KOCHI: Former Kerala minister and senior Kerala Congress leader T U Kuruvilla passed away on Friday. He was 90.
Kuruvilla had been undergoing treatment for age related ailments for some time and breathed his last at a private hospital in Kochi.
A veteran politician from Kothamangalam, Kuruvilla served as the Public Works Minister in the LDF government headed by V S Achuthanandan. He represented the Kothamangalam Assembly constituency in 2006 and 2011.
Kuruvilla became a minister in 2006 after P J Joseph resigned from the Cabinet. However, he stepped down from the post a year later following the Rajakumari land deal controversy.
Born on September 13, 1936, at Oonjappara near Kothamangalam, Kuruvilla was the son of Utuppu and Mariya. He began his public life at the grassroots level and served as president of the Keerampara grama panchayat for 14 years from 1964 to 1978. He also served as chairman of Kothamangalam municipality.
During his political career, Kuruvilla held several key positions, including chairman of the Plantation Corporation of Kerala from 1982 to 1987 and the Kerala Housing Board from 1996 to 2001.
He was elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly from Kothamangalam in both 2006 and 2011 and remained an influential leader in Kerala Congress politics for decades.