Former city Mayor V. Balasundaram, who contributed to the empowerment of Dalits, died on Friday after a brief illness. He was 77. He is survived by his wife Bhavani.
Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam and DMK leader M.K. Stalin condoled the death of Balasundaram.
In a message, the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister expressed condolences over the death of Mr. Balasundaram, who founded Ambedkar Makkal Iyakkam.
Balasundaram was Mayor of Chennai in 1969-70. He was elected Member of Legislative Assembly from Acharapakkam constituency in 1971.
DMK leaders, led by M.K. Stalin, paid homage at his home in T.Nagar.
Mr. Stalin, in a message, said: “Balasundaram contributed to the empowerment of Dalits. He was a loyalist of former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi. He was a patron of the Dalits, voicing the importance of social justice for the weaker sections in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and the Chennai Corporation. Balasundaram also played a key role in installation of Ambedkar statues across the State.”
