View source for A. P. Abdullakutty

{{short description|Indian politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2015}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image               = 
| name                = A. P. Abdullakutty
| caption             = 
| birth_date          = {{Birth date and age|1967|05|08|df=y}}<ref name="LokSabha14">{{cite web |title=Abdullakutty, Shri A.P. |url=http://164.100.24.208/ls/lsmember/biodata.asp?mpsno=3 |website=Biographical Sketch Member of Parliament 14th Lok Sabha |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060623125200/http://164.100.24.208/ls/lsmember/biodata.asp?mpsno=3 |archive-date=2006-06-23}}</ref>
| birth_place         = [[Kannur district|Kannur]], [[Kerala]], India
| nationality         = [[India]]n
| death_date          = 
| death_place         = 
| office              = [[Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha]]
| constituency        = [[Kannur (Lok Sabha constituency)|Kannur]]
| term_start          = {{start date|1999}}
| term_end            = {{end date|2009}}
| predecessor         = [[Mullappally Ramachandran]]
| successor           = [[K. Sudhakaran]]
| office2             = [[Member of the Legislative Assembly (India)|Member of the Legislative Assembly]]
| term_start2         = {{start date|2009}}
| term_end2           = {{end date|2016}}
| constituency2       = [[Kannur (State Assembly constituency)|Kannur]]
| predecessor2        = [[K. Sudhakaran]]
| successor2          = [[Kadannappalli Ramachandran]]
| office3             = National Vice President of the Bharatiya Janata Party
| president3          = [[Jagat Prakash Nadda|J. P. Nadda]]
| term_start3         = {{start date|2020|09|26|df=yes}}
| end_date3           = 
| party               = {{ubl|[[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]]{{br}}(till 2009)|[[Indian National Congress]]{{br}}(2009 {{endash}} 2019)|[[Bharatiya Janata Party]]{{br}}(since 2019)}}
| spouse              = {{Marriage|Dr. V. N. Rosina|2000}}<ref name="LokSabha14" />
| children            = 2
| website             = 
| alma_mater          = [[S. N. College, Kannur]]<ref name="LokSabha14" />
| footnotes           = 
| date                = 
| year                = 
| source              = http://164.100.47.194/Loksabha/Members/MemberBioprofile.aspx?mpsno=3&lastls=14
}}

'''Aruvanpalli Puthiyapurakkal Abdullakkutty '''(born 8 May 1967) is an Indian politician. He was elected as the National Vice President of the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] (BJP) on 26 September 2020. He has also served as the BJP Vice President of [[Kerala]] state.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2019/oct/22/former-congress-mla-ap-abdullakutty-made-kerala-bjp-vice-president-2051345.html|title=Former Congress MLA AP Abdullakutty made Kerala BJP vice-president|website=The New Indian Express}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2020/sep/26/kerala-leader-abdullakutty-named-bjp-national-vice-president-vadakkan-gets-spokesperson-post-2202242.html|title=Kerala leader Abdullakutty named BJP national vice president, Vadakkan gets spokesperson post|website=The New Indian Express}}</ref> He is also a former member of [[Lok Sabha]] from [[Kannur (Lok Sabha constituency)|Kannur]] and [[Member of the Legislative Assembly (India)|ex-MLA]] from [[Kannur (State Assembly constituency)|Kannur]] constituency of Kerala state.

==Early life and politics==
He was a leader  during his college days, Abdullakutty became the General Secretary of [[Calicut University]] Student's Union in 1989. He served as Member of the Kannur District Panchayat from 1995 to 1999. He was elected to Parliament from [[Kannur (Lok Sabha constituency)|Kannur Lok Sabha constituency]] twice (1999–2009).and was one of the youngest MP of the country during that time. In 2008,<ref>{{cite news |title=MP calls Modi's development initiatives praiseworthy |url=http://www.zeenews.com/states/2009-01-16/499204news.html |work=ZeeNews.com |date=16 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524153536/http://www.zeenews.com/states/2009-01-16/499204news.html |archive-date=2011-05-24}}</ref> he praised Gujarat Chief Minister [[Narendra Modi]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Now, Abdullakutty hails Modi, wants Kerala to follow his example |url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/now-abdullakutty-hails-modi-wants-kerala-to-follow-his-example/404287 |work=The Indian Express|date=30 December 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Abdullakutty finds out CPM is not India Inc |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/abdullakutty-finds-out-cpm-is-not-india-inc/articleshow/3980270.cms |access-date=30 January 2020 |work=The Economic Times |date=15 January 2009}}</ref> and was expelled from CPI(M) in 2009.<ref name="KDaily">{{cite news |title=A P Abdullakutty to join BJP |url=https://keralakaumudi.com/en/news/news.php?id=87243&u=a-p-abdullakutty-to-join-bjp-87243 |access-date=30 January 2020 |work=Keralakaumudi Daily |date=4 June 2019 |language=en}}</ref> He subsequently joined [[Indian National Congress]].<ref name="KDaily" /> He represented the [[Kannur (Lok Sabha constituency)|Kannur Lok Sabha constituency]] of [[Kerala]] in the 13th and 14th Lok Sabha (two terms) and was a Member of [[Kerala Legislative Assembly]] from 2009 to 2016.

