Chennai: P Vallal Peruman, a three-time Congress Lok Sabha MP and a staunch supporter of former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram, died at a private hospital here on Tuesday. He was 67 and is survived by his wife and son.
Vallal Peruman had represented Chidambaram constituency in Lok Sabha in 1984, 1989 and 1991 after being elected on a Congress ticket, while he was also MLA from Kattumannarkoil in 2001 representing the Congress Jananayaga Peravai, a splinter group of the parent party launched by Chidambaram.
Vallal Peruman was admitted to the hospital a few weeks ago due to heart related ailments and breathed his last early on Tuesday. His body was taken to his native in Cuddalore district. A doctor by profession, Vallal Peruman took a plunge in politics in his early age and was a loyal Congressman till his end.
A staunch loyalist of Congress veteran G K Moopanar, Vallal Peruman quit the Congress when the former launched Tamil Maanila Congress in 1996 after the then Congress chief P V Narasimha Rao aligned with the AIADMK headed by J Jayalalithaa.
When Chidambaram quit the TMC in 2001 following differences with Moopanar, Vallal Peruman followed the suit and contested the Kattumannarkoil constituency in alliance with the DMK. He unsuccessfully contested the 2014 Lok Sabha constituency on a Congress ticket.
Vallal Peruman, a prominent leader from Dalit community, was known for his commitment towards uplifting of oppressed classes and is credited for his role in expansion of NLC India Limited, formerly Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC).
Condoling his death, Chidambaram's son Karti said he was saddened by Vallal Peruman's death and recalled his contributions in spreading Congress' ideals in north Tamil Nadu.
