CPI(M) Central committee member K Vardarajan no more

Senior CPI(M) leader and Central

Committee Member K Varadarajan died at Karur in Tamil Nadu on Saturday, the party's state unit said.

The 73-year-old leader was suffering from age related ailments and breathed his last on Saturday afternoon, CPI (M) state unit Secretary K Balakrishnan said in a statement here.

Varadarajan is survived by a son and a daughter. His wife had pre-deceased him six years ago.

Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condoled the death of Vardarajan.

"Thepassing away of Vardarajan, a former Politburo member of the CPI(M), is a big loss to Leftorganisations farmers' movements," he said in a statement in Thiruvananthapuram.

 

Vardarajan, who was general secretary of the Kisan Sabha for a long time, had led farmers agitations in Tiruchirapalli district in Tamil Naduand came to the forefront in the marxist party, he said.

Recalling his contributions to the party, Balakrishnan traced Varadarajan's rise in the ranks, including as the head of the state unit's farmers' wing earlier and described him as a simple and affable person.

As a mark of respect to the departed leader, all events were being cancelled for three days, even as the party flag will fly half mast across the state for three days, he said.