Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister and DMK stalwart P T R Palanivel Rajan died of cardiac arrest on Saturday.
MADURAI: Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister and DMK stalwart P T R Palanivel Rajan died of cardiac arrest early on Saturday.
The 74-year-old former Speaker of the State Assembly, hailing from a family with close association with the Dravidian movement right from its early period, was arriving here in train along with other ministers for a grand reception and felicitation.
The end came near Dindigul enroute and he was rushed to a private hospital where he was declared dead.
The body of the deceased leader is being brought to the city by road, police and party sources said. Elected from the Madurai Central constituency in the just concluded Assembly poll, the gentleman-politician was inducted into the Karunanidhi Ministry as HR&CE Minister.
His father, P T Rajan, a close associate of rationalist leader E V Ramasamy Naicker, was a leading light of the Self Respect Movement and a stalwart of the Justice Party.
Karunanidhi expressed shock: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M Karunanidhi expressed shock over the sudden demise of his cabinet colleague P T R Palanivelrajan.
Extending condolences to the family members of the state Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister, Karunanidhi said he was deeply shocked when he heard about the death early this morning.
The Chief Minister in a statement here said he had several pleasant memories of Palanivelrajan, popularly known as PTR. "Whenever I thought about him I could only remember PTR's modesty, decency and nobleness."
Flags will fly at half mast in all DMK establishments and no party functions would be held for the next three days in view of the death Tamil Nadu HR and CE Minister P T R Palanivel Rajan at Dindigul early this morning.
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