E-Paper
Ex-Kerala minister and Cong leader PP Thankachan dies
Thankachan, the son of a Jacobite priest and a homemaker, made his foray into politics through the Congress student and youth wings and fought his first election to the Perumbavoor municipality in 1963. He not only won the election, but became chairperson of the municipality, the youngest at the time
Kochi: Veteran Congress leader and former Kerala minister PP Thankachan passed away at a private hospital in Ernakulam district on Thursday. He was 86.
Thankachan had been battling age-related illnesses for a few years and was admitted to the hospital on August 15 following a deterioration in his condition.
Thankachan, the son of a Jacobite priest and a homemaker, made his foray into politics through the Congress student and youth wings and fought his first election to the Perumbavoor municipality in 1963. He not only won the election, but became chairperson of the municipality, the youngest at the time.
A close confidante of K Karunakaran, Thankachan rose swiftly through the party ranks, becoming the district president of the party in Ernakulam, one of its strongholds, and eventually making it to the state Assembly in 1982 from Perumbavoor.
He won three more elections from Perumbavoor in 1987, 1991 and 1996, defeating his nearest CPI(M) rivals, and turning the seat into a Congress pocket-borough. However, in 2001, even as the Congress-led UDF soared to power in the state with 99 seats, Thankachan suffered a shock loss in Perumbavoor, losing by just over 1000 votes.
Thankachan served as the state’s agriculture minister from 1995 to 1996 in the AK Antony-led cabinet. He was also the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly from 1991 to 1995.
The veteran leader also assumed positions as the Congress state unit chief in 2004 and was the convenor of the UDF for 14 years from 2004 to 2018. Thankachan frequently acted as the troubleshooter between the warring Congress factions and was a gentle face of the party.
Leader of the opposition and UDF chairman VD Satheesan called Thankachan a ‘flag-bearer of clean politics.”
“He does not display artificial or hypocritical expressions of love or make exaggerated statements. He was always soft-spoken. He had a seven-decade-long stint in politics, but the power never intoxicated him,” he said.
