Thiruvananthapuram: CPI stalwart Veliyam Bhargavan, a central player of Kerala's coalition politics for several decades, died here today.
Bhargavan (85), who led the party in the state for long, breathed his last in a hospital in the city where he was admitted with pneumonia, a CPI spokesperson said.
Known as “Asan” (teacher) among colleagues and friends, Bhargavan was keeping indifferent health for quite some time.
He is survived by his wife and a daughter.
Reputed as a shrewd tactician and pragmatist, he had an unsullied reputation in public life,endearing him to political friends and foes.
An organisational man for much of his long career, he played a vital role in building and sustaining LDF after his party snapped ties with Congress in the late 1970s.
