CHENNAI: Former Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) President Kumari Ananthan passed away at the age of 93 after a brief illness.
Kumari Ananthan fell ill recently, which led Tamilisai to cut short Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s programme in Rameswaram when he came to inaugurate the newly constructed Pamban Bridge. Kumari Ananthan’s body is kept at Tamilisai’s residence in Saligramam for people to pay their respects.
Kumari Ananthan’s entire family was involved in politics. He was the father of former Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan . His nephew Vijay Vasanth is the incumbent MP of the Kanyakumari constituency. His younger brother Vasanthakumar was also the MP of the Kanyakumari constituency.
Kumari Ananthan served as both MP and MLA. He was first elected as MP from the Nagercoil constituency in 1977 and as MLA from the Thiruvottiyur constituency in 1980.
A staunch Gandhian by principle, Kumari Ananthan served as the chairperson of the Tamil Nadu Palm Tree Workers Welfare Board during the reign of former CM M Karunanidhi.
Condoling his death, BJP state President K Annamalai said, “Death of Kumari Ananthan, a staunch nationalist, is a loss for Tamil Nadu and the literary world.”