DMK Leader N. Periasamy Passes Away

May 27, 2017 11:20
DMK Leader N. Periasamy Passes Away

DMK Leader N. Periasamy Passes Away:- Senior Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) District Secretary Tuticorin (South) and former MLA, N. Periasamy (78) passed away at a private hospital in Chennai yesterday due to prolonged illness.

The death of Periyasami who was at the party helm for more than three decades, is expected to change the political equations in the southern part of the state, especially Thoothukudi district.

He is the father of former DMK Minister and Tuticorin MLA Ms Geetha Jeevan and party functionary N P Jegan. Party working president M.K. Stalin along with leaders including Rajya Sabha MP, R S Barathy placed a wreath on the body of Periasamy.

DMK Leader Periasamy Death

Party president M. Karunanidhi, described the former MLA as “my murattu bakthan”. Periasamy was imprisoned under Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) and later rose to the rank of Tuticorin district in 1985. He took over the southern district at a time when the party had faced a rout in the 1984 elections and suffered defeats in three consecutive Assembly elections at the hands of AIADMK under the charismatic leadership of MGR.

Periasamy had served as municipal chairman for the pearl city and won the Thoothukudi Assembly seat in 1989. He was considered very close to MDMK leader Vaiko, but stayed with the parent body when Vaiko walked away from the DMK in 1993.

Periyasami remained loyal to Karunanidhi, when the MDMK leader, Vaiko was considered a powerful leader in the erstwhile Tirunelveli district comprising Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Virudhunagar. The MDMK leader who contested in Vilathikulam Assembly constituency in Thoothukudi district lost narrowly to the DMK nominee in the 1996 Assembly elections while Periyasami won from Tuticorin for the second time. Vaiko was unable to gain a strong foothold in the district, despite his popularity in the region, strongly guarded by Periyasami.

Keeping the leadership with him, Periyasami obtained the ticket for his daughter Geetha Jeevan, who won the Assembly elections in 2006 and was made a minister in the DMK government. In the 2016 Assembly elections too, Geeta turned out to be successful.

Stalin, who paid homage to the departed leader said Periyasami’s death is a huge loss not only for Tuticorin district but for the party as a whole. A three day mourning has been announced by the DMK for Periyasami. Vaiko who paid homage to Periyasami recalled his association with the latter for the last three decades.

SUPRAJA

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