K. Karunakaran

K. Karunakaran
Minister of Industry
In office 11 June 1995 – 16 May 1996
Prime Minister	P. V. Narasimha Rao
Preceded by	Ajit Singh
Succeeded by	Suresh Prabhu
5th Chief Minister of Kerala
In office 24 June 1991 – 16 March 1995
Governor	B. Rachaiah
Preceded by	E. K. Nayanar
Succeeded by	A. K. Antony
In office 24 May 1982 – 25 March 1987
Governor	Jothi Venkatachalam P. Ramachandran
Deputy	C. H. Mohammed Koya K. Avukader Kutty Naha
Preceded by	President's rule
Succeeded by	E. K. Nayanar
In office 28 December 1981 – 17 March 1982
Governor	Jothi Venkatachalam
Deputy	C. H. Mohammed Koya
Preceded by	President's rule
Succeeded by	President's rule
In office 25 March 1977 – 25 April 1977
Governor	N. N. Wanchoo
Preceded by	C. Achutha Menon
Succeeded by	A. K. Antony
Minister of Home Affairs, Government of Kerala
In office 25 September 1971 – 25 March 1977
Chief Minister	C. Achutha Menon
Preceded by	C. Achutha Menon
Succeeded by	K. M. Mani
Member of the Kerala Legislative Assembly
In office 1967 (1967) – 1996 (1996)
Constituency	Mala (7 Terms)
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office 1998 (1998) – 1999 (1999)
Constituency	Thiruvananthapuram
In office 1999 (1999) – 2004 (2004)
Constituency	Mukundapuram
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
In office 1995 (1995) – 1997 (1997)
In office 1997 (1997) – 1998 (1998)
In office 2004 (2004) – 2005 (2005)
Member of the Travancore–Cochin Legislative Assembly
In office 1 July 1949 – 23 March 1956
Member of the Kochi Legislative Assembly
In office 1948 (1948) – 1949 (1949)
Councillor of Thrissur
In office 1945 (1945) – 1948 (1948)
Personal details
Born	(1918-07-05)5 July 1918 Chirakkal, Madras Presidency, British India (present day Kannur, Kerala, India)
Died	23 December 2010(2010-12-23) (aged 92) Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
Nationality	Indian
Political party	Indian National Congress
Spouse(s)	Kalyanikutty Amma ​ ( m. 1954; died 1993)
Children	K. Muraleedharan Padmaja Venugopal
Parent(s)	Thekkedathu Ravunni Marar Kannoth Kalyani Amma
As of 2 November, 2007 Source: Government of Kerala

Kannoth Karunakaran (5 July 1918 – 23 December 2010) was an Indian politician and member of the Indian National Congress (INC). He served as the Chief Minister of Kerala four times: for a brief period from March 1977 to April 1977, another short term from December 1981 to March 1982, after which president's rule was invoked in the state, and subsequently served from May 1982 to May 1987, and eventually from June 1991 to May 1995. He is the founder of the United Democratic Front (UDF), which is a political alliance in Kerala led by INC.

He was instrumental in several massive infrastructure projects in Kerala which includes the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi, and the Cochin International Airport, both of which were sanctioned during his last stint as Chief Minister. Other major projects introduced during the reign of Karunakaran include the Kerala State Film Development Corporation, Goshree bridges of Kochi, Guruvayur Railway Line, Rajiv Gandhi Combined Cycle Power Plant at Kayamkulam, etc. The MG University, Kottayam, was created by bifurcating University of Kerala in the year 1983. A special government department for the welfare of Scheduled Castes was formed for first time in the state when K. Karunakaran became the chief minister. It was during the reign of first UDF government (Third Karunakaran ministry), that the last two districts of Kerala, namely Pathanamthitta and Kasaragod, were carved out, making the total number of districts at 14. The first phase of Kollam Bypass was completed in 1993.

K. Karunakaran was close to former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. At the helm of his career in the 1980s and 1990s he enjoyed considerable access, confidence and control at All India Congress Committee to a point that he had an important role in bringing P. V. Narasimha Rao to the Prime Ministership of India. This earned him the sobriquet kingmaker. He played a crucial role in nurturing and strengthening Indian National Congress into a strong political party in Kerala and enjoyed mass support of not just the party workers but the entire Anti communist solidarity that was active in Kerala then. He was called as Leader within the party circles.

