MUNNAR: Former deputy speaker of Kerala Assembly and veteran leader of plantation workers' union in Idukki C A Kurian passed away in Munnar on Saturday morning.
The 88-year-old leader was undergoing treatment at Munnar Tata Tea General Hospital following age related ailments.
A veteran leader of the CPI, Kurian represented Peerumedu constituency in the Kerala Assembly for three terms from 1977.
He served as deputy speaker from 1996 to 2001. Born at Puthuppally in Kottayam district in 1933, Kurian started his career as a bank employee, but resigned from the job in 1960 and came to Idukki to work for the welfare of plantation workers.
He had led many agitations to ensure minimum wages for the plantation workers.
He served as the state executive member of the CPI, AITUC state secretary, All India Plantation Workers Federation general secretary, Devikulam Estate Workers Union president, and High Range Estate Labour Union president for more than five decades. He played a key role in establishing the communist party in Idukki district.