Kasaragod: Veteran CPM leader and former two-time MLA of Trikarpur K Kunhiraman has passed on. He died of age-related ailment in a private hospital in Kannur past midnight on Thursday.
He was the 10th and 11th MLA of Trikaripur constituency from 2006 to 2016. Kunhiraman was the president of Cheruvathur grama panchayat in Kasaragod district from 1979 to 1984 and Chairman of the Nileswaram Block Development Committee from 1988 to 1991.
He was born to K V Kunhambu Vaidyar, a traditional medical practitioner, and Karyamkode Kunhimanikkam on November 10, 1943. He was initiated into the CPM through its children's organisation Balasangham.
However, he used to say that his chance meeting with communist leader A K Gopalan during the 1957 parliamentary hustings changed his life. Those days, when motorcars were rare, a 13-year-old Kunhiraman, lined up along the road to see the passing vehicles. AKG's car pulled over near him and the candidate asked him to hop in, Kunhiraman often recalled. The tall leader then asked him to join the Kerala Students' Federation (KSF).
When Kunhiraman joined Rajah's school in Nileshwar, he became the Students' Federation's unit president. Later, he decided to follow his father's profession and joined the Ayurveda College at Tripunithura, for a diploma course. There he became the Ernakulam district President of the Students Federation and state Joint Secretary of the organisation. He also served as the Mandalam President of the Kerala Socialist Youth Federation, Tripunithura.
He worked his way up and led the CPM in Kasaragod as the party's District Secretary for 10 years from 1994 to 2004, a bloody period that saw several political killings. Two years later, he was nominated to contest from the CPM bastion of Trikaripur assembly constituency, represented by EMS and E K Nayanar.
He is survived by his wife N T K Sarojini (former vice-president of Cheruvathur grama panchayat), and daughters Sindhu, Sheena, Sheeja, and sons Anil (an employee of Trikaripur Government Polytechnic), and Sunil.
