesikan and opposition leader Vijayakant visited the CPI(M) office and paid their respects.

MDMK general secretary Vaiko and PMK leader S Ramadoss condoled Comrade Varadarajan's death.

The legislative assembly of the state paid tributes to Comrade N Varadarajan.