R. Nallakannu, a life committed to communism and social justice
R. Nallakannu, freedom fighter and towering figure of the Communist movement, passed away in Chennai on Wednesday, February 25, 2026. He was 101 years old. He had been unwell for some time and was receiving treatment at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, where he breathed his last.
Affectionately known as RNK in party circles, he chose to remain with the CPI when the Communist movement in India split in 1964 following the India-China war. He served as the Tamil Nadu State Secretary of the CPI for three tenures since 1992.
A dedicated field worker and organization man, Nallakannu led a tireless campaign against the sand mafia, which illegally mined sand from the Thamirabarani river basin. In 2010, he filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition and personally argued the case in the Madras High Court and obtained a stay against sand mining.
Soft-spoken and gentle, the RNK embodied the values of sacrifice, idealism, and unwavering commitment to the Communist movement and social justice. He shared with leaders like Jeeva and K. Balathandayutham his love for the poems of the national poet Subramania Bharati and the hymns of the Azhwars, especially Andal and Nammazhwar, and appreciated their poetic beauty.
police torture
RNK was sentenced to life imprisonment along with K. Balathandayutham, P. Manikkam, I. Mayandibharathi and many others in the Nellai Conspiracy Case. He also spent many years underground when the Communist Party was banned, first by the British and later by the Congress government led by Jawaharlal Nehru. He was subjected to severe police brutality; He was later unable to grow a mustache because a police officer burned his upper lip with a cigarette butt.
Recalling the torture he faced in an interview, he said, “I was hiding in a friend’s house when the police arrested me. After taking some bombs, they tied my hands and beat me. But I refused to reveal the names of the communist leaders.”
Born in 1925 at Srivaikundam in Thoothukudi district, RNK joined the freedom movement as a student in a region that was the nerve center of the independence struggle, nurtured by VO Chidambaram, who ran the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company (SSNC).
“Political leaders would travel to Thoothukudi via my hometown Srivaikundam. I would also hold meetings with local leaders. You should have heard Pappankulam Chockalingam talking about the Jallianwala Bagh massacre; the entire crowd would cry uncontrollably. Although I was active, I was not allowed to participate in individual Satyagraha or Quit India movements due to my age,” he recalled in a 2019 interview. Hindu.
After completing his education from Coronation School in Srivaikundam, he joined MDT Hindu College in Tirunelveli. “I contacted writer TMC Raghunathan there and collected ₹400 for the Bharathi Memorial in Ettayapuram,” he told Tamil writer Mana in an interview.
Dhoti, towel and Communist party
RNK joined the Communist Party at the age of 18 and worked closely with P. Srinivasa Rao, who led the agrarian movement in Tamil Nadu. Harvey Mills, his encounter with the trade union movement in Thoothukudi and reading the works of Tamil academic and trade unionist Thiru.Vi. Kalyanasundaram prepared him to be fully committed to the Communist movement. “My father wanted me to get a job and lead a normal life. But I left home with just a dhoti and a towel and became a full-time employee of the Communist Party,” he said in the interview.
RNK fought against the exploitation of farm workers by Shaivaite and Vaishnavite Mutts. When he tried to enter streets that were off-limits to oppressed communities, he was subdued, tied to a pole, and beaten.
He was arrested in 1949 for the Nellai Conspiracy Case, which alleged that Communists were conspiring to overthrow Jawaharlal Nehru’s government. He was released in 1956. “In the morning, the cell doors were opened briefly to allow us to relieve ourselves. The rest of the day was spent in the cell with a pot to urinate in,” he recalled.
RNK was deeply disturbed by the emergence of RSS-BJP in the Indian political landscape and has always expressed concern about the undermining of public sector initiatives and unions.
He was also in favor of the unification of communist parties. He had once said: “CPI and CPI(M) should consider merging. This may not happen overnight as decades have passed since the Communist movement split. Only Communist parties can rally secular forces against the communal BJP and Hindutva forces and stop their march.” Hindu.
Commemoration ceremony for the vice president
The praise of Vice President CP Radhakrishnan, who won against RNK as a BJP candidate from Coimbatore constituency in the 1999 Lok Sabha elections, speaks volumes about the character of the Communist leader. Mr. Radhakrishnan wrote in a book on RNK: “I was truly saddened that an honorable leader like him could not win the election. A time of victory does not always have to be a time of celebration. It was a time when I felt that victory could also bring deep pain.” Aravazhvin Adayalampublished by Hindu Tamil Thisai.
He was married to Ranjitham, the daughter of local communist leader Annasamy, who was incidentally killed during the 1995 caste riots in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu. One of his daughters, Andal, is a doctor, while his other daughter, Kasi Bharathi, reflects the combination of the names Kaisina Vendan and Bharathi, the presiding deity of Puliamkulam.
It was published – 25 February 2026 14:54 IST
