Veteran socialist leader P Viswambharan passes away

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Veteran socialist leader and freedom fighter

P Viswambharan

died here on Friday evening. He was 91.

Viswambharan, a former MLA and MP, will be remembered for his ideological commitment and simple life. He was the first convener of Left Democratic Front when it was founded in the year 1973.

Viswambharan, a bachelor, spent his last days at his house at Vellar, near Kovalam. He was not keeping well for the past 3 months.

Born on June 25, 1925 at Vellar, Viswambharan had joined the Quit India movement as a student. He graduated in History and Economics. Then he joined the Govt Law College, but couldn’t complete legal education as he had become an active public worker by then.

Attracted by the socialist movement, Viswambharan joined the Socialist Party in 1949. He became the leader of Praja Socialist Party in 1956 and the general secretary of

Samyuktha Socialist Party

(SSP) when PSP and the socialist party under Ram Manohar Lohya merged.

When Socialist Party was formed at the national level in 1971 by merging various factions, Viswambharan was appointed as its state chairman. Later, he became the state unit chief of Janata Party and Janata Dal.

In his maiden electoral fight, he was selected from Nemom to Travancore – Cochin assembly in 1954. In 1960, he was elected to the Kerala assembly from Nemom. He represented PSP from Thiruvananthapuram in Lok Sabha in 1967. As an MP, Viswambharan had worked hard for realizing the Thiruvananthapuram railway division and the development of international airport.

An active campaigner against the Emergency, Viswambharan became the state secretary of PUCL, an organization formed to fight the government. During the entire Emergency period, Viswambharan stayed underground and was among the few leaders who could resist an arrest.

From 1946 to 1958, he had worked as a journalist for various news organizations in Thiruvananthapuram. He is the founder general secretary of Travancore – Cochin working journalists’ federation.

Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan remembered him as a model public worker and parliamentarian.

“He had fought hard against the Emergency and proved himself to be a great trade union leader,” Vijayan noted in his condolence message.

Opposition leader

Ramesh Chennithala

said Kerala has lost one of the symbols of idealist politics.

Former chief minister V S Achuthanandan said Viswambharan was one of the architects of LDF and had contributed greatly to the progress of left movements.

Cremation will take place at 4pm on Saturday on the premises of his house.


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