R. Nallakannu, an Indian politician and senior Communist Party of India leader in Tamil Nadu, died on Feb. 25, 2026, in Chennai. He was 100.
The Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital said he died of multi-organ failure after weeks of intensive treatment. The hospital said he had been admitted to its intensive care unit on Feb. 1.
Nallakannu was known for grassroots organizing in Tamil Nadu. He served as the CPI’s Tamil Nadu state secretary for about 13 years and led farmers’ unions for about 25 years, building village-level networks and alliances around land, wages and livelihoods.
A central focus of his public work was environmental protection, particularly campaigns against illegal sand mining in riverbeds. He repeatedly opposed sand removal in Tamil Nadu, including along the Thamirabarani river, and also protested projects including the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant on environmental and livelihood grounds, often aligning with fisherfolk and coastal communities.
He was also known for personal austerity that reinforced his public standing. He returned a car and Rs 1 crore presented by party cadres on his 80th birthday, and in 2022 he returned the Rs 15 lakh cash component of the Tamil Nadu government’s Thagaisaal Tamizhar award while adding Rs 5,000 of his own to the Chief Minister’s relief fund.