Former Rajya Sabha MP M. Sankaralingam (92) died at the residence of his son in Nagercoil on Friday.
He had been ailing for quite some time. The last rites will be held on Sunday, family sources said.
A staunch follower of former Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai and DMK president M. Karunanidhi, he was elected to the Member of Legislative Council consecutively for four terms from Teachers’ Constituency between 1964 and 1984.
He held the post of Opposition leader in the Legislative Council between 1978 and 1984.
He served as Rajya Sabha MP between 1998 and 2004. Sankaralingam had played a vital role in merger of Kanyakumari with Tamil Nadu.
Began his career as a teacher, he worked as a lecturer in Hindu College in Nagercoil and also held the post of Principal in the Pioneer Kumarasamy College.
He took efforts to establish the Arignar Anna College in Aralvoimozhi.