CHENNAI: Veteran Communist Party of India (CPI) leader R Nallakannu passed away at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital here on Wednesday, February 25, due to prolonged age-related ailments. He was 101.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the hospital said that he had been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on February 1. The statement noted that despite specialised care, he had not been responding well to the treatments and his condition became critical.
“With profound sorrow, we inform you that Mr Nallakannu passed away at 1.55 pm on February 25,” the statement read.
Following the death of CPM veteran N Sankaraiah in 2023, Nallakannu was the last centenarian communist leader in Tamil Nadu.
Comrade RNK, as he was fondly called by the people, remained an embodiment of integrity and selfless service for nearly eight decades he had spent in political limelight.
Born on December 26, 1925, in Perumpathu village near Srivaikundam in Thoothukudi district, young Nallakannu witnessed poverty, and exploitation firsthand.
Drawn to Marxist ideals, he joined the Communist Party of India in 1946, when India was still under colonial rule.
Politics, for him, was never about ambition - it was a means to organise, mobilise, and agitate against the injustices faced by the oppressed masses.
By early 1950s, his activism had already drawn the attention of the authorities.
In 1948, he was arrested and jailed for seven years in connection with the Nellai conspiracy case, during which he suffered brutal torture.
In one particularly cruel incident, a policeman burnt his moustache with a cigarette. Nallakannu would never grow a moustache after that.
He fought tirelessly in particular for farmers and agricultural labourers. He remained on the field with the people, leading various struggles and attending public meetings, until old age confined him to his home as he turned 100.
He opposed exploitative landlords, campaigned against illegal sand mining in Tamil Nadu’s riverbeds, and took up every issue that affected the ordinary citizen.
He has been a staunch advocate for the environment, raising his voice against projects like the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant.
Yet, perhaps what defines Nallakannu most is his personal integrity. Even as he rose through the ranks of the CPI, serving 13 years as state secretary, he led a modest life and remained accessible to all.
Stories of his selflessness are countless. On his 80th birthday, party cadres presented him with a car and Rs 1 crore in financial aid—he returned both on stage, insisting that the gift belonged to the people, not him.
When the state government honoured him with the ‘Thagaisaal Tamizhar’ award in 2022, along with Rs 15 lakh, he returned the amount and added Rs 5,000 of his own to the Chief Minister’s relief fund.
Under his leadership, the CPI became a strong force in Tamil Nadu politics, advocating workers’ rights, agrarian reforms, and social welfare. For 25 years, he led farmers’ unions, building grassroots networks, and forging alliances with like-minded parties to advance progressive causes.
His contributions have been recognised through awards like the Ambedkar Award in 2008 and the ‘Thagaisaal Tamizhar’ Award in 2023.