Kottayam (Ker): Senior Kerala Congress leader and Changanassery MLA C F Thomas died at a private hospital in Thiruvalla on Sunday, party sources said here. He was 81.
He had been undergoing treatment for some ailments, they said. Thomas, who had been representing Changanassery constituency in the Assembly since 1980 without any break, wasalso the Minister for Rural Development, Registration, Khadi and Village Industries in the Congress-led UDF government during its 2001-2006 tenure.
He was a close confidante of late Kerala Congress (M) leader K M Mani. Thomas got associated with the P J Joseph faction in the Kerala Congress(M) due to the rift between two groups in the party following Mani’s death in April last year.
Commencing his political activities while he was a student, Thomas joined the Indian National Congress and then became Vice-President of Changanassery Town (West) Mandalam. He joined Kerala Congress on its formation and rose in the party ranks.
He also held the post of state General Secretary and Chairman of Kerala Congress (M). His funeral will be held at a churchcemetery in Changanassery on Monday.
Leaders cutting across party lines today expressed their condolences over the death of Thomas. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said Thomas was a leader who rose above politics and strove for the progress of the state.
“He placed great emphasis on moral values in public service. Despite his bad health, he was working for the society. I was closewith CF for decades. He was extremely modest in his conduct as well as in his political activities,” Vijayan said.
Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, Ramesh Chennithala said Thomas was a leader who laid down his life for the common man and the poor. “He possessed a personality which was not even slightly tainted.
Simple life was his hallmark. Thomas was a prominent leader in Kerala politics and the United Democratic Front,” Chennithala said.
State BJP chief K Surendran remembered Thomas as a personality who was extremely polite even to his political opponents. “He was a member of the Legislature for four decades and upholds the moral values of public service.
He was extremely polite, even to his political opponents. I express my condolences to his family, colleagues and friends on his demise,” Surendran said in a statement.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
Comments
0 comment