During May 2019, in a Facebook post, Abdullakutty praised some of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's schemes, such as the [[Swachh Bharat Mission]] (cleanliness drive), and the [[Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana]] for free LPG connection.<ref name="ToI_3Jun2009" /> He added that the "NDA's victory was an acceptance of Prime Minister Modi's development agenda and the secret of his success was that he adopted Gandhian values",<ref name="ToI_3Jun2009">{{cite news |title=Congress expels Abdullakutty for praising PM Modi |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/congress-expels-abdullakutty-for-praising-pm-modi/articleshow/69635648.cms |access-date=30 January 2020 |work=The Times of India|date=3 June 2009}}</ref> and further stated that "Through 'Swacchhta Bharat' PM gave toilets to 9.26 crore families also gave free LPG connections to six crore families." After Abdullakutty's favorable appraisal of the prime minister, he was expelled from his party, the Indian National Congress (INC) in June 2019.

After a meeting with [[Narendra Modi]] and [[BJP]] President [[Amit Shah]] on 24 June 2019, Abdullakutty was invited to join the BJP, and he formally joined [[BJP]] on 26 June 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/kerala-congress-mla-ap-abdullakutty-meets-pm-modi-and-amit-shah-to-join-bjp-soon/articleshow/69939107.cms|title=Kerala Congress MLA AP Abdullakutty meets PM Modi and Amit Shah; to join BJP soon|website=The Times of India}}</ref> Abdullakutty received the BJP membership from party working president [[J. P. Nadda]], Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, [[V. Muraleedharan]], [[Dharmendra Pradhan]], Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Minister of Steel, [[Bhupender Yadav]], Member of Parliament in the [[Rajya Sabha]] and National General Secretary of the BJP, [[Rajeev Chandrasekhar]], MP (Upper house) and the vice-chairman of the [[Kerala]] wing of [[Bharatiya Janata Party]]-led coalition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was among those present to greet him. He contested as NDA candidate in 2021 Malappuram Lok Sabha bye-election against IUML Candidate M P AbduSamad Samadani and SFI national president [[V. P. Sanu|VP Sanu]] and lost in a big margin.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-03-08|title=AP Abdullakutty is BJP candidate for Malappuram bypoll, CPM likely to name VP Sanu|url=https://indianexpress.com/elections/ap-abdullakutty-is-bjp-candidate-for-malappuram-bypoll-cpm-likely-to-name-vp-sanu-7219808/|access-date=2021-03-09|website=The Indian Express|language=en}}</ref>

==Controversies==
On 17 January 2009, CPI(M) Mayyil Area committee suspended Abdullakutty from the party for one year for praising the then Gujarat Chief Minister [[Narendra Modi]]'s Gujarat development model.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.news18.com/news/politics/cpm-suspends-mp-abdullakutty-for-praising-modi-306475.html |title=CPM suspends MP Abdullakutty for praising Modi |work=IBNLive |author=<!-- no byline -->|date=17 January 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/expelled-by-cpm-congress-for-pro-modi-views-kerala-leader-ap-abdullakutty-joins-bjp-5801347/|title=Expelled by CPM, Congress for 'pro-Modi views', Kerala leader joins BJP|date=26 June 2019}}</ref>

On 11 March 2014, Kerala Police registered an FIR against Kannur [[Member of the Legislative Assembly (India)|MLA]] AP Abudullakutty on rape charges based on the complaint filed by solar scam accused Saritha S Nair on Monday. In her complaint Saritha Nair alleged that she was raped by Abdullakutty at Mascot hotel in [[Thiruvananthapuram]] prior to her arrest in the solar scam. Cantonment women's police in Thiruvananthapuram said that no date or time of the incident is mentioned in her complaint.<ref>{{Cite web|date=March 11, 2014|first=J.|last=Binduraj|title=FIR filed against Kannur MLA based on rape charges by Saritha S Nair|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/south/story/saritha-s-nair-ap-abudullakutty-rape-charges-solar-scam-kannur-mla-184507-2014-03-11|access-date=2021-06-02|website=India Today|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=CBI Takes Over Solar Scam Probe, Case Against Top Kerala Congress Leaders |url=https://www.ndtv.com/kerala-news/solar-panel-case-cbi-case-against-top-congress-leaders-in-kerala-over-solar-panel-scam-2512225|last=|date=17 Aug 2021|work=NDTV}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* {{cite news |last1=Nazeer |first1=Mohamed |title=Abdullakutty's expulsion triggers speculation |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/Abdullakuttyrsquos-expulsion-triggers-speculation/article16632812.ece |work=The Hindu |date=9 March 2009 |language=en-IN |url-access=subscription}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060623125200/http://164.100.24.208/ls/lsmember/biodata.asp?mpsno=3 Members of Fourteenth Lok Sabha - Parliament of India website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090122203916/http://abdullakutty.com/newsarticles.html Abdullakutty MP | News Articles]
* [https://hindigovtscheme.com/pm-ujjwala-yojana-apply-online/ Abdullakutty Ujjwala Yojana ]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090118210503/http://mathrubhumi.com/php/newFrm.php?news_id=123339&n_type=HO&category_id=1 Mathrubhumi]
* [http://in.rediff.com/news/2008/oct/15inter.htm 'I am a Communist who believes in God']

{{13th LS members from Kerala}}
{{14th LS members from Kerala}}
{{Bharatiya Janata Party}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abdullakutty, A. P.}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1967 births]]
[[Category:Politicians from Kannur]]
[[Category:Indian Muslims]]
[[Category:13th Lok Sabha members]]
[[Category:14th Lok Sabha members]]
[[Category:Malayali politicians]]
[[Category:Kerala politicians]]
[[Category:Indian National Congress politicians from Kerala]]
[[Category:Lok Sabha members from Kerala]]
[[Category:Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Kerala]]
[[Category:Kerala MLAs 2011–2016]]