Veteran Congress leader and former governor Vakkom Purushothaman passed away at his residence in Kumarapuram in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday following age-related illnesses. He was 96.
A three-time minister and former assembly speaker, Vakkom was one of the tallest Congress leaders in the state. He was the lieutenant governor of Andaman Nicobar Islands from 1993 to 1996 and later served as governor of Maharashtra, Mizoram and Tripura.
He represented Attingal in the state Assembly five times and was elected to the Lok Sabha twice from Alappuzha. He was the longest-serving speaker of the Kerala Assembly, from 1982 to 1984 and again from 2001 to 2004.
The veteran leader had held the portfolio of Agriculture and Labour Ministry (1971-1977), Ministry for Health and Tourism (1980-81), and Ministry for Finance and Excise (2004-06).
Born to Bhanu Panicker and Bhavani on April 12, 1928, at Vakkom in Thiruvananthapuram, Purushothaman started his political career as an activist of the Students’ Congress in 1946.He was a member of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) for over 35 years.
He is survived by his wife Lilly Purushothaman, son Binu Purushothaman and daughter Dr Bindu Purushothaman. His elder son, Biju Purushothaman predeceased him in 2012.