Personal life

Karunakaran was born on 5 July 1918 in Chirakkal near Kannur to Thekkedathu Ravunni Marar and Kannoth Kalyani Amma. He had two elder brothers - Kunjirama Marar and Balakrishna Marar, a younger brother - Damodara Marar (Appunni Marar) and a sister - Devaki, who died when Karunakaran was five years old. His father was a record keeper in the erstwhile Malabar District.

During his childhood, Karunakaran was an expert in swimming, painting, football and volleyball. Though he was named Karunakara Marar, he later dropped his caste title, and came to be known just by his name.

Karunakaran started his school education by joining Vadakara Govt. Lower Primary School in 1923. Later, he studied in Andallur govt. school and the famous Raja's High School near his home in Chirakkal. After passing matriculation from Raja's High School, he went to Thrissur and joined Govt. Fine Arts' college, from where he took degrees in painting and mathematics. For treating an eye disorder, he went to his maternal uncle's home in Vellanikkara near Thrissur, along with his elder brother Kunjirama Marar. Later, he married his maternal uncle's daughter Kalyanikkutty Amma in 1954 at Guruvayoor Temple, when he was 36 and Kalyanikkutty Amma was 30. K. Muraleedharan and Padmaja Venugopal, famous Congress politicians, are their children.

On 3 June 1992, during his last stint as Chief Minister, he had met with a near fatal car accident on his way to Thiruvananthapuram. It was after a prolonged treatment in both India and U.S.A. that he survived. In the next year, Kalyanikkutty Amma died following a heart ailment.

Political life

In 1937, Karunakaran joined the flood relief camps that were conducted by V. R. Krishnan Ezhuthachan, C. Achutha Menon, R.M. Manakkalath and other leaders of Prajamandalam, an early freedom struggle movement in Cochin State. He became a member of the Indian National Congress and began to wear Khadi. He also participated intensively in the trade union activities in the vast Thattil rubber estates where his uncle Raghavan Nair was a 'writer'. During this time, he would spare his artistic skills and labour in helping the workers' union (later INTUC) for their wall writings and campaigns. Gradually, he was picked up by Panampilly Govinda Menon as his most favourite follower. In due course, Karunakaran rose to a level of the senior-most Leader of the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC). The INTUC later became one of the largest trade unions in India having with over 4 million memberships today. He went on to become the Thrissur District Congress Committee President, after which he was elected to the Cochin Legislative Assembly twice before the formation of Kerala State. He contested in the 1957 Kerala Legislative Assembly Elections against a strong trade unionist and an ex. congressmen, DR.A R Menon, when no one in the state Congress party came up front to oppose Mr. Menon. When the results came, Karunakaran lost by less than one thousand votes.

After a career of both achievements and setbacks in his 30s and most of his 40s, K. Karunakaran was allotted a ticket to contest from a Communist stronghold, Thrissur's Mala constituency, considered a "safe seat" for the Left, in the 1965 Kerala Legislative Assembly Elections. To the astonishment of most political observers, 47-year-old K. Karunakaran defeated the Communist candidate by more than 3000 votes, and went on to represent the constituency in seven successive elections: 1967, 1970, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1987, and 1991.

— Shashi Tharoor, in an article published on Mathrubhumi online

The VIP pavilion in the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kaloor, Kochi is named after him in his honour.

In 1977, following The National Emergency (India) when Congress governments lost elections across the nation, Karunakaran led congress to a thumping victory securing 111 in 1977 Kerala Legislative Assembly elections. However, he had to resign after one month following the controversies that emerged about Rajan case. But he emerged into center stage as a strong supporter of Indira Gandhi after emergency.

