Former Union minister KP Unnikrishnan passes away

Former Union minister and senior Congress leader KP Unnikrishnan passed away in Kozhikode in the early hours of Tuesday.He was 90.

Unnikrishnan had been undergoing treatment in a private hospital in Kozhikode for age-related ailments for some time. He had served as Union minister for telecommunication, shipping and surface transport in the VP Singh cabinet.

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Born on September 20, 1936 in Coimbatore , Unnikrishnan started his political career with the Praja Socialist Party(PSP). He joined the Congress in 1960 and became a member of the All India Congress Committee two years later.

He represented the Vatakara Lok Sabha constituency from 1971 to 1996, representing three different political parties. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Vatakara in 1971 and 1977 on a Congress ticket. Again, he was elected to the lower house as part of Congress (U) and Congress (S) in 1980, 1984, 1989 and 1991.

In 1971, the Congress’ Kerala leadership nominated Leela Damodaran for the Vadakara Lok Sabha constituency. However, Indira Gandhi chose K P Unnikrishnan, who was then working in the Delhi bureau of the Mathrubhumi daily, for the seat. Congress leaders, including A K Antony, openly opposed Indira’s decision at that time. However, Unnikrishnan, who entered the election fray, won the election comfortably.

A staunch supporter of Indira Gandhi, he, however, took a firm stand against the Emergency imposed in 1975, at a time when internal dissent within the Congress was rare. After the Emergency, he parted ways with Indira Gandhi

He returned to the Congress in 1995 and contested from Vatakara in the 1996 Lok Sabha polls. However, he was defeated by the CPM candidate O Bharathan in the polls. Thereafter, Unnikrishnan gradually stepped away from public life, spending his later years quietly in Kozhikode.