D. Pandian தா. பாண்டியன் | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Secretary,CPITamil Nadu State Committee | |
| In office 15 April 2005 – 30 February 2015 | |
| Preceded by | R. Nallakannu |
| Succeeded by | R. Mutharasan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | David Pandian (1932-05-18)18 May 1932 |
| Died | 26 February 2021(2021-02-26) (aged 88) |
| Cause of death | Sepsis |
| Political party |  Communist Party of India |
| Other political affiliations | CPM |
| Spouse | |
David Pandian (18 May 1932 – 26 February 2021) was an IndianTamilpolitician who served asMember of Parliament elected fromTamil Nadu. He was elected to theLok Sabha as anIndian National Congress–United Communist Party of India (UCPI) candidate fromNorth Chennai constituency in1989 and1991 elections.[1][2]He was theTamil Nadu State Secretary of theCommunist Party of India for three consecutive terms from 2005 to 2015,[3] when he was succeeded byR. Mutharasan.[4]
Pandian was born in Vellaimalaipatti, a village inUsilampattiTaluk, in modern dayMadurai district on 23 September 1932.[5][6] His father, David, and mother, Navamani, were teachers in aChristian missionary school aimed at children of thePiramalai Kallar community.[7] He studied at the Kallar Reclamation School and later at the Usilampatti Board High School.[7] He went on to complete to obtain apostgraduate degree in English fromAlagappa college inKaraikudi.[6] During this time, he also won the students' union elections as a member of the communist party's student wing. He held aMaster of Arts and aBachelor of Laws degree.[5]
After completing his education, he served as a lecturer teaching English at the Alagappa Chettiar college in Karaikudi.[6][8] He campaigned for the 1957 Tamil Nadu state assembly elections under a pseudonym. However, his name was published in some newspapers resulting in a demand for his resignation. However, the college's founder would encourage him further by presenting him with works ofKarl Marx andFriedrich Engels.[8]
Before becoming a full-time member of the Communist Party of India, he was the first general secretary of theTamil Nadu Kalai Ilakkiya Perumandram (Tamil Nadu Art and Literary Federation) launched by communist party leader,P. Jeevanandam. He left the CPI to join theUnited Communist Party of India (UCPI) led byMohit Sen and was elected toLok Sabha from North Chennai. He returned to CPI in 2000 and became its State secretary in 2005.[9] He was the president of Indian Railway Labour Union.[10][11]
On 21 May 1991, Pandian was seriously injured[12] while accompanying the then Indian Prime Minister,Rajiv Gandhi, when the latter wasassassinated in a suicide bomb attack. Pandian was scheduled to translate the prime minister's speech for the local audience.[13] Though opposed toLTTE, he was a critic of the Sri Lankan government's approach to the issue ofSri Lankan Tamils and called for peaceful political solutions.[14][15] Speaking later about the incident he would say that he still carried pieces of shrapnel in his body.[8] He was also amongst the first victims to call for the release of the convicts in theRajiv Gandhi assassination case, writing to the then Tamil Nadu Governor,Banwarilal Purohit, asking for their release on humanitarian grounds.[16]
Pandian supported the construction of theKudankulam Nuclear Power Plant.[17] But his later statements indicated a change in his thinking and he has mentioned that exempting Russians from their liability was unacceptable.[18][8] Some of the other causes advanced by Pandian during his career included speaking for social justice, eradication of superstitions, and promoting science education.[19] He had also served as a trade union leader with the Railway and Port unions.[19]
As an author, he had written over 30 books in Tamil and English, spanning topics across economics, social justice, philosophy, and history.[10][20] His most recent book,Medai Pechhu (transl. Public speaking) was a retrospective on his political career and a narrative on the political history of Tamil Nadu.[21] He was also the editor ofJana Sakthi, a Tamil daily run by CPI.[11][22]
Pandian was a recipient of the Soviet Land Nehru Award.[5][6]
Pandian had two daughters and a son, David Jawahar. His wife Joyce Pandian died at the age of 76 in 2010.[23] His son David Jawahar is a former registrar of theUniversity of Madras, Tamil Nadu, and was a professor at theBharathidasan Institute of Management,Tiruchi.[24]
Pandian died fromsepsis at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital inChennai on 26 February 2021, at age 88.[25]
