Chennai:
Veteran Congress leader and former Puducherry chief minister P. Shanmugam passed away in Karaikal Saturday after a fall at his house, party officials said. He was 85.
Shanmugam fell down the stairs and sustained head injuries. He was taken to the hospital where he passed away.
A bachelor, Shanmugam was the chief minister of Puducherry from March 22, 2000 to Oct 27, 2001 and represented the union territory in the Lok Sabha between 1980-1991.
Condoling the death of Shanmugam, Union Shipping Minister and Congress leader G.K.Vasan expressed his grief.
Vasan, in a statement, said Shanmugam dedicted his life for the welfare of Puducherry's people and was a close associate of late Congress leaders like K.Kamaraj and G.K.Moopanar.