Kozhikode, March 3: K.P. Unnikrishnan, a six-time Member of Parliament from Vadakara and former Union Minister, passed away at the age of 89 on Tuesday. His death marks the end of a political career that spanned over three decades. Born on September 20, 1936, in a family along the Malabar coast, he was the son of E. Kunhikkannan Nair.
Unnikrishnan received his education from Madras Christian College in Chennai, where he also earned a law degree. Before joining the Indian National Congress in the 1960s, he was associated with the Socialist Party and the Praja Socialist Party. By 1962, he had become a member of the All India Congress Committee. Prior to his full-time political career, Unnikrishnan worked as a journalist, contributing articles as a special correspondent for publications like Mathrubhumi.
In 1971, the Congress party fielded Unnikrishnan for the Vadakara parliamentary seat, where he achieved remarkable success by winning six consecutive Lok Sabha elections in 1971, 1977, 1980, 1984, 1989, and 1991. He maintained a strong connection with the people of Vadakara.
In 1980, Unnikrishnan left the All India Congress to join Congress (U) and later became part of the Indian Congress (Socialist) in 1984. However, he faced defeat in the 1996 elections. Notably, from 1981 to 1984, he served as the leader of Congress (Secular) in Parliament and was a member of the Public Accounts Committee from 1980 to 1982.
During his tenure as Minister of Telecommunications, Shipping, and Surface Transport in V.P. Singh’s cabinet (1989-90), he played a crucial role in repatriating Indians during the Gulf War crisis. After his defeat in 1996, he stepped away from active politics, spending his time in New Delhi and at his ancestral home in Panniyankara, Kozhikode, where he focused on reading and writing.
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