'Leader' Karunakaran is no more

Trivandrum, Dec 23: Former Kerala Chief Minister passed away in a private hospital at 5:30pm on Dec 23, 2010. His condition was deteriorating due to prolonged illness. He was aged 93. He served as Kerala Chief Minister four times.

The medical bulletin put out by hospital authorities revealed that Karunakaran was on a ventilator at the time of his death. A scan showed a brain stem damage due to a deadly stroke earlier in the day. The 92 year old Congress stalwart was admitted to hospital for breathing problems since Dec 10.

His health showed slight improvement in the last couple of days.

Other than playing a major role in various Congress ministries in Kerala, he also served as Home Minister during the Emergency Period under Indira Gandhi's rule. He was a loyal in the Congress govt since 1969. He was elected from his home constituency Mala for a record 7 times.

He is survived by daughter Padmaja Venugopal and son, Muralidharan who has formed a new party namely the National Congress (Indira). His funeral is scheduled to be held in Thrissur, Kerala.

OneIndia News