R UMANATH:

R UMANATH:

R. Umanath is a communist politician from Tamil Nadu, India, and a Politburo member of Communist Party of India (Marxist) from 1998.

Veteran Communist leader and former member of the CPI(M)'s Polit Bureau R. Umanath died in a hospital in Tiruchi on Wednesday. He was 92 and is survived by his daughters U. Vasuki, who is also the CPI(M) state secretariat member and U. Nirmala Rani.

A two time MP and two time MLA, it was R. Umanath who played a crucial role exposing Communist leader S.A. Dange's secret understanding with the British Empire. He along with late Communist leaders P. Ramamurthy and M. Basavapunnaiah retreived Dange's letter from the archives, expressing his willingness work secretly for the British.

Born in a poor Brahmin family in Kasaragode, Umanath learnt to play harmonium to accompany his mother who eked out a livelihood as a bhajan singer. While his family had hoped that Umanath, a student of Annamalai University, would land in a good job, he disappointed them by quitting his studies to become a full time member of the Communist party.

He worked closely with P. Ramamurthy and was arrested along with him in the Chennai conspiracy case in 1940-41. In his political career Umanatha has spent nine and half years in jail, and another seven years in the underground. As a member of Parlaiament, Umanath's first speech was against capital punishment.

Umanath was married to Pappa, daughter of Lakshmi, who died in jail after 24 days of protest fast. Both Umanath and Pappa worked together in the Communist movement till their last days.

He was elected to the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly as a Communist Party of India (Marxist) candidate from Nagapattinam constituency in 1977 and 1980 elections.

He was elected to the 3rd and 4th Lok Sabhas from the Puddukottai constituency.

A trade union leader for many years, Umanath is a former vice-president of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions.

Umanath is also a former Tamil Nadu State Committee secretary of CPI(M). He is firmly opposed to LTTE and Tamil separatism in Sri Lanka.

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Umanath's body was brought and kept at the CPI (M) party district headquarters Venmani Illam on Karur bypass road in Tiruchi city, to enable people to pay their homage.

National leaders of the party are expected to attend his funeral. CPI(M) state secretary G. Ramakrishnan said Umanath's cremation would be held on June 22 at Tiruchi.

RED SALUTE

C.Sunish