The Hindu : New Delhi News : Leaders, friends remember Vasudevan Nair

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Thursday, Jul 21, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Leaders, friends remember Vasudevan Nair

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: : Remembering veteran freedom fighter and former Kerala Chief Minister P. K. Vasudevan Nair as "the tallest" Communist leader, senior Left leaders and members of other political parties on Wednesday paid rich tributes to the leader who passed away recently at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences here after a prolonged illness.

At a memorial meeting organised by the Delhi unit of the Communist Party of India, leaders said the death of Mr. Nair was a big loss to the Communist movement in the country. They pledged to carry forward the mission of the veteran CPI leader to work for the rights of workers and farmers.

"In the death of Mr. Nair, I have lost a friend, philosopher and guide. He was a pillar of strength for Left leaders and a source of inspiration for all political leaders. He was one of the founders of the Indian Communist movement and his contributions to the Indian social movement and political system would be always be remembered," said CPI general secretary A.B.Bardhan.

Stating that Mr. Nair, who was also the leader of CPI in the Lok Sabha, occupied a special place in Kerala where he single-handedly built several movements, CPI (M) general secretary Prakash Karat said his death had occurred at a time when the country was passing through a challenging phase and his contributions could have been very important in the present political scenario.

Stating that he was often referred to as "the Communist gentleman", other leaders said before Independence, he fought the feudal system in his State and was one of the key leaders of the Independence movement in the South. His valuable suggestions to the various Parliamentary committees would be missed, they added.

Among others who paid tributes to Mr. Nair included senior CPI leader Chaturanan Mishra; CPI (M-L) leader Swapan Mukherjee; Congress leader and Union Minister Oscar Fernandes; DMK leader and Union Minister A Raja; Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav; and All India Forward Bloc leader and MP, Debabrata Biswas. Members of the diplomatic community were also present.

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