The political downfall of K. Karunakaran commenced with an accident that happened to him 1992 June. After the accident K. Karunakaran was hospitalized in Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum and there was a period of crisis within the finances and administration of the state government following this. This grew into a political crisis when the affairs of state government was managed by a Kitchen Cabinet of K. Muraleedharan son of K.Karunakaran and K. Padmakumar I.A.S., Chief Secretary and trusted aide of Karunakaran. This situation embroiled a crisis within the state Congress as then Finance Minister and second in command of ruling front, Oommen Chandy belonging to the pro- Antony faction within the party was not given the charge. By 1993, Karunakaran recovered and became active in the affairs, during this period, the discontent generated earlier was further aggravated by bringing K. M. Mani into the foray when a split occurred in Kerala Congress and Kerala Congress (Jacob) was formed. During this same period a correctionist(thiruthalvadi) group emerged within Karunakaran faction led by G. Karthikeyan, Ramesh Chennithala and M. I. Shanavas against the authoritarian tendency of Karunakaran and proxy rule by his son Muraleedharan. The situation intensified into an inner party revolt when M.A, Kuttappan mooted by state Congress as Rajya Sabha nominee was denied candidature due to instruction from high command where Karunakaran had considerable influence. The difference of opinion that emerged between Oommen Chandy and Karunakaran became public and vociferous with Chandy threatening to resign and giving speeches against Karunakaran. By the fag end of 1994, the ISRO Spy case emerged and the case assumed a political fervor when Kerala High Court made remarks against then Inspector General of Kerala Police Raman Srivastava IPS who was close with Karunakaran. Thereafter the dissidence within party grew into a full scale crisis where Antony faction was in verge of withdrawing support to the government and then G. K. Moopanar arrived on behalf of P. V. Narasimha Rao and insisted Karunakaran to resign. Later ISRO case was proved baseless however after stepping down from the Chief ministership of Kerala in 1995, Karunakaran could never rise up to higher ranks in successive governments or within the party ever.

Death

Karunakaran died on 23 December 2010, aged 92, at Ananthapuri Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. He was suffering from respiratory problems, fever and other age related diseases and had been hospitalized since 21 October 2010. His condition worsened following a stroke and died following a cardiac arrest, as declared by doctors at 5:30 PM. It was coincidental that his death and Narasimha Rao's death was on same date, Rao had died six years earlier in 2004. Karunakaran had played key role in backing the Rao Government and later Rao had dismissed Karunakaran from the chair of Chief Minister of Kerala. His funeral was attended by the then prime minister Manmohan Singh and the AICC chief Sonia Gandhi. He was cremated with full state honors at his residence in Punkunnam Thrissur.

Biographies

The first biography on him titled K.Karunakaran was written by Vrindavanam Venugopalan. Published by Islamiya Books, Aluva in 1992.

Controversies

K. Karunakaran was the home minister of Kerala during the emergency period. After the Emergency, the Rajan case rocked Kerala politics and Karunakaran was forced to step down as the case attracted national attention. A habeas corpus petition was filed by T.V. Eachara Warrier asking the state machinery to produce his son Rajan (a student of Regional Engineering College, Calicut, who actively participated in protests against the emergency declared by the Indira government) in court. Rajan was allegedly killed by the police at Kakkayam police torture camp and the body disposed off. The legal battle led by Rajan's father became one of the most remembered human rights fights in the state and diminished Karunakaran's popularity.

Karunakaran was an accused in the Palmolein Oil Import Scam, which was pending before the Supreme Court at the time of his death. Allegations of mass land acquisition in violation of Benami just before the construction of Cochin International Airport had also been leveled at him.

He was forced to resign due to the allegations about involvement of a senior Indian Police Service officer under him named Raman Srivastava in ISRO Espionage Scandal.

See also

• Chief Ministers of Kerala
• Kerala Ministers
• Democratic Indira Congress (Karunakaran)

References

• The Hindu on Karunakaran
• News of Death of Karunakaran
• facebook page of Karunakaran
• Reporter Tv report on K Karunakaran at YouTube

Further reading

• Chief Ministers, Ministers, and Leaders of Opposition of Kerala (PDF), Thiruvananthapuram: Secratriat of Kerala Legislature, 2018

Political offices
Preceded by C. Achutha Menon	Chief Minister of Kerala 1977	Succeeded by A. K. Antony
Preceded by E.K. Nayanar	Chief Minister of Kerala 1981–1987	Succeeded by E.K. Nayanar
Preceded by E.K. Nayanar	Chief Minister of Kerala 1991–1995	Succeeded by A. K. Antony