<p>Kerala Governor M.O.H. Farook maintained cordial relations with his opponents and groomed many political leaders, Congress leaders in his home state of Puducherry said Friday, a day after his death.<br /><br />"He was a very learned politician and trained many in politics, including me. Puducherry politics stabilised after his entry. He was friendly with everybody," V. Vaithilingam, a former chief minister of Puducherry, told IANS over phone.<br /><br />"Farook was a versatile politician and had held several important posts like speaker and chief minister of Puducherry at a very young age. He used to maintain cordial relations with everybody, including his political rivals, a rare quality," E. Valsaraj, former home minister of Puducherry, told IANS over phone.<br /><br />Suffering from multiple myeloma - cancer of plasma cells - 75-year-old Farook passed away at the Apollo Hospital in Teynampet here around around 9.20 p.m. Thursday.<br />His body was taken to Puducherry at night and is being kept at his residence for people to pay their last respects. The funeral is scheduled for Friday evening.<br /><br />Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy cancelled his engagements and went to Puducherry to pay his last respects to Farook.<br /><br />Kerala has declared a holiday for all state government offices, and central government offices in the state capital will not function either. Puducherry also declared a government holiday Friday.<br /><br />Farook, also a former union minister, was sworn in as Kerala governor Sep 8 last year. Born in Karaikal, Puducherry, he was a graduate in economics, and was a member of the Puducherry assembly between 1964 and 1991. He was twice the speaker of the assembly.<br /><br />Between March-December 1990, he was the leader of opposition.Thrice elected to the Lok Sabha from Puducherry in 1991, 1996 and 1999, he served as a minister of state for civil aviation and tourism from June 1991 to December 1992 in the P.V. Narasimha Rao government.<br /><br />In 2004, he was appointed the Indian ambassador to Saudi Arabia and held that post till December 2009.<br /><br />Between January 2010 and September 2011, he was governor of Jharkhand.<br />In his younger days, Farook had participated in the struggle for liberation of Puducherry when it was a French colony.<br /><br />He also took part in the struggle for an independent Puducherry when the late Morarji Desai was prime minister between 1977-79. Farook was arrested and lodged in jails in Puducherry and Tamil Nadu.<br /><br />Farook was married to S.A. Kadhija Nachiyal in 1960 and they had one son and two daughters. He was a widower at the time of his death.</p>
<p>Kerala Governor M.O.H. Farook maintained cordial relations with his opponents and groomed many political leaders, Congress leaders in his home state of Puducherry said Friday, a day after his death.<br /><br />"He was a very learned politician and trained many in politics, including me. Puducherry politics stabilised after his entry. He was friendly with everybody," V. Vaithilingam, a former chief minister of Puducherry, told IANS over phone.<br /><br />"Farook was a versatile politician and had held several important posts like speaker and chief minister of Puducherry at a very young age. He used to maintain cordial relations with everybody, including his political rivals, a rare quality," E. Valsaraj, former home minister of Puducherry, told IANS over phone.<br /><br />Suffering from multiple myeloma - cancer of plasma cells - 75-year-old Farook passed away at the Apollo Hospital in Teynampet here around around 9.20 p.m. Thursday.<br />His body was taken to Puducherry at night and is being kept at his residence for people to pay their last respects. The funeral is scheduled for Friday evening.<br /><br />Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy cancelled his engagements and went to Puducherry to pay his last respects to Farook.<br /><br />Kerala has declared a holiday for all state government offices, and central government offices in the state capital will not function either. Puducherry also declared a government holiday Friday.<br /><br />Farook, also a former union minister, was sworn in as Kerala governor Sep 8 last year. Born in Karaikal, Puducherry, he was a graduate in economics, and was a member of the Puducherry assembly between 1964 and 1991. He was twice the speaker of the assembly.<br /><br />Between March-December 1990, he was the leader of opposition.Thrice elected to the Lok Sabha from Puducherry in 1991, 1996 and 1999, he served as a minister of state for civil aviation and tourism from June 1991 to December 1992 in the P.V. Narasimha Rao government.<br /><br />In 2004, he was appointed the Indian ambassador to Saudi Arabia and held that post till December 2009.<br /><br />Between January 2010 and September 2011, he was governor of Jharkhand.<br />In his younger days, Farook had participated in the struggle for liberation of Puducherry when it was a French colony.<br /><br />He also took part in the struggle for an independent Puducherry when the late Morarji Desai was prime minister between 1977-79. Farook was arrested and lodged in jails in Puducherry and Tamil Nadu.<br /><br />Farook was married to S.A. Kadhija Nachiyal in 1960 and they had one son and two daughters. He was a widower at the time of his death.</p>