NAGERCOIL: Veteran CPM leader and three-time MLA from Vilavancode Assembly Constituency D Mony died of age-related ailments at a private hospital at Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday. He was 88. Known as ‘DM’ in party circles, Mony hailed from Marthandam in Kanyakumari district and joined the Communist party at a young age, CPM State Secretariat Committee Member Nooru Mohamed recalled. During the British Raj, Mony led several agitations against the Travancore State and was punished for revolting against the Travancore Divan Sir C P Ramasamy Iyer. He was also at the forefront of the struggle for Kanyakumari district to become a part of Tamil Nadu and spent many years in prison.
Mony’s brother G S Mony was also a popular CPM leader in the district. Both were district executive committee members. G S Mony was elected MLA from Vilavancode in 1977.
Mony’s body was taken to the Thiruvananthapuram district party office, where CPM leaders in Kerala, including former Kerala chief minister V S Achuthanandan, paid homage to the veteran leader. His body was then taken to his home in Marthandam for members of the public to pay their respects. He will be laid to rest at his family graveyard at Marthandam on Wednesday, party sources said.