Veteran Congress leader Sudarsana Natchiappan dies at 79

Veteran Congress leader and former Union Minister E M Sudarsana Natchiappan died at his residence here on Thursday following a brief illness, the party said. He was 79.

Natchiappan was elected Sivaganga union president in 1986 and served in the post until 1991.

He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Sivaganga in 1999 and served as a member of the House until 2004. He also served as Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry between 2013 and 2014.

Expressing grief over his demise, former Union Minister P Chidambaram said he had known Natchiappan since his days in the Youth Congress.

"Many praised his several facets as a vibrant youth, then a union president who served responsibly, a Member of Parliament who did not lose his party loyalty, and an outspoken Leader of the Opposition. I express my deepest condolences and sympathies to all the party comrades, his son and family, relatives and friends who are grieving his demise," Chidambaram said in a post on X.

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Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president B Manickam Tagore said Natchiappan had served as the spokesperson of the state unit.

He joined the Youth Congress under the leadership of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and worked with great dedication for the Congress party, Tagore said.

Natchiappan became Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry in 2013 and advocated reservation rights for backward and oppressed communities, he said.

"The sudden demise of Sudarsana Natchiappan is an irreplaceable loss to the Congress movement. On behalf of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee, I convey our deepest condolences and sympathies to the grieving family and Congress colleagues who have lost him," Tagore said in a post on X.

The last rites will be held at 3 pm on Friday in Ervadi in Sivaganga district.

Natchiappan remained with the Congress when late G K Moopanar launched the Tamil Maanila Congress in protest against the Congress high command's decision to align with the AIADMK.

He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Sivaganga in 1999, defeating senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, who was then with the TMC.

Natchiappan served as a Rajya Sabha member for two terms.

Condoling his death, Tamil Nadu Energy Resources and Law Minister R Nirmal Kumar said Natchiappan's passing was "deeply distressing".

"His long-standing contributions to politics and public life will forever be remembered. I extend my deepest condolences to his grieving family, friends, and the Congress party members. I pray to the Almighty that his soul attains eternal peace," Kumar said in a post on X.

The Congress had organised a condolence meeting at 12.30 pm on Thursday at Satyamurthy Bhavan, the party's state headquarters in Chennai, where senior leaders and cadres paid tributes to Natchiappan.

AICC general secretary and Tamil Nadu in-charge Ghulam Ahmed, former TNCC president K V Thangkabalu, party seniors including Peter Alphonse, AICC secretary Nivedith Alva and Sivaganga MP Karti Chidambaram, among others, paid floral tributes to his portrait at Satyamurthy Bhavan.

A Congressman since 1969, Natchiappan is survived by his wife, daughter, and two sons.