Veteran CPI leader R Nallakannu passes away at 101 in Chennai
Veteran CPI leader R Nallakannu passed away at the age of 101 in Chennai after prolonged treatment. A lifelong activist, he fought for farmers, workers and social justice for over eight decades. Leaders across parties paid rich tributes
Chennai: Veteran Communist leader R. Nallakannu, one of the most respected figures in Tamil Nadu’s political landscape and a lifelong member of the CPI, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 101.
He breathed his last at 1.55 p.m. at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, where he had been undergoing intensive treatment.
Nallakannu was admitted to the hospital on February 1 after experiencing severe respiratory distress. For the past 24 days, he had been under intensive care, with a multidisciplinary medical team closely monitoring his condition.
According to the hospital’s official statement, his health fluctuated in recent days, and in the morning, his response to medication steadily declined. Despite sustained critical care, multiple organ failure led to his passing.
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, along with several political leaders and public figures, had visited the hospital over the past few weeks to enquire about his health.
Leaders across party lines expressed deep sorrow, remembering him as a symbol of integrity, ideological commitment and simplicity.
Born in 1925 in Thiruvaikundam in the then-undivided Tirunelveli district to a modest farming family, Nallakannu was drawn to activism during his college days. He actively mobilised youth against British rule during the Quit India Movement, which led to his expulsion from college.
Inspired by Communist ideals, he joined the CPI in 1943 at the age of 18, beginning a political journey that spanned more than eight decades. Throughout his life, he championed the cause of farmers, agricultural labourers and the marginalised.
He led major struggles in the Nanguneri region for farmers’ rights and remained steadfast in his fight against untouchability and social injustice.
Even after Independence, he faced imprisonment in 1949 due to political repression. During police custody, he was reportedly tortured, an experience that shaped his lifelong resolve.
Nallakannu also played a significant role in advocating for prisoners’ rights and access to education in jails.
He later served as the Tamil Nadu State Secretary of the CPI for 13 years, guiding the party through critical political phases.
Though he contested Assembly elections in 1967, 1977 and 1999, he famously maintained that public struggle, not electoral victory, was his primary mission.
A recipient of the Tamil Nadu government’s Thagaisal Tamil Award and the Ambedkar Award, he donated most of the prize money to the party and workers’ unions.
Known for returning funds collected in his honour, he lived and died without personal wealth.
Though Nallakannu is no more, his ideals and unwavering commitment to social justice will continue to inspire generations.
