Veteran Congress leader K Karunakaran is no more

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM/NEW DELHI: Veteran Congress leader and a four-time Kerala chief minister K Karunakaran died in a hospital after prolonged illness in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday. He was 92. He is survived by his politician-son Muraleedharan and daughter Padmaja Venugopal.

Karunakaran, who had served as Union industry minister under the late prime minister PV Narasimha Rao, was in hospital since December 10. He breathed his last around 5.30 pm after his condition turned critical on Wednesday following a stroke. His cremation will be held at his home town in Thrissur on Saturday, Congress state unit president Ramesh Chennithala told reporters.

A tearful Chennithala said: “The body would be taken to his home here and tomorrow morning the body would be first taken to our party office. From there it would be kept at the Durbar Hall at the state secretariat the cremation would take place at the same place where his wife has been laid to rest.”

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi are expected to reach Thiruvananthapuram on Friday to pay their last respects to the veteran Congress leader, a party source said.

Condoling the death of K Karunakaran, Congress described him as “one of the tallest” leaders of the party. Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan said Karunakaran was “one of the tallest...most respected leaders of the party”.
She said the death of the four-time chief minister of Kerala was a “sad loss”.