Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president Manickam Tagore, who is also Natchiappan’s nephew, told The Hindu that the former minister’s driver found him unresponsive when he failed to appear in the morning, confirming that he had passed away during the night.
Born in Eriyur, Sivaganga district, Natchiappan entered politics as a student leader in the Students’ Congress while studying law, later becoming the Singampunari Regional Youth Congress president and eventually the Youth Congress general secretary.
He was first elected to the Lok Sabha from the Sivaganga constituency in the 1999 general election, defeating senior Congress figure P. Chidambaram, and served until 2004. He was then nominated to the Rajya Sabha by Sonia Gandhi, where he remained from 2004 to 2016, and held the portfolio of Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry from 2013 to 2014.
During his parliamentary tenure, Natchiappan chaired the Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice (2004‑2009) and was known for his expertise on Sri Lankan Tamil issues, fishermen’s rights and the Katchatheevu islet, addressing the United Nations General Assembly on two occasions.
In the weeks before his death, he was receiving medical treatment for declining health in Sivaganga, but the care proved unsuccessful, leading to his passing at home.
Prominent leaders, including Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, issued statements of condolence, praising his dedication to public service and the Congress movement. VCK president Thol. Thirumavalavan and AMMK general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran also expressed sorrow, while party functionaries laid floral tributes at his portrait in Chennai’s Sathyamurthy Bhavan.
Colleagues recalled Natchiappan’s role in mobilising Tamil diaspora concerns, noting his initiative in convening New Delhi meetings of Sri Lankan Tamil leaders to oppose attempts to dilute the 13th Amendment of the Sri Lankan Constitution, a stance that underscored his long‑standing commitment to Tamil rights.