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K. Karunakaran (born July 5, 1918) is a veteran Congress party leader, freedom fighter, trade unionist, and former Chief Minister of Kerala, Home minister of Kerala, and Minister of industries of India.

Born Kannoth Karunakaran Marar to Kannoth Ramunni Marar and Kannoth Kalyani Marasiyar in Kannur, he matriculated from Raja's High School and did his diploma in Design, Geometry and Painting from College of Arts Thrissur.

Like many during his time, he entered into politics during India's freedom struggle. He started off as an activist in the Kochi Rajya Praja Mandalam and later entered electoral politics as member of the Thrissur Municipal Council from 1945 - 1947. He was a founding member of the INTUC. He was elected 7 times to the Kerala Legislative Assembly between 1965 and 1995 and served as Chief Minister three times.

K. Karunakaran was the home minister of Kerala during the emergency period. After the Emergency, the Rajan case rocked Kerala politics like no other issue before or hence, and K. Karunakaran was forced to step down as the case attracted national attention.It was a habeas corpus petition filed by T.V. Eachara Warrier seeking the state machinery produce his son in court. He was a member of the Congress Working Committee from 1969. In 1995, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha and served as the minister of industries in the Cabinet for a year. He was married to Kalyanikutty Amma (Late) and has a son and a daughter. Karunakaran's attempts at promoting his son and daughter have been widely cited as one of the root causes of factionalism in the Kerala section of the Congress party.

After A K Antony was elected to power in 2001, Karunakaran was on the warpath with the Government led by his own party and the party high command. After a series of unsuccessful attempts to regain supremacy in the Kerala Wing of the Indian National Congress marked by repeated criticisms of the Government, the dissidents led by him landed up in the bad books of the High Command. With the sharp increase in factional meetings held all over Kerala, mostly led by his son K Muraleedharan, Indian National Congress suspended Muraleedharan from the party. With Muraleedharan being pushed to the verge of political orphanage, Karunakaran left his party and formed a new political outfit with his as the President. Thus, on 1 may 2005 K Karunakaran (known to his followers as 'leader') formed a new party in Kerala Democratic Indira Congress(karunakaran). DIC(K) fought the recent elections as a congress ally. Despite the setback suffered to his party during state elections, Karunakaran remains a powerful force in Kerala politics. Karunakaran has merged his party with the Nationalist Congress Party, despite opposition from many senior leaders like T.M.Jacob who has since left the Party.

Controversies

Relentless court battles held between K. Karunakaran and Nawab Rajendran including the followup of the famous Thattil John murder case.
Rajan Case
Palm Oil Import Scam

1,2.

External links

• keralacm.gov.in
• Spectre of dissidence haunts Congress
• Mahatma's kin takes Cong. to task
• Hour of reckoning for Karunakaran's party
• DIC(K) struggling to stay afloat

• Chief Ministers of Kerala
• Politics of Kerala
• Indian politicians
• 1918 births
• Living people
• Malayali people