Former Union Minister and media baron MP Veerendra Kumar passes away

Kochi: Former union minister, media baron, Rajya Sabha member and Loktantrik Janata Dal leader, MP Veerendra Kumar died at a private hospital in Kozhikode on Thursday at 11.30 pm, after he was hospitalized following a cardiac arrest. He was 84.

Veerendra Kumar was Managing Director of Malayalam daily Mathrubhumi. The several posts he held in his career include, Chairman of Press Trust of India Ltd., and President of the Indian Newspaper Society.

He parted ways with Nitish Kumar in 2017 and quit Janata Dal (United) when the latter joined hands with the BJP. Veerendra Kumar told reporters in Delhi then that he was even ready to quit the Upper House to pursue his fight against "fascist forces."

He was born to M.K.Padmaprabha Gowder (late member of Madras Legislative Assembly, a socialist and a planter) and Marudevi Avva on July, 1936 at Kalpetta, an old Jain settlement, in Wayanad district of Kerala.

Veerendra Kumar was reportedly inducted into the socialist part by none other than Jayaprakash Narayan. He had been all-India treasurer of the Samyukta Socialist Party from 1968 to 1970.

He went to prison during the emergency and his assets was confiscated by the government. He served as union minister of state in the HD Deve Gowda and I.K Gujral governments.

The CPI (M) mouthpiece Deshabhimani, in its obit, described Veerendra Kumar as a 'veteran socialist leader' while the Mathrubhumi announced the death of its MD describing it as 'End of an Era.'

Veerendra Kumar and his son M.V.Shreyams Kumar, a legislator representing Kalpetta constituency and also the joint managing director of Mathrubhumi, have faced fair share of controversies.

It is a moot question whether the daily still enjoys the kind of patronage it did once.

Veerendra Kumar's body has been taken to his residence in Chalappuram. On Friday, it will be taken to his home town in Wayanad. The final rites will be held on Friday evening.
He is survived by wife Usha, children Asha, Nisha, Jayalakshmi and Shreyams Kumar.

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, prime minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi among others condoled the death of Veerendra Kumar.