Former Puducherry minister passes away

Karaikal: Freedom fighter and former Puducherry minister Dhakshinamurthy Mudaliar has died, his family sources said.

Dhakshinamurthy Mudaliar (91) was not keeping good health for the past few days and passed away at his native TR Pattinam in the district last night, the sources said.

He participated in the Independence struggle at a young age and later fought for liberating Puducherry from the French rule.

Contesting the first Assembly polls as a Congress candidate in 1963, Mudaliar won the TR Pattinam Assembly constituency and rose to become the Health Minister in Chief Minister Edward Goubert's cabinet.

Since then, Dhakshinamurthy Mudaliar remained a frontline leader of the Congress in the Union Territory. Mudaliar is survived by two daughters.