Kozhikode (Kerala), March 3 Former Union Minister K P Unnikrishnan, who was considered one of the prominent figures in Indian politics during the 1980s and 1990s, died in the early hours of Tuesday, his family said.
He was 89 years old.
He died while undergoing treatment for age-related ailments at a private hospital here, they said.
His cremation will be held at the Manari crematorium here on Wednesday.
People from various walks of life visited his home in Panniyankara after his body was brought there for the family members and the public to pay their last respects.
Having been elected to the Lok Sabha six consecutive times from Vadakara, he served as a Union Minister in the V P Singh Cabinet, holding the portfolios of Surface Transport and Communications during 1989–90.
During his tenure as Minister, he oversaw the evacuation of Indians during the Gulf War.
Beginning his professional life as a journalist, Unnikrishnan was first elected to the Lok Sabha from Vadakara in 1971 as a Congress candidate.
He subsequently represented the constituency in the Lok Sabha in 1977, 1980, 1984, 1989 and 1991.
Between 1981 and 1984, he served as the leader of Congress (Secular) in Parliament, and from 1980 to 1982 he was a member of the Public Accounts Committee.
A close associate of V K Krishna Menon, Unnikrishnan was at one time a trusted confidant of Indira Gandhi.
However, he later left the Congress following political differences.
He was active in the Congress (U) and Congress (S) before returning to the Congress in 1995.
Born on September 20, 1936, he was educated at Madras Christian College in Chennai and completed his law degree from that city.
During this period, he was associated with the Socialist Party and later the Praja Socialist Party.
In the 1960s, he joined the Indian National Congress and became a member of the All India Congress Committee in 1962.
Condoling the demise of Unnikrishnan, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said he had attempted to preserve Nehruvian values within the Congress.
Unnikrishnan was a Keralite who stood tall in national politics, he said.
"At crucial moments, the nation listened to his positions," the Chief Minister said, paying tribute to "the strong national advocate of democratic secular politics".
In his condolence message, Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan said Unnikrishnan was a Congressman with a socialist conviction who had protested socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia’s opposition to Jawaharlal Nehru.
He said that, beyond being a politician, Unnikrishnan was also a writer, orator and journalist.
"He was a person who acquired profound scholarship through reading," he said, adding that the demise of Unnikrishnan was an irreparable loss to Indian politics.