Congress MP K Suresh at the Parliament House complex during the first session of 18th Lok Sabha, in New Delhi.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Kodikkunnil Suresh always remembers his mother whenever someone reaches out to him seeking help.
After the death of his father when he was just around ten years old, it was his mother Thankamma who raised him and his six siblings by doing manual labour. Suresh along with other siblings helped his mother by selling the grass she cut in local market.
His mother ensured that the siblings went to school and Suresh got into college and earned his LLB degree. A Dalit by birth, his early life experiences made him work for the welfare of the scheduled castes.
At 62 years of age and after eight terms in Lok Sabha, Suresh has not forgotten what he went through as a boy and has now grown into become the face of a battle the Opposition is waging against the Narendra Modi government.
He knows it may be a losing battle but Suresh, who was Congress Chief Whip in the previous Lok Sabha, is very clear that it is always not about numbers. "This is a fight to save Parliamentary democracy, Parliament's convention and Constitution," he said.
Deriving his first name Kodikunnil from where he was born on 4 June, 1962, he was first elected to Lok Sabha in 1989 from Kerala's Adoor constituency. He continued his winning streak in 1991, 1996 and 1998 but lost in 1998 though he regained his seat a year later but only to lose in 2004, which was his only second defeat in electoral politics.
Since 2009, he has won all Lok Sabha elections from Mavelikara constituency and has been Minister of State for Labour in UPA-II.
In 2009, he had a scare when Kerala High Court declared his election invalid though the Supreme Court later restored it on appeal. His rival had claimed that Suresh had produced a fake caste certificate and that he was a Christian. The Supreme Court rejected the contentions.
At that time, Suresh had blamed some sections within his party and opposition parties for filing the case which he saw as a conspiracy.
Entering the competitive world of politics in Kerala through students’ politics, Suresh rose through to become a Special Invitee in the Congress Working Committee. Presently, he is also a Working President of Congress in Kerala.
With seniority on his side, he has been considered for the post of Congress’ Kerala president whenever a vacancy arises. However, various considerations kept the post away from him.