CPI(M) leader Dakshinamoorthy passes away

Kozhikode, Sep 1: Veteran CPI(M) State Secretariat member and three-time MLA V V Dakshinamoorthy passed away at a hospital here on August 31.

82-year-old Dakshinamoorthy, former chief editor of party mouthpiece 'Deshabhimani', was admitted to the District Co-operative hospital on August 21 for treatment of lung cancer and his end came around 3.30 pm, CPI-M and family sources said.

He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter. He had represented Perambara in the state assembly thrice -- in 1965, 1967 and in 1980 -- and had also functioned as the chief whip of CPI(M).

Dakshinamoorthy was Deshabhimani's Kozhikode unit manager for 19 years and had functioned as the Managing Director of Deshabimani Printing and Publishing company.

Condoling his death, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said his demise was an irreparable loss not only to the entire Kerala society, but also to the Communist movement as a whole.

A multi-faceted personality, Dakshinamoorthy left his mark as a legislator, leader of Teachers Union, Editor, orator and trade union leader. Besides all this he was a hardcore communist leader, Vijayan said. He had played a crucial role in transforming Deshabhimani into a widely accepted daily, he said.

PTI