CHENNAI: The CPI(M) Central Committee member and former State secretary N Va-radarajan died at the age of 87 owing to multiple organ failure, here on Tuesday. The leader was reportedly rushed to a private hospital in T Nagar after he complained of an uneasiness following which he died at around 11.30 am.His body was then brought to the party office in T Nagar where it was laid for the cadres to pay their last respects to the departed soul. The three time MLA led protests to demolish a ‘discrimination’ wall at Uth-apuram, a hamlet near Madurai, besides the ‘untouchability’ wall in Periyar Nagar, in Coimbtore.He exerted pressure on the then ruling party DMK to demolish the wall in Uth-apuram and eventually succeeded as a portion of the wall was finally demolished on May 6, 2008. Even as a youth, Varadarajan began his public life by forming a trade union in a private mill, which sacked him.Fondly known as ‘NV’ am-ong comrades, Varadarajan was among the 32 council members who walked out of the National Council meeting of the CPI, on April 11, 1964, instrumental in the emergence of CPI(M) from CPI. He had spearheaded various people welfare protests and had subsequently spent three years in prison altogether.He was first elected to the State Assembly in 1967 from Vedasanthur and returned from Dindigul constituency in 1977 and 1980. During his tenure, Varadarajan had act-ed as the party whip as well. “Varadarajan was instrumental in the formation of the Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front (TNUEF) and to win three percent internal reservation for Arundathiyars,” party State secretary G Ramakrishnan, noted in a release.The leader’s body was shifted to his hometown in Dindigul where the funeral cortege is scheduled to leave the party office after the local cadres and family members pay their last respects. The party flags will be flown at half-mast for the next three days to mourn the departed.
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