Veteran Congress leader and former Union Minister E M Sudarsana Natchiappan died at his residence here on Thursday following a brief illness, the party said. He was 79.
Expressing grief over his demise, former Union Minister P Chidambaram said he had known Natchiappan since his days in the Youth Congress.
On behalf of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee, I convey our deepest condolences and sympathies to the grieving family and Congress colleagues who have lost him,” Tagore said in a post on X. “Many praised his several facets as a vibrant youth, then a union president who served responsibly, a Member of Parliament who did not lose his party loyalty, and an outspoken Leader of the Opposition. “The sudden demise of Sudarsana Natchiappan is an irreplaceable loss to the Congress movement.
Natchiappan became Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry in 2013 and advocated reservation rights for backward and oppressed communities, he said.
I express my deepest condolences and sympathies to all the party comrades, his son and family, relatives and friends who are grieving his demise,” Chidambaram said in a post on X. Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president B Manickam Tagore said Natchiappan had served as the spokesperson of the state unit. He joined the Youth Congress under the leadership of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and worked with great dedication for the Congress party, Tagore said. Condoling his death, Tamil Nadu Energy Resources and Law Minister R Nirmal Kumar said Natchiappan’s passing was “deeply distressing”.
