KOTTAYAM: M A John,73, a Young Turk who shaped the Kerala Students Union (KSU) and later the Youth Congress in the early sixties under the Indian National Congress, passed away on Tuesday.
John was found dead in his house at Kurianad near Kuravilangad here, apparently succumbing to cardiac arrest. His end came to light after the attempts of the functionaries of a Thrissur-based organisation, who had tried to contact him on Tuesday morning, proved futile.
Soon, his relatives entered the house through the tiled roof and found him dead in the bathroom. His wife Lucy was away in Canada where one of the couple's two daughters is residing.
The body was shifted to the mortuary of a private hospital at Monipally. The funeral will be held later.
Along with Vayalar Ravi and A K Antony, John founded the KSU and the youth organisation. John had also been instrumental in anointing Antony as the treasurer of the KSU. He never contested an election in his life.
The latter part of the sixties resounded with the name of M A John in the state with the famous slogan, "Achadakkam Adimathamalla, M A John Namme Nayikkum"( Discipline is not slavery, M A John will lead us).
He was suspended from the Congress party for some time, when he unsuccessfully contested against T O Bava to the post of KPCC president in 1968.
He was a member of KPCC and AICC and had close liaison with Jawaharlal Nehru. The seventies saw John turning himself as a staunch supporter of K Karunakaran. Ironically, his uncompromising nature landed him in jail during the Emergency. Slowly, he was ejected from the Congress by the end of eighties.
After a lull, he pitched tent with Karunakaran again when the latter formed the DIC(K) and took over as its state vicepresident.But, when the camp folded up in the course of Karunakaran's political experiments, he floated the Left DIC(K), but disbanded it soon. Even when he fell out with the Congress party, leaders in the Congress and other political organisations held him in high esteem.
He didn't spare even his earlier colleagues like A K Antony whenever he felt that they went wrong. John had an extensive library in his house which was the envy of many and a boon to researchers. With his vast knowledge in various topics, he was a friend and guide to all those who stepped into his Mattathil Mannullil House.
He was also a successful farmer. Jayasree (Bangalore) and Jayanthi (Canada) are his daughters.