B.S. Gnanadesikan, senior vice president of the Tamil Maanila Congress and two-time Member of Parliament died on Friday, due to ill health. He was 71.
Gnanadesikan had contracted COVID-19 in November last year, and had been admitted to Apollo Hospital for treatment. A bulletin from the hospital is awaited.
A native of Vathalakundu, Gnanadesikan had his schooling in Nagercoil, where his father B.S. Sivagurunathan was a district magistrate. His paternal uncle B.S. Somasundaram was a judge of the Madras High Court. After completing his law degree from the Madras Law College, he worked as a junior to N.C. Raghavachari, the advocate of late Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran. Former Minister Thalavaisundaram is his junior.
Gnanadesikan was actively involved in politics during his college days. “He was the student union secretary of the Loyola College and successfully led an agitation to highlight various issues,” recalled Justice K. Chandru, a college-mate of his.
A close associate of late G.K. Moopanar, Gnanadesikan was appointed the spokesperson of the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC). The association was so strong between them that he quit the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) when Moopanar floated the Tamil Maanila Congress in 1996. In fact, Gnanadesikan quit the post of TNCC president when Mr. Vasan revived the TMC again and joined hands with him. Though a number of leaders who joined the TMC then returned to the Congress, Gnanadesikan remained steadfast with the TMC.
Gnanadesikan was nominated twice to the Rajya Sabha, once from the TMC and the second time from the Congress after the TMC leaders returned to the Congress fold.
Rejecting the criticism that he achieved heights in politics because of his father, Mr Stalin said he had had a gradual rise through hard work.
“It is a very personal loss for me and the party. We share a very long association. He was the senior-most leader in our party and was the guiding force,” G.K. Vasan, president, TMC said.
Mr. Vasan said Gnanadesikan had recovered from COVID-19 but suffered from heart problems.
TNCC president K.S. Alagiri also condoled Gnanadesikan’s death and said he was shocked and saddened to hear about his passing.