A swayamsevak who bridged ideological divides

NAGALAND Governor and veteran BJP leader La Ganesan passed away on Friday at 6:23 p.m. at a private hospital in Chennai.

- T MURUGANANDHAM @Chennai

He was 80. Ganesan had been admitted on August 8 after suffering a head injury at his residence in T. Nagar. Despite surgery, he did not recover.

His mortal remains will be placed at his residence for political leaders and members of the public to pay their last respects.

Born on February 16, 1945, in Thanjavur to Lakshmi Raghava Iyer and Alamelu Ammal, Ganesan was drawn early to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), influenced by his father and brothers. After the loss of his father at age nine, he joined the revenue department following his SSLC to support his family. Ideologically shaped by RSS stalwarts Raama Gopalan and K. Suryanarayana Rao, Ganesan became a full-time RSS pracharak in 1970, serving for over two decades in places such as Madurai and Nagercoil.