P Parameswaran, one of the country's senior-most 'pracharaks' (Promoter) of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and former leader of the erstwhile Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJP), breathed his last at his friend's residence in Kerala's Palakkad district in the early hours of Sunday.
He was 91 and was resting at his friends' place after undergoing an Ayurveda treatment at Ottappalam.
The last rites of one of the tallest RSS leaders would be held at his home town at Muhama, in Alappuzha district, on Monday evening, after demands came that the body of the departed should be placed at the BVK, here, where he lived a major portion of his life.
Earlier it was fixed to have the last rites, Sunday evening.
Often referred to as Parameswarji, he was an excellent orator and began his career as a pracharak (organizer) of the RSS.
In 1957, he was entrusted with the task of building up the Bharatheeya Jan Sangh in Kerala and went on to be the vice president of the Jana Sangh.
Parameswaran was jailed during the Emergency period
After being jailed during the Emergency period, he moved from politics to areas of social thought and development and became director of the Deendayal Research Institute at New Delhi for four years.
In 1982, he returned to the state capital where he founded BVK.
He had very close links with top leaders like Deendayal Upadhyaya, LK Advani, and Murali Manohar Joshi, who often called on him when they were in the state capital.
The country honoured him with Padma Vibhushan, the country's second-highest civilian award in 2018 and Padma Shri in 2004.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan while condoling the death of the RSS veteran said he was one who lived immersed in the ideology he believed.
(With IANS inputs)
