Varkala Radhakrishnan passes away

Senior CPI-M leader and former Lok Sabha member Varkala Radhakrishnan died here today following complications resulting from an accident last week.84-year-old Radhakrishnan, a former Kerala assembly Speaker, was undergoing treatment at the Medical College Hospital for the last few days after he was hit by a vehicle while on a morning stroll. He suffered fracture in the ribs which affected the functioning of his lungs, doctors said. His condition deteriorated last night and he died at 9 am, they said.

Radhakrishnan was elected to the Lok Sabha thrice from Chirayinkil constituency and made a mark as an able Parliamentarian. Radhakrishnan, who was elected to the Kerala Assembly four times from Varkala segment, served as Speaker of the House between 1987 and 1991 when the LDF government led by K Nayanar was in power.

A lawyer by profession, Radhakrishnan was an expert on Constitution and Parliamentary rules and conventions. As Assembly Speaker, he took great care to safeguard the rights and privileges of the House and members whenever they required to be defended from Judicial and Executive interventions. In the Lok Sabha also, his services were utilised on panel of Chairpersons of the House. For the CPI-M, he was a vocal member and staunchly defended the stance taken by the party during its face-off with former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee.

He also woked as the private secretery of EMS when EMS was the chief minister in 1967. He is survived by his three children RK Hari, RK Sreelatha and R K Jayasree and his wife Prof Saudamini had died earlier in 2007.

Varkala Radhakrishnan passes away