Former State BJP president and ex-MLA K.N. Lakshmanan died on Monday night at his residence in Salem following illness.
Lakshmanan, 90 , was recently admitted to a hospital and discharged a few days ago, according to family members.
Born on October 20, 1930, Lakshmanan joined the RSS in 1944 and started the Jana Sangh unit in Salem in 1957 along with the support of nine others. He joined the BJP when the party was founded and was appointed State president between 1984 and 1989, and between 1996 and 2000. From 2006, he was a member of the BJP’s national council.
In 2001, Lakshmanan, a BJP candidate, won from the Mylapore Assembly constituency, when the DMK was a constituent of the NDA.
In January, he attempted to take out a rally of BJP cadres in Salem “in honour of Lord Ram” against the backdrop of a controversy generated over a 1971 procession in Salem in which he alleged the deity was “insulted”. The police, however, did not allow the BJP cadres to continue the rally.