Former Kerala minister P Cyriac John passes away

Kozhikode: Senior Congress leader and former minister P Cyriac John died on Thursday, party sources said here.

He was 90.

An active Congress member since 1952, John was elected to the fourth Kerala Legislative Assembly from Kalpetta constituency as a Congress (Requisitionists) representative.

Subsequently, he won three times from the Thiruvambady constituency in the fifth, sixth, and seventh Kerala assembly as a Congress member.

John served as minister for agriculture from May 24, 1982 to August 29, 1983 in the K Karunakaran-led cabinet.

He had a longstanding involvement in the cooperative sector, holding positions such as president of the Service Cooperative Bank in Thamarassery and the president of the Kerala State Cooperative Marketing Federation.

He had also served as a member of the Rubber Board.

John was a member of the KPCC Executive and served as the president of the Karshaka Congress State Committee, the farmers' wing of the KPCC.

Known for his contributions to the progress of the Malabar region, John led a life dedicated to uplifting the people in the area.

He switched from Congress to NCP for a brief period and held the position of state president in that party. In 2007, he returned to the Congress.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan, and AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal expressed condolences over his demise.