Funeral Services for Veteran Congress Leader E.V.K.S. Elangovan Scheduled in Chennai Today
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Chennai, Dec 15 (NationPress) The memorial service for veteran Congress leader and former Union Minister E.V.K.S. Elangovan, who departed from this world on December 14, is slated to occur on Sunday at 4 p.m. at the municipal crematorium located in Mugavilakkom, Chennai.
Elangovan, who was also the president of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) and a current legislator from the Erode East Assembly constituency, had been hospitalized for nearly a month prior to his passing. He was aged 75.
The late leader was the grand-nephew of the renowned social reformer and Dravidian figure E.V.S. Ramasamy Periyar.
He was born to E.V.K. Sampath, a close ally of the inaugural DMK Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai, and Sulochana Sampath, associated with the AIADMK.
Elangovan's political journey commenced during his school years, where he was elected Secretary of the Presidency College Students Congress in 1967.
Throughout his career, he held numerous significant roles within the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee, such as President of the Erode District Youth Congress (1978-1980), President of the Erode City Congress Committee (1980-1982), General Secretary of the Erode District Congress Committee (1982-1983), President of the Erode District Congress Committee (1990-1996), Member of the All India Congress Committee, General Secretary of TNCC (1998-2000), President of TNCC (2000-2002, 2014-2016), and Working President of TNCC (2002-2003).
He was also actively engaged in labor union activities, especially with the transport division of the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC).
Known for his candid demeanor, Elangovan frequently clashed with influential Dravidian leaders and former Chief Ministers M. Karunanidhi and J. Jayalalithaa, even during collaborative efforts between the Congress and their respective parties. Remarkably, Jayalalithaa was his classmate.
He once accused the AIADMK, under Jayalalithaa’s leadership, of forming alliances with groups sympathetic to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), an organization banned in India after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991.
Elangovan expressed unease when the founder of the Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar), G.K. Moopanar, established connections with Jayalalithaa following the DMK's partnership with the BJP-led government at the Center in 1999.
In 2006, he ignited controversy by demanding a share of political power for the Congress in Tamil Nadu, similar to the DMK's involvement in the Union government under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA).
Elangovan faced personal sorrow in January 2023 when his son, E. Thirumahan Everaa, the sitting MLA of Erode East, passed away at the age of 46 due to a heart attack.
In the subsequent by-election, Elangovan ran for the seat and emerged victorious, upholding his family’s political legacy.
Beyond politics, Elangovan had a keen interest in car racing, participating in races at Sholavaram, Chennai, during 1972 and 1973.
The President of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee, K. Selvaperunthugai, declared a week of mourning to pay tribute to Elangovan, during which the party flag will be flown at half-mast throughout the state.
