K. Karunakaran

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec. 23: Veteran Congressman K. Karunakaran died here today after a nearly seven-decade-long public life marked by manoeuvres that prevented the Left from remaining entrenched in power in Kerala like it has done in Bengal.

He was 92.

Son K. Muraleedharan and daughter Padmaja Venugopal were beside him at the hospital when the end came. His wife, Kalyanikutty Amma, died a few years ago.

His cremation will be held on Saturday in Thrissur with full state honours.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he had the privilege of benefiting from Karunakaran’s wisdom many times. “Karunakaranji was a veteran Congress leader, widely respected for his qualities of head and heart,” Singh, who will attend the funeral, said in a condolence message to Muraleedharan.

Sonia Gandhi, with whom Karunakaran had strained equations after he questioned her leadership of the Congress, described him as a leading voice of “secularism and national integrity”. “The party has lost not only a great leader from Kerala but also a national leader whose absence will be deeply felt by all Congressmen,” she said.

Defence minister A.K. Antony, who replaced Karunakaran as chief minister after the latter was embroiled in the Isro spy scandal in 1995, dubbed the veteran a legendary leader whom people of Kerala would never forget.

“We had differences of opinion at certain points of our careers. But my friendship and association with Karunakaran was very strong,” said Antony, who flew into the Kerala capital from Delhi by a special flight this evening.

Rivals, too, conceded Karunakaran’s appeal. Chief minister and senior CPM leader V.S. Achuthanandan called him one of the most popular political leaders the state has seen.

“Karunakaran’s ability to win the hearts of people was unique. His tactical politics had become part of political history of the state.”

CPM general secretary Prakash Karat said Karunakaran’s contributions would be “remembered forever”.

A four-time chief minister and a lieutenant of Indira Gandhi, Karunakaran’s political hallmark was his creation in the 1970s of a rainbow coalition — the United Democratic Front (UDF) — that sustains

itself on the support from different social, caste and religious groups against the CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF).

A former Union minister, the diminutive Karunakaran had an amazing capacity for political survival.

He paved the way for P.V. Narasimha Rao to take over as Prime Minister after Rajiv Gandhi’s 1991 assassination. In his biography by journalist K. Govindankutty, there’s a reference to how Karunakaran pulled it off for Rao.

He seized the moment of the bereavement, urging Sonia to take over as Prime Minister, knowing fully well that she would not take up the responsibility. That was when he suggested Rao for the top post and ensured the Gandhis’ support.

But the relationship between the king and the kingmaker did not last long. When Karunakaran was embroiled in the spy scandal, the party turned against him, and

Rao let rival Antony, known as “Mr Clean”, replace Karunakaran.

From then on, it was a downhill ride for Karunakaran. In his last stint as chief minister, Karunakaran indulged his children, sullying his own reputation as a no-nonsense administrator and redoubtable organisational man. His supporters began deserting him, which finally led to his rebellion against favourite foe Antony who took over as the chief minister in 2001, winning the backing of nearly 100 legislators in the House of 140.

Later, Karunakaran left the Congress and floated his own party, calling it different names. His worst move was to offend Sonia by questioning her as the top leader. He was never able to undo the political damage it caused him.

The nonagenarian’s last days in hospital mirrored his life of struggle as he fought recurrent infections since being admitted on December 10. He was put on ventilator once but recovered remarkably and, at one time, could stand without support. But he started sinking again, with strokes impairing his brain functions.