Changanacherry: K J Chacko, ex-MLA and Kerala Congress veteran, who represented the Changanacherry Legislative Assembly constituency twice passed away here on Monday morning.
He was 91.
Chacko had won as a Kerala Congress candidate in the Legislative Assembly elections held in 1970 and 1977.
His tenure as the Member of the Legislative Assembly lasted a decade from 1970 to 1980. He was the Minister for Revenue and Commerce for just a fortnight in the C H Mohamed Koya Ministry (1979).
Chacko was a member of the Changanassery Municipal Council and served as its Chairman from 1962 to 1967.
Chacko was born on March 3, 1930 in the Kallukalam family.
He was an activist of the Indian National Congress while at school. He joined the Kerala Congress during its establishment in 1964.
Recently he was in the news as he reminisced about his debut in the Kerala legislature. He recalled that Oommen Chandy, former Chief Minister, too was a debutant in the House in 1970 like him.
"During those days, we (MLAs) travelled in the bus. Both of us did not have cars. We would board the KSRTC bus to Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday evenings to attend the Assembly session," recounted Chacko.
"Oommen Chandy will board the bus from Kottayam and me from Changanassery. Chandy will doze off the moment he gets seated. Even if his head bangs the seat railings, he would not wake up. When the bus reaches Kottarakkara, he would get down to have a cup of tea. He would continue to sleep until the bus reached Palayam. He slept off as he was usually exhausted from his hectic schedule,” Chacko had said.
CF Thomas, who was Chacko's successor in the constituency, had passed away last year. Thomas was the Changanacherry MLA from 1980 until his death 40 years later.
