View source for Lonappan Nambadan

{{short description|Indian politician}}
{{EngvarB|date=November 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}}
{{no footnotes |date= June 2018}}
{{Infobox Indian politician
| name                = Lonappan Nambadan
| image               = 
| caption             = 
| birth_date          = {{Birth date|df=yes|1935|11|13}}
| birth_place         = [[Thrissur]], British India
| residence           = [[Thrissur]], Kerala
| death_date          = {{death date and age|df=yes|2013|6|5|1935|11|13}}
| death_place         = [[Kochi]], India
| office              = Member of Legislative Assembly
| constituency        = [[Irinjalakuda Assembly Constituency| Irinjalakuda]]
| term                = 1982- 2001
| predecessor         = Jose Thanickal
| successor           = [[Thomas Unniyadan]]
| party               = [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)|CPI(M)]]
| religion            = 
| spouse              = Annie P.C.
| children            = 1 son and 2 daughters
| website             = 
| footnotes           = 
| date                = 23 September|
| year                = 2006|
| source              = https://web.archive.org/web/20060623125742/http://164.100.24.208/ls/lsmember/biodata.asp?mpsno=4181
}}

'''Lonappan Nambadan''' (13 November 1935 – 5 June 2013) was an Indian politician from [[Kerala]]. He was member of the [[Kerala Legislative Assembly]] from six terms from 1977 - 2001 and was a state minister in two [[E. K. Nayanar]] ministries. He was a member of the [[14th Lok Sabha]] of India. He represented the [[Mukundapuram (Lok Sabha constituency)|Mukundapuram]] constituency of [[Kerala]] and was a member of the [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]] (CPI(M)) political party.

==Biography==
Nambadan was born on 13 November 1935 at [[Perambra, Thrissur|Perambra]], as the son of Nambadan Kuriappan and Plamena. After passing SSLC and TTC, he took to the teaching profession, before he became active in public life. He entered politics in 1957 through [[Indian National Congress]] and worked as its local President. He was elected to [[Kodakara]] panchayat in 1963. He joined [[Kerala Congress]] the next year when it was formed and became its President, Kodakara Constituency Committee.

Nambadan was elected to the Kerala Legislative Assembly in 1977, 1980 and 1982 from Kodakara constituency as a Kerala Congress Candidate. On 15 March 1982, Nambadan voted against the [[K. Karunakaran]] -led UDF government which was surviving on the casting vote of Assembly Speaker [[A. C. Jose]]. This led to the resignation of the Ministry. Nambadan who was one of the founding leaders of the Kerala Congress resigned from the party. Nambadan had in public cut the veins on his hand earlier to sabotage the attempts of some rebel members led by the E. John Jacob to split the Kerala Congress.

In 1987, 1991 and 1996 Nambadan contested from [[Irinjalakuda (State Assembly constituency)|Irinjalakuda constituency]] as an Independent candidate backed by the LDF. Nambadan served as Transport Minister from 25 January 1980 to 20 October 1981 and as Housing Minister from 2 April 1987 to 17 June 1991, both terms when E. K. Nayanar was the Chief Minister. Nambadan had long fought for the declaration of Malayalam as the official language used in official transactions of the state. He had burnt English copies of legislative bills in the Assembly hall and his supporters had to undergo several days of imprisonment for shouting slogans demanding introduction of Malayalam as official language. A formal declaration to this effect was made by the state government in 2012.

In 2004 he was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Mukundapuram constituency, defeating Karunakaran's daughter [[Padmaja Venugopal]] by a margin of more than a lakh votes.

Popularly known as Nambadan Mash (short for master), he was known for his quirky oratorical skills and theatrics which he used unsparingly in attacking rivals. A theatre activist, he had acted in two films. He played the late Bengal Chief Minister [[Jyoti Basu]] in [[Shaji N. Karun]]'s documentary film on Communist leader [[A. K. Gopalan]], titled ''AKG''. Nambadan also authored a few books including the collection ''Ningalude Swantham Nambadan''.

==Posts held==
* 1977 - 2001 : Member, Kerala Legislative Assembly (six terms)
* 1980-1982: Minister, Transport, Government of Kerala
* 1987-1991 Minister, Housing, Government of Kerala
* 2004-2009: Member, [[14th Lok Sabha]]

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060623125742/http://164.100.24.208/ls/lsmember/biodata.asp?mpsno=4181 Members of Fourteenth Lok Sabha - Parliament of India website]
* [http://deshabhimani.com/newscontent.php?id=307639 Obituary by Sebastian Paul]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nambadan, Lonappan}}
{{14th LS members from Kerala}}
[[Category:Communist Party of India (Marxist) politicians from Kerala]]
[[Category:1935 births]]
[[Category:2013 deaths]]
[[Category:14th Lok Sabha members]]
[[Category:Politicians from Thrissur]]
[[Category:Lok Sabha members from Kerala]]
[[Category:Kerala MLAs 1977–1979]]
[[Category:Kerala MLAs 1980–1982]]
[[Category:Kerala MLAs 1982–1987]]
[[Category:Kerala MLAs 1991–1996]]
[[Category:Kerala MLAs 1996–2001]]