Parliamentarian M.P. Abdussamad Samadani did not mince words to describe his former colleague and socialist leader M.P. Veerendrakumar at the Smrithi Sangamam in Kozhikode on Saturday.
Delivering the commemoration lecture on the second death anniversary of Veerendrakumar, Mr. Samadani described him as a statesman who could be identified with the higher politics, beyond parties and ideologies. “It was not the party that mattered to him, but what it stands for, and he was able to influence people beyond political barriers, with love being his only tool. He understood the need for like-minded people to move together for social causes, irrespective of politics,” Mr. Samadani said.
He recalled how Mr. Veerendrakumar led him to be part of the anti-Coca Cola protest at Plachimada and several other protests where the cause was much larger than politics. “His was a politics that was strongly rooted in spirituality unlike that in which the content is superficial. He was never imprisoned by power. In fact, he felt suffocated when he was a Union Minister for a brief period,” Mr. Samadani recalled.
He said he admired Veerendrakumar’s sense of humour. “He gave a mask of thought to humour while providing the depth of thought to humour,” he observed.
Earlier, in his address, Minister for Ports and Museums Ahammad Devarkovil said Veerendrakumar was a writer, orator, journalist, environmentalist, and thinker, besides being a politician and hence made a distinct mark in society. “Despite having been born in a well-to-do family, he was deeply rooted in socialism and fought for it. He has seen several protests for survival at the same time coming out with some evergreen literary works,” the Minister said.
Loktantrik Janata Dal district president Manayath Chandran presided over the event. BJP leader C.K. Padmanabhan, CPI(M) district secretary P. Mohanan, film producer and Congress leader P.V. Gangadharan, and writer Subhash Chandran were present.
