K.R. Gowri Amma


K.R. Gauri Amma the founder and leader of JSS (Janathipathiya Samrakshana Samithy) was born on 14 July 1919 in a village called Pattanakkad in Alappuzha. She did her schooling at Tirur and Cherthala and completed gradation from Maharajas College Ernakulam besides this she gained her law degree from Ernakulam Law College.

K R Gauri Amma is one of the oldest politicians alive today in Kerala. She entered the vibrant world of politics at a time when women hardly found themselves in politics, under the influence of elder brother and trade union leader Sukumaran.

She started her political venture through union and peasant movements, and became an elected member of Travancore Council of Legislative Assembly 1952 and 1954. Later in 1957 she became Revenue Minister in the first EMS ministry and got married to TV Thomas, a prominent politician and also a minister in EMS ministry. During the split of Communist party in 1964, KR Gauri joined the newly formed Communist Party of India (Marxist) while her husband, stood with the Communist Party of India. This created fissures in their relationship and soon they parted owing to the differences in their political views. In 1994 KR Gauri was expelled from CPI (M) on charges of anti-party activities. Following this she established a new political outfit named Janathipathiya Samrakshana Samithy (JSS). JSS went on to join the United Democratic Front, the arch-rivals of the Left Democratic Front to which CPI (M) belongs. She served as the Minister of Agriculture in the A K Antony and Oommen Chandy ministries. She was elected to the Kerala State Assembly in all elections except in 1977 and 2006.

Vayalar Ravi

Vayalar Ravi was born on June 4, 1937, an Indian politician, currently the Union Cabinet Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs and a member of the Rajya Sabha.

Ravi was born in Vayalar, Cherthala, Alappuzha District, Kerala. He was the Founder President of the Kerala Students Union (KSU), the students' wing of Indian National Congress in Kerala. He was elected to the 5th Lok Sabha in 1971 from Chirayinkil in Thiruvananthapuram district; he was re-elected to the 6th Lok Sabha in 1977, serving until 1979. He was elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly in 1982, and he served as Home Minister of Kerala from 1982 to 1986 before resigning from that position due to a disagreement with Chief Minister K. Karunakaran. He was re-elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly in 1987, serving until 1991. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in July 1994 and again in April 2003. He became Union Cabinet Minister for Overseas Affairs on January 30, 2006.

V.S.Achuthanandan

Velikkakathu Sankaran Achuthanandan, born on 20 October 1923 is an Indian politician who has been the twentieth Chief Minister of Kerala state since May 2006.

He was born to Sankaran and Accamma in Alappuzha district of Kerala state, Achuthanandan had to face many hurdles from a very early age. He lost his mother when he was at four and subsequently lost his father at age 11. This forced him to quit his studies after finishing 7th standard in school. He started working by helping his elder brother in a village tailoring shop. Later he took up the job of meshing coir to make ropes at a coir factory.

V.S. Achuthanandan is one of the most prolific leaders of Kerala Politics. His popularity and acceptance as a leader among masses led him a far way from a trade union leader to the Chief Minister of Kerala. He entered politics through trade union activities and joined State Congress in 1938. In 1940, he became a member of the Communist Party of India (CPI).Looking into his 40 years of political life we can see that he went hiding for about four and half years and was jailed for 5 years . He was the state secretariat member of the CPI in 1957. Being along with nationalist in sino Indian war 1962, disciplinary action was taken against him and was announced at Thalassery by EMS. He was demoted in the party rank when he participated in a blood donation camp to help Indian soldiers. He is the only living Keralite among the 32 members who left the CPI National Council in 1964 to form the CPI (M). He was Secretary of the Kerala State Committee between 1980 and 1992.Since 1985 he is the member of the CPI (M) Polit Bureau until he was removed as a party disciplinary action. He is the senior most leader of CPI (M) in Kerala.

He was the one to initiate action against encroachment on government land in the hill resort and tea plantation town of Munnar.

On 30 December 2007, he became the first Communist CM to trail non-stop three hours on foot to 4000-year-old hill temple of Sabarimala. The 84-year-old Achuthanandan refused any sort of physical or medical support from doctors.

V S Achuthandan supports free and open source software movement in the state and Richard Stallman has also supported his activities regarding this.

A.K.Antony

A.K.Antony

A.K. Antony was born in the Cherthala Taluk, Alappuzha district of Kerala. He was brought up in a Syrian Catholic family. His nickname is Thankachan. Antony completed his primary education in Holy Family Boys High school (Lower primary)and Government Boys High school (Upper primary), Cherthala (Both these schools are mixed higher secondary schools now known as Sree Narayana Memorial Government Higher Secondary School and completed his Bachelor of Arts degree from Maharajas College, Ernakulam and Bachelor of Law from Government Law College, Ernakulam. His eldest sister is a nun in the Clarists Order. But Antony remains an atheist who respects and views all religions equally

A.K. Antony entered into politics by organising students of Cherthala Taluk (Alleppy District). He caught public attention by leading student movements under Kerala Students Union (KSU). He has been an active leader of many strikes like Oru Ana Samaram (Single Penny Strike). He served as the president of KSU, Youth Congress and KPCC before becoming the AICC General Secretary in 1984. When he became KPCC president he was the youngest person ever to be opted for that post. He was elected several times to the Congress Working Committee. He still serves as a CWC member. He is in charge of Karnataka state affairs of the Congress Party.

In 2004, He was succeeded by Oommen Chandy as the Chief Minister of Kerala because of factional politics and disputes within the Congress Party which led to Antony’s resignation.

In 2005, A.K. Antony was appointed as Union Cabinet Minister of Defense. He is a member of the Rajya Sabha. Earlier he was the member of the House from 1985 to 91 and 1991 to 1995 and was the Minister for Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution in the Narasimha Rao ministry in the latter period.

His character serve till date to be without any black marks. He is referred by his colleagues and media as Mr. Clean.

Member, Kerala Legislative Assembly: 1970 - 1977, 1977 - 1979, 1995 - 1996,1996 - 2001, 2001 - 2005,

Chief Minister, Kerala :2001 - 2005, 1977 - 1978, 1995 – 1996

Member, Rajya Sabha April 1985 - 1991, April 1991 - 1995, May 2005 - till date

1993 - 1995 Union Cabinet Minister of Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution

1996 - 2001 Leader of Opposition, Kerala Legislative Assembly
May 2005 Elected to Rajya Sabha