Former Tamil Nadu Minister and DMK MLA KPP Samy passed away in Chennai on Thursday. The lawmaker, who represented the Thiruvottiyur state Assembly constituency, had been suffering from kidney issues, according to the party. The 57-year-old DMK leader breathed his last at his home in Thiruvottiyur early on Thursday morning.
DMK chief MK Stalin, Treasurer Duraimurugan and the party's Chennai North MLA Kalanidhi Veerasamy visited the home of the grieving family.
Speaking to reporters after the visit, Stalin said, “We are all shocked by the news of his death. We expected that he would recover from his illness and return. He continuously gave voice to the fishing community. His loss is big for the fishing community, not just his family and the DMK. On behalf of the DMK, I express my deepest condolences.”
Samy was the DMK government's Fisheries Minister between 2006 to 2011 when late DMK leader M Karunanidhi was Chief Minister.
Samy was also in charge of the Fisheries Wing of the party. Hailing from the fishing community, he first won the Thiruvottiyur seat on a DMK ticket in 2006. Despite his relatively young age, he was made the Fisheries Minister in the Karunanidhi cabinet. However, he lost in 2011 to K Kuppan of the AIADMK. He was re-elected in 2016.
In 2011, the MLA, along with his brothers Shankar and Chokkalingam, was arrested on murder charges over the death of an AIADMK functionary in the area. Samy was accused in the murder of two men from an AIADMK group that had alleged that the brothers misappropriated tsunami relief funds meant for the fishing community. Chellathurai and Velu, who reportedly belonged to the group under AIADMK functionary Anjappan, had been murdered by two men who admitted to the crime.
Samy is the second MLA that the DMK has lost in less than a year. He is also the seventh MLA to die in office since the 2016 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly elections.
In July last year, DMK's MLA from Vikravandi, K Radhamani, died following an illness.
The Assembly, which returned to full strength in October last year, will now witness another bye-election before the 2021 Assembly polls.