Former finance minister and veteran communist leader V.Viswanatha Menon passed away. He was aged 93. Cremeation will be held today evening. He was in charge of finance portfolio from 1987 to 1991 in E.K.Nayanar ministry.
Menon was elected to the State legislature from Thrippunithura Assembly constituency and had also served as the Member of Parliament twice. He was a former member of the State Committee of CPI (M).
Menon entered politics during his student life at the age of 13. As a student, he fought against the British rule. Earning the wrath of the authorities, he was suspended from Sri Rama Varma High School.
Later in 1947, he expelled from Maharajas College, Ernakulam, for protesting against the call to hoist Kochi royal’s flag along with the Indian flag. Menon also served a three-year jail term for various political reasons including the Edapally police station attack case in 1950.
He went underground for more than two years after the police station attack which had left two policemen dead, sparking off brutal police action across central Kerala.
The police station was attacked by a group of young Communists in protest against the police action against Communists following the ban imposed on its activities in the country.
Popularly known as “Ambadi Viswam,” Menon was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1967 and was also a member of Rajya Sabha from 1974 to 1980.
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