DMK strongman N Periyasami passes away at 78 in Chennai

Chennai: DMK district secretary for Thoothukudi (South) N. Periyasami passed away at a private hospital in the city on Friday due to prolonged illness and the death of the 78-year-old leader who was at the party helm for more than three decades is expected to alter the political equations in the southern part of the state, especially Thoothukudi district.

Described as ‘my murattu bakthan’ by party president M. Karunanidhi, who was imprisoned under MISA and later rose to the rank of Tuticorin district in 1985. He took over the southern district at a time when the party had faced a rout in the 1984 elections and suffered defeats in three consecutive Assembly elections at the hands of AIADMK under the charismatic leadership of MGR.

He had served as municipal chairman for the pearl city and won the Thoothukudi Assembly seat in 1989. He was considered very close to MDMK leader Vaiko, but stayed with the parent body when Vaiko walked away from the DMK in 1993.

When Vaiko was considered a powerful leader in the erstwhile Tirunelveli district comprising Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi and Virudhunagar, Periyasami remained loyal to Karunanidhi. The MDMK leader who contested in Vilathikulam Assembly constituency in Thoothukudi district lost narrowly to the DMK nominee in the 1996 Assembly elections while Periyasami won from Tuticorin for the second time. Despite Vaiko’s popularity in the region, he was unable to gain a foothold in the district strongly guarded by Periyasami.

Keeping the leadership with him, Periyasami obtained the ticket for his daughter Geetha Jeevan, who won the Assembly elections in 2006 and was made a minister in the DMK government. She was successful in the 2016 Assembly elections too.

Now, the DMK working president MK Stalin, with his younger set of leaders has a hard task of keeping the party vibrant and strong, since it would face a challenge from MDMK which has a base and the BJP which is taking root. The DMK had obtained 4.19,511 votes in the district surpassing the ruling AIADMK which got 3,95,772 votes in the 2016 Assembly polls. The PWA remained relevant with 88,000 votes, the BJP had secured 32,493 votes and Naam Thamizhar had begun its account with 15,515 votes.

Stalin, who paid homage to the departed leader said Periyasami’s death is a huge loss not only for Tuticorin district but for the party as a whole. The DMK had announced three days of mourning for Periyasami. Vaiko who paid homage to Periyasami recalled his association with the latter for the last three decades.