Former Tamil Nadu CPI state secretary D Pandian passes away at 88

Veteran Communist leader D Pandian, who was grievously injured in the blast that killed former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991, passed away here on Friday. He was 88 and is survived by two daughters and a son.

A fiery orator who had an impeccable command over Tamil, Pandian took his last breath at 10.05 am at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH) where he was admitted on February 24 in an unconscious state. He was suffering from a kidney ailment.

Fondly known as 'Tha Pa' by friends and colleagues, Pandian fiercely fought for the poor during his lifetime and remained rooted to Communist principles till his last breath.

Pandian, who was born in Vellaimalaipatti in Usilampatti near Madurai in 1932, joined the Communist Party of India in 1953 when he was studying at the Alagappa College in Karaikudi.

After being associated with the CPI for many decades, Pandian quit the party to join the United Communist Party of India (UCPI) launched by Mohit Sen. He won the 1989 and 1991 Lok Sabha election in an alliance with Congress from North Chennai constituency when he was with the UCPI. In 2000, he rejoined the parent organisation CPI and functioned as its state secretary for six years.

Pandian was seriously injured in the blast that killed Rajiv Gandhi in Sriperumbudur on May 21, 1991 as he accompanied the former Prime Minister to translate his speech from English into Tamil. Pandian, was then with the UCPI and won the subsequent election from North Chennai, was a witness in the sensational case.

After surviving the blast, Pandian supported the release of seven convicts who have been blamed for the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. In a letter to Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit in October 2018, Pandian asked him to release the seven persons on humanitarian grounds.

“I was shattered psychologically due to the assassination of Thiru Rajiv Gandhi and it took several years for me to recoup from the excruciating trauma,” he wrote in 2018. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, his deputy O Panneerselvam, DMK President M K Stalin, former AIADMK leader V K Sasikala, and other leaders paid rich tributes to Pandian.

CPI general secretary D Raja described Pandian as an “eloquent orator” and “prolific writer.” “He was a multi-dimensional personality. His death is a great loss for the CPI and to Tamil Nadu,” Raja said.