Gouri Amma
Kerala's tallest woman politician Gouri Amma passes away
Thiruvananthapuram/UNI: Kerala's tallest woman politician K R Gouri Amma, who has been admitted to a private hospital here due to age related illness, passed away on Tuesday.
The former Minister and Janadhipathya Samrakshana Samithy (JSS) leader was undergoing treatment in the ICU at PRS Hospital here since the last two weeks.
The JSS leader, who was shifted from her residence in Alappuzha to the house of a relative in Thiruvananthapuram, has been admitted to the hospital due to fever, breathing trouble and urinary infection.
Gouri Amma, who is the longest-serving MLA of the state after K M Mani of the Kerala Congress (M), contested the Assembly elections 11 times and could win on eight occasions.
Born in 1919 at Pattanakad in Alappuzha district, she is one of the founding leaders of the Communist movement in the state and was elected to the Travancore Council of Legislative Assembly in 1952 and 1954.
The veteran politician was the first female law student from the Ezhava community in the state. She was a Minister in the communist-led Ministries in Kerala in 1957 (EMS Namboothiripad cabinet), 1967, 1980, and 1987.
Gouri Amma also became a Minister in the Congress-led Cabinet from 2001 to 2006 and is the second longest serving MLA in Kerala Legislative Assembly.
She had served as Minister for Revenue, Excise and Devaswom from April 1957 to 1959; Revenue, Civil Supplies, Sales Tax, Excise and Social Welfare from March 1967 to October 1969, Agriculture and Social Welfare from January 1980 to October 1981, Industries, Social welfare, Vigilance and Administration of Justice from March 1987 to June 1991.
After graduating in law, the former Minister joined Communist Party in 1946 and actively participated in Trade Union and Peasant Movements.
She was jailed on a number of occasions for participating in political activities.
Gouri Amma was the President of Kerala Karshaka Sangham from 1960 to 1984, President of Kerala Mahila Sangam from 1967 to 1976 and its Secretary from 1976 to 1987.
The Land Reforms in Kerala is one the greatest achievements of Gowri Amma. It was she who piloted the revolutionary Land Reform Bill for the Communist Government.
The veteran politician, a member of CPI (M) State Secretariat, was expelled from the Party in 1994. Later, she formed JSS.
In 2019, the Left Government announced a year-long birthday celebration for Gowri Amma to celebrate her 100th birthday in the state.
She was born as the seventh daughter of Arumuri Parambil Parvathi Amma and Kalathilparambil Raman in an aristocratic Ezhava family.
Under the influence of elder brother and trade union leader KR Sukumaran, Gouri Amma had entered the world of politics at a time when women hardly found themselves in politics.
She married TV Thomas (popularly known as TV) in 1957, and this was part of the history of the Communist movement, too.
Thomas was also another tall leader of the movement.
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