New Delhi, March 4: Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader K.P. Unnikrishnan passed away on March 3 at the age of 89. He was a prominent figure in Kerala’s political landscape, known for representing the same Lok Sabha constituency for an extended period.

Unnikrishnan joined the Congress Party in 1960 and was first elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1971. He served as a Member of Parliament for Vadakara from 1971 to 1996, representing three different political parties during his . His electoral success continued through several elections, including those in 1977, 1980, 1984, 1989, and 1991.

He was part of the Congress (U) and Congress (S) after 1977 and rejoined the Congress Party in 1995. Unnikrishnan held significant ministerial positions, including Minister of Telecommunications, Shipping, and Surface Transport in V.P. Singh’s cabinet. Notably, he played a crucial role in repatriating over 150,000 Indians during the Gulf War and even met with then-Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Born in 1936 in Koyilandy, Kozhikode, to a family of freedom fighters, Unnikrishnan was known for his socialist ideology within the Congress and was a staunch supporter of Indira Gandhi in his early years. However, he later had differences with Sanjay Gandhi following the Emergency imposed in 1975.