The Assembly on Monday paid glowing tributes to senior Congress leader and Thrikkakkara MLA P.T. Thomas who passed away last year.
The House, in an obituary reference, remembered Thomas, a four-time legislator who passed away on December 22 last, as a forthright person who remained steadfast to his ideals both as an individual and a social activist.
Speaker M.B. Rajesh, who was a fellow parliamentarian of the late legislator when the latter had represented the Idukki Lok Sabha constituency for a term, remembered Thomas as a leader who used to probe shortcomings in governance and bring them to the attention of House for corrective steps. During his stint at the Lok Sabha, he studiously observed the proceedings and exercised utmost discipline while never skipping even a single session throughout the five-year term.
Mr. Rajesh also expressed sorrow when he recounted his last meeting with Thomas at the private hospital in Vellore where he died. The late legislator had then remained confident of attending the ongoing Budget session of the Assembly.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan remembered Thomas as a rare leader who never sacrificed his ideals, notwithstanding the repercussions his actions brought him. The isolation he had suffered when he adopted a stance that contravened his party’s policy on the Western Ghats conservation issue too could not weaken his unflagging belief. He also remained a dedicated servant for his people and stood by them during trying times whenever he was a member of the Lok Sabha and the Legislative Assembly.
Crediting Thomas for having initiated him into politics, Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan called him a crusader of the environment for which he would go to great lengths to protect. Reminiscing the efforts he had made in the national capital against the alleged lottery mafia in 2010, Mr. Satheesan also remembered Thomas as a political leader who unrelentingly strived to take campaigns to their logical conclusions.
Water Resource Minister Roshy Augustine, Transport Minister Antony Raju and representatives of various other parties including E. Chandrasekharan, P.K. Kunhalikutty, P.J. Joseph and Mathew T. Thomas also paid tributes to the late leader.
