Congressional cadres pay tribute to former Tamil Nadu Congress Chief Kumari Ananthan, who died in Chennai in the early hours of Wednesday | Photo source: M. Govarthan
Party leaders cut the demise of former Tamil Nadu Congress president Kumari Ananthan across party boundaries on Wednesday (April 9, 2025).
In the condolence message on X, Secretary General of AIADMK and the leader of opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami said he was deeply distressed by the news about Ananthan, who is also a well-known literary figure. He expressed his condolences to Ananthan’s daughter and BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan and other family members.
Tamil Nadu Parliamentary Committee (TNCC) Chairman K. Selvaperunthagai expressed grief over the death of the senior MP and said: “The pillars of a political party have been lost. I am rushing back to Chennai from Ahmedabad to attend the ceremony at night,” he said. Ananthan took out Padayatra 17 times, seeking various needs and covering a distance of 5,548 kilometers. Mr Selvaperunthagai recalled that he worked for the development of the Congress party.
BJP leader and trade union minister L. Murugan also expressed condolences to Ananthan’s family. In an article on X, he said that Ananthan was a literary figure and a dedicated MP who worked closely with K. Kamaraj (formerly former Chief Minister of Madras).
BJP State President K. Annamalai recalled in a post on X that Ananthan went to Padayatras several times and asked to connect Rivers and the temples of Bharat Mata. He said the demise of Anantan was a huge loss to the Tamil Nadu and the Tamil literary world.
In a statement, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) Secretary General Vaiko described Ananthan’s demise as “irrevocable loss”. Ananthan provides himself with a separate position on the political arena in Tamil Nadu. Mr Vaiko recalls that he was a multifaceted personality and was a recognized Tamil orator, thinker and writer.
He added: “Ananthan’s work as a member of parliament will always remain in history. Ensuring a voice in the Tamil language of parliament and winning the application for bills and the struggle of others in the postal department are some of his major achievements.” Mr Vaiko pointed out that Ananthan also fought for the imposition of a complete ban.
“Best Congress Director”
PMK founder S. Ramadoss said in a statement that Ananthan is one of the best chief leaders of the Tamil Nadu Congress. “Ananthan fought for flight announcements published in Tamil and developed a special relationship with me and PMK,” he said. PMK President Anbumani Ramadoss said in another statement that a complete ban was one of Ananthan’s main goals. “His demise was a major loss to the forbidden movement,” he said.
Tamil Maanila Congress President GK Vasan recalls Ananthan brought many plans and its constituencies to the state and his constituencies during his tenure as a member of Congress and MLA. Mr. Vasan also praised Ananthan’s contribution to the Tamil language through his literary works and said his death had caused great losses to Tamil Nadu.
Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) Secretary General TTV Dhinakaran praised Ananthan’s contribution to the Tamils ​​and the development of the people of the country in his condolences.
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Vijay recalls Ananthan had fought for the ban.
publishing – April 9, 2025 at 12:53 pm IST
