TJ Chandrachoodan passes away

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Former RSP general secretary TJ Chandrachoodan died in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday after a protracted illness. He was 82. Chandrachoodan had not been active for quite some time owing to ill health. His cremation would be held on Wednesday.
Born in Thiruvananthapuram in 1940, Chandrachoodan passed BA and MA exams with the first rank. He ventured into politics through RSP's student movement. For some time, he assisted K Balakrishnan in Kaumudi weekly. Chandrachoodan, who joined Sasthamcottta Devaswom Board College as a lecturer in 1969, resigned in 1987 to become a full-time politician. He became the RSP state secretariat member in 1975 and was elected the party state secretary in 1999.
However, success eluded him when it came to parliamentary politics. He unsuccessfully contested the assembly elections in 1982 and 1987, from Thiruvananthapuram west and in 2006 from Aryanad. Though CPM was ready to nominate him to Rajya Sabha, he lost the chance to the internal quibbles in RSP. He was elected as RSP national general secretary in 2008 and held the position till 2018.
Cutting across party lines, political leaders condoled Chandrachoodan's death on Monday. Chief minister Piniarayi Vijayan, in his condolence message, remembered Chandradrachoodan as an industrious leader who made immense contributions towards the trade union movement.
Several leaders recalled the former RSP general secretary as a rare leader who never used to mince his words when it came to reactions to political developments. RSP leader and MP NK Premachandran said Chandrachoodan exhibited exemplary skill in analyzing logically and factually. "He led the party courageously during the crisis. He was a pioneer in formulating political stands," Premachandran said in his condolence message.
CPM state secretary observed that Chandrachoodan's political work and the head of RSP state and central leadership were commendable. Speaker AN Shamseer said Chandrachoodan had given invaluable contributions to the Left politics, especially the trade union sector. Apart from being the RSP general secretary, Chandrachoodan was an impressive presence in the world of letters as well as the cultural sphere.