Life and Career

Born at Punnapra near Alappuzha in 1925, he was attracted to politics even while being a school student. He entered into active politics through labour movement and trade union work.

He was arrested in 1946 for his participation in the Punnapra Vayalar revolt. He was imprisoned in 1962, 1963 and 1965. In 1965 and 1967 he became a member of the Kerala Assembly from Ambalapuzha.

He was a prominent leader of the Indian Communist Party during the fifties and former part of sixties. In the split of the party in 1964 he stood with CPI (M) and became one of the stalwarts of the party. In 1980 he became the State Secretary of CPI (M) and in 1982 he was chosen as the opposition leader in the Kerala Assembly.

From 1985 onwards he is Politburo Member of CPI (M). In 1996 he was defeated in Mararikulam Assembly Constituency. In 1998 he took charge as the convenor of the co-ordination committee of Left Democratic Front in Kerala. He was elected from Malampuzha constituency in the assembly elections of 2001. Presently, he is the leader of the Opposition in Kerala Assembly.