Former Puducherry Member of Parliament, Speaker and Minister P. Kannan, who died at a private hospital on Sunday night, was cremated with State honours on Monday evening. He was 74 and is survived by his wife, daughter, and son.
He was admitted with low blood pressure and respiratory illness on November 1 at East Coast Hospital, said a press release. Mr. Kannan died at 9. 51 p.m. on Sunday, following severe viral pneumonia.
He had been suffering from chronic lung disease for more than half a decade, the hospital said.
Mr. Kannan started his political career in the Indian Youth Congress.
He held key positions in the Youth Congress and the Puducherry Pradesh Congress Committee and went on to become Home Minister of U.T.
He was also the Speaker of the Puducherry Legislative Assembly for a brief period. He quit Congress over differences with the local leadership of the party and joined the Tamil Maanila Congress, floated by the late G. K. Moopanar in 1996.
After a few years, he merged the TMC faction of Puducherry with Congress, but broke away from his parent party again in 2001 and floated the Puducherry Makkal Congress.
A year later, he again merged the party with Congress, only to part company with the Grand Old Party again in 2005. He again floated a regional political outfit by the name of the Puducherry Munnetra Congress.
During the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, he merged the party with Congress and, in return, was nominated to the Rajya Sabha. He later broke ranks with Congress and joined the AIADMK.
Mr. Kannan had unsuccessfully contested the Assembly polls on the two leaves symbol in the 2016 Assembly elections.
He quit the Dravidian party during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and floated another regional party, Makkal Munnetra Congress. Ahead of the 2021 Assembly polls, he joined the BJP.
A few months ago, he announced his decision to quit the BJP as a mark of protest against the violence in Manipur.
His last public appearance was during a protest launched by the Secular Democratic Progressive Alliance against the move to demolish the Goubert Market. He addressed a gathering along with Congress, DMK, and Left-wing parties in support of the traders in Goubert Market.
Leaders pay respects
His body was brought to his house on Vysial Street late Sunday night. Lt Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, Speaker R. Selvam, Minister for Public Works K. Lakshminarayanan, Minister for Agriculture C. Djeacoumar, former Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy, Member of Parliament and PCC chief V. Vaithilingam, Opposition leader R. Siva, and other leaders visited his house on Monday to pay respects.
His body was cremated at the Karuvadikuppam crematorium with full State honours on Monday evening.
The government has declared three days State mourning as a mark of respect for the departed leader.
