The 92-year-old Congressman had an amazing capacity for political survival.
Former Union Minister and former Chief Minister of Kerala K. Karunakaran passed away at 5.30 pm. on Thursday. He was 92.
Mr. Karunakaran was under treatment at a private hospital here for the past two weeks. He has been on ventillator since Wednesday morning, because of difficulty in breathing. He suffered a stroke on Wednesday following which his condition worsened.
Mr. Karunakaran was under treatment at a private hospital here for the past two weeks. He has been on ventillator since Wednesday morning, because of difficulty in breathing. He suffered a stroke on Wednesday following which his condition worsened.
The history of Kerala politics from 1970 cannot be written without Karunakaran as the central character. In the late 1960s, he stitched up a coalition mobilising parties of divergent ideologies on an anti-Marxist platform, with the Communist Party of India in the front. With just 9 MLAs, he brought the Congress back into political power in 1971 riding on the new coalition experiment.
Born as Kannoth Karunakaran Marar to Kannoth Ramunni Marar and Kannoth Kalyani Marasiyar in Kannur, he studied in Raja's High School and did his diploma in Design, Geometry and Painting from College of Arts, Thrissur.
But the shrewd Karunakaran discovered quite early in his life that his future was in politics. Beginning his career as a political worker in the Cochin Rajya Praja Mandalam, he entered electoral politics as member of the then Trichur Municipal Council (1945-47). He was the founding member of the Indian National Trade Union Congress in Kerala. Karunakaran was elected eight times to the Kerala Legislative Assembly between 1965 and 1995. Mala was his favourite constituency. Though he contested from Nemom and Mala assembly seats in 1977, he chose to retain his Mala seat.
Karunakaran was Home Minister in the Achutha Menon ministry (1971-77). When the entire nation voted against the Congress party in the post-emergency elections in 1977, Kerala was the only state that returned a Congress-led government, with Karunakaran assuming the mantle of Chief Minister.
But the shrewd Karunakaran discovered quite early in his life that his future was in politics. Beginning his career as a political worker in the Cochin Rajya Praja Mandalam, he entered electoral politics as member of the then Trichur Municipal Council (1945-47). He was the founding member of the Indian National Trade Union Congress in Kerala. Karunakaran was elected eight times to the Kerala Legislative Assembly between 1965 and 1995. Mala was his favourite constituency. Though he contested from Nemom and Mala assembly seats in 1977, he chose to retain his Mala seat.
Karunakaran was Home Minister in the Achutha Menon ministry (1971-77). When the entire nation voted against the Congress party in the post-emergency elections in 1977, Kerala was the only state that returned a Congress-led government, with Karunakaran assuming the mantle of Chief Minister.
He was known as “king-maker” and had an important role in installing P V Narasimha Rao as Prime Minister in 1991 soon after the death of Rajiv Gandhi. He was made a Rajya Sabha MP when his Chief Ministership came to an abrupt end in 1995. He was also Union Minister for Industries in the Narasimha Rao Cabinet.
Karunakaran always believed that factional politics provided strength to the Congress and was its unabashed practitioner. Despite all this, Karunakaran was loved by his supporters, who endearingly called him “Leader”, hated by his foes, feared by his peers and respected by all.
All said and done, Karunakaran remained a Congressman till the end. It goes to his credit that he did not ever think of jettisoning his Left of Centre and secular positions. At a time when Congress leaders in other states chose to team up with the BJP once they quit the party, Karunakaran did not dilute his stand even when he was politically cornered. This fact alone makes his political legacy more valuable for the current Congress leadership in the State to uphold.
Source: The Hindu
