CPI Kerala State Secretary Kanam Rajendran Dies At 73

Veteran Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Kanam Rajendran passed away at the age of 73. Rajendran, state secretary of CPI, was a big face in Kerala for the Left Democratic Front (LDF) led by CPIM. According to the reports, Rajendran was hospitalized for the last three months due to ill health and had a sudden cardiac arrest Friday late night.

Kanam Rajendran was appointed as the CPI state secretary at the party's 22nd state conference in Kottayam in March 2015. He was a ray of hope for the left wing after turmoil following the loss of esteemed leaders Veliyam Bhargavan and C K Chandrappan.

Kanam Rajendran's counterpart K.E. Ismail called the demise a big loss to Indian politics. "Our differences were over principles and stances but that never really affected our cordial relations," said Ismail on the CPI leader's death.

"We worked together for 60 years in many capacities including as legislators and in the party national council and executive. I was a stickler for the party's core values," he added.

In 2019, when the differences between the Students Federation of India (SFI) and the All-India Students Federation (AISF) took a violent turn in the State, CPI State Secretary Kanam Rajendran played a big role in controlling the situation and brought both the student fronts together.

"This is the time for you to stand united and fight more serious battles," Kanam Rajendran had students' unions.