Kerala: Assembly convenes, leaders pay homage to veteran leader Mani

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala assembly convened on Monday and was adjourned after paying tribute to veteran Kerala Congress(M) leader KM Mani who was an MLA for 52 long years and passed away last month.

The late leader Mani, one of India’s longest-serving legislators and representative of Pala constituency in Kottayam, passed away at a private hospital in Kochi on April 9.

Kerala speaker P Sreeramakrishnan remembered KM Mani and said,  there would be no other leader who can be replaced as Mani.

Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan also said that all the legislators should learn from the leader’s punctuality and Mani always believed that he had always something new to learn every moment.  

Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala added that Mani as his political guru. He said there won't be another leader like Mani in Kerala. 

Mani remained as an important cabinet figure in the years 1975-77, 77-79, 80-81, 81-86, 87, 91-96, 2001-06 and 2011-2015 as he handled key portfolios of finance, law, revenue and irrigation. He has also held the record for presenting the highest number of budgets in the state – 13.

He had served as chairman of the empowered committee of state finance ministers on Goods & Services Tax (GST) from March-November 2015.

In 2015 he had to resign as the finance minister as he was accused of taking bribes in exchange for providing licenses to bars and pubs serving alcohol.

The court originally charged Mani as the only accused in the bribery case following a probe conducted by the vigilance. Mani was acquitted after two investigation reports submitted by Kerala Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) during the tenure of the UDF government.

The court had refuted these reports following demands from several leaders including VS Achuthanandan. The VACB later acquitted Mani in the third report as well.

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