Palakkad: Senior CPI(M) leader in the district and former MLA T. Chathu has died aged 88. T. Chathu was member of All-India Farmers Union Working Committee. The leader has been ailing from age-related conditions for a long time now. Following complaints of uneasiness early this morning, T. Chathu was taken to a private hospital in Kolankode, where he died shortly after.
While working as member of CPI(M) District Secretariat, T Chathu played crucial role in organising the farm community. He has participated in several protests of yesteryears. T. Chathu was elected MLA from Kolankode mandalam and remained legislator from 1991 - 1996.
T Chathu has history of having served the longest imprisonment term. Back in 1957 on 1st of October , when the district’s first martyr Arandpallam was shot to death, T. Chathu stood vigil by his dead body all night. It was a time when the Communist Party was a banned organisation. Chathu worked as courier carrying letters and beedi to leaders in hiding.
Chathu joined the Communist Party at age 18. He came to the political forefront via All India Kissan Sabha where he first served as Village Secretary, then Taluk Secretary. When KSKTU was formed in 1966, he functioned first as its District Joint Secretary, then the State Joint Secretary and one year as acting State Secretary when PK Kunjachan became the organisation’s All India Secretary. T. Chathu has been member of All India Farmers Union Working Committee for the last 27 years. He has been currently member of Muthalamada Local Committee.
Wife: Shankunthala. Children: Thiruchandran(CPI(M) Muthalamad Local Committee Secretary), Ravichandran(Teacher) Sathish Chandran(Deshabhimani, Palakkad), Puspalata(teacher), Nirmala(Thrissur). Children-in-law: Priya, Sarita(Dist Co-op Bank), Bincy(teacher), Biju(teacher), Thejoram(Gulf).
