Following a major setback in health, the ailing CPI leader, D.Pandian (Tha.Pandian) who was admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, passed away on Friday morning.

He was kept under life support for the past two days and was reported critical.

The 88- year-old veteran CPI leader was admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital for fluctuations in blood pressure and urinary infection issues.

D. Pandian had served as Member of Parliament from Tamilnadu and was State Secretary of the Communist Party of India for nearly six years till 2015. He is also the editor of Jana Sakthi, a Tamil daily run by CPI. He was also considered as a critic of the Sri Lankan government's approach to the issue of Sri Lankan Tamils during the Eelam war.