Veteran communist leader, independence fighter, and CPI (M) founding member N Sankariah died away on Wednesday from an age-related illness at a private hospital in Chennai. He was one hundred and one.
The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M. K. Stalin, declared that the late politician, who had previously held the positions of state secretary for the CPI-M and MLA three times, would get a state funeral.
Sankariah, who was born on July 15, 1922, had been a student at the American College in Madurai when he was courted into captivity during the liberation movement. His academic career was delayed during his 18-month existence, preventing him from finishing his diploma.
Paradoxically, Governor-Chancellor R N Ravi blocked the Madurai Kamaraj University’s recent effort to award him an honorary doctorate for his national service.
Known for his candid opinions, Sankaraiah was one of the thirty-two CPI National Council members who left the party in 1964 to form the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
According to a CPI (M) political bureau statement, he was one of the nation’s oldest Communist leaders. He was imprisoned for a total of eight years, at different points in time, even after India gained its independence, for participating in various rallies.
Stalin alluded vaguely to the delay in honoring Sankaraiah on Wednesday without naming Ravi. Stalin remarked, “I’m saddened by their betrayal, and I feel sorry for small-minded people who do not know the history of Tamil Nadu’s freedom fighters at this time.”
The CPM statement emphasized that Sankaraiah, a history student at the American College in Madurai, was detained shortly before his final exams, which prevented him from receiving his degree. According to the statement, “he spent eight years in jail altogether until the eve of Independence.” Sankaraiah became a communist in 1940 and was one of the thirty-two members of the National Council that left to form the CPI-M in 1964. In 1967, 1977, and 1980, he was elected to the state legislature three times. Born in Kovilpatti in 1921, Sanjaraiah is a tall Marxist activist who served as the CPI-M state secretary for Tamil Nadu from 1995 to 2002.
