Cong leader S Balakrishnan passes away

Chennai, Jun 24 (UNI) Former TNCC president and veteran Congress leader S Balakrishnan died this morning after a prolonged illness.

Mr Balakrishnan, who met with a road accident in September 2004 and sustained serious injuries in his spinal cord, died at 0400 hrs at Paramakudi, his home town after being discharged from a private hospital in Madurai last evening.

He was 70. He is survived by his wife, four sons and a daughter.

The cremation will take place tomorrow at Paramakudi in Ramanathapuram district, family sources said.

Battling for life for the past two years, Mr Balakrishnan, popularly known as ''So Ba'', recovered briefly last year, to fell ill again. His condition deteriorated in the last two months and became worse last evening, when he was taken home.

Joining the Congress movement at an early age, Mr Balakrishnan had worked as the true disciple of late stalwart K Kamaraj and had served the party in various capacities.

He was first elected to the state assembly from Mudukalathur in 1977 and relected from the constituency in 1991 and 1996. He was elected from Kadaladi, also in Ramanathapuram district for the fourth term in the 2001 assembly elections.

While he was the senior leader of the now defunct Tamil Maanila Congress, he had served as leader of the oppositon when the DMK was in power during 1996-2001.

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