Kumari Ananthan’s long journey: Congress stalwart who brought Tamil to Parliament, undertook 17 padayatras

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK supremo M K Stalin paid glowing tributes to Ananthan, recalling how the latter established “the right to speak in Tamil in Parliament”. He noted that it was a feat the DMK’s icon late M Karunanidhi had also lauded.

A former Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) chief, Ananthan was not just a legislator but also considered a symbol of a political ethos marked with idealism and austerity. His passing away prompted a wave of tributes from across the political spectrum.

Ananthan, who was undergoing treatment for age-related ailments, breathed his last at a private hospital in Chennai. His mortal remains were kept at the residence of his daughter, BJP leader and former Telangana Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan, in Saligramam, for people to pay their final respects.

“He was the first person to speak in Tamil in Parliament. He led a balanced life. Go with joy, father. Whatever you thought you wanted to do for people, we will do it. That is our assurance,” Soundararajan said in a post on X.

Born on March 19, 1933, in Agasteeswaram of Kanyakumari district to freedom fighter parents, Ananthan entered politics in the shadow of ex-CM of the erstwhile Madras Presidency, K Kamaraj. Inspired by Kamaraj, he became one of the Congress’s most committed faces in Tamil Nadu.

After the Emergency, Ananthan was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1977 from Nagercoil as a Congress (Organisation) candidate, a splinter of the Congress that split from the parent party in 1969, and joined other Opposition parties to form the Janata Party in 1977. He would later return to the Congress fold, heading its Tamil Nadu unit and repeatedly taking up the party’s cause in a Dravidian-dominated political landscape.

He was elected to the Tamil Nadu Assembly four times – from Thiruvottiyur (1980), Radhapuram (1984), and Sathankulam (1989, 1991). He led many statewide padayatras, covering thousands of kilometres on foot to raise farmers’ issues and demand prohibition and river-linking projects. According to the TNCC, he had undertaken 17 padayatras, walking over 5,500 kilometers for various causes.

“He surrendered himself to the Congress. His demise is a big loss to the Tamil community,” Stalin said after paying floral tributes in person at Ananthan’s residence. He was accompanied by Minister Ma Subramanian and MP Vijay Vasanth.

Ananthan belonged to a political family. His younger brother, late H Vasanthakumar, was a Congress MP from Kanyakumari, who succumbed to Covid-19 in 2020. Ananthan’s nephew Vijay Vasanth now represents the constituency.

Ananthan’s contribution to public life extended to his role as a thinker and writer too for which he was conferred the Thagaisal Tamizhar (Eminent Tamilian) Award by the Tamil Nadu government last year.

Despite their ideological differences, Soundararajan carried forward her father’s commitment to public service through the BJP, serving as the Governor of Telangana and Puducherry. “My father made me proudly state that ‘I did not speak Tamil because I learned Tamil. I speak Tamil because I was born in Tamil’,” she wrote.

Ananthan’s passing was mourned across party lines, with leaders acknowledging not just his political stature but also his moral integrity.

Describing Ananthan as a “true champion of Tamil language and culture”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “He will be remembered for his noteworthy service to society and passion towards Tamil Nadu’s progress.”

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, hailed Ananthan as “a proud disciple of Kamaraj,” crediting him with making it possible for Tamil to be spoken in Parliament. “A dedicated public servant, he represented the people as both MP and MLA,” he said.

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami called Ananthan “a prominent literary figure”, acknowledging his impact on Tamil Nadu politics.

State BJP chief K Annamalai recalled Ananthan’s tireless padayatras and his demand for a Bharat Mata temple. “His demise is a great loss for Tamil Nadu and the Tamil literary world,” he said.

Union Minister L Murugan called Ananthan “a literary luminary and dedicated Congressman who worked closely with Kamaraj.”

VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan, NTK coordinator Seeman, former CM O Panneerselvam, DMDK’s Premalatha Vijayakant, and TVK’s Bussy N Anand also paid their tributes to the departed leader.

CPI(M) state secretary P Shanmugam said Ananthan was a “skillful orator and nationalist,” close to secular forces. Dravidar Kazhagam president K Veeramani, MDMK’s Vaiko, and PMK founder S Ramadoss hailed his lifelong battle for prohibition and his advocacy for Tamil in official communication.

“Ananthan’s work as a MP will always remain in history. Securing the right to speak Tamil in Parliament and pushing for postal forms in Tamil were landmark contributions,” Vaiko said.

Former Puducherry CM V Narayanasamy remembered Ananthan as a “freedom fighter” who walked in Kamaraj’s footsteps and once joined an agitation to restore the Kuyil Thoppu, where Bharati penned his poems.

Puducherry CM N Rangasamy called him a “true patriot”.

Ananthan is survived by four daughters and a son. Many in Tamil Nadu remember him not just as a politician, but as Ayya – the wise elder who never stopped walking for activism.