Narayanacancercentre at 13:53, 25 April 2026

2026-04-25T13:53:32Z

New page

{{Short description|Indian freedom fighter and politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = K. P. Gopalan
| image =
| birth_name =
| image_size =
| caption =
| office = Minister of Industries and Community Development, [[Government of Kerala]]
| term_start = April 5, 1957
| term_end = September 31, 1959
| predecessor =
| successor = [[K. A. Damodara Menon]]
| office1 = Member of the [[Madras Legislative Assembly]]
| constituency1 = [[Payyannur]]
| term_start1 = 1952
| term_end1 = 1956
| office2 = Member of the [[Kerala Legislative Assembly]]
| constituency2 = Kannur-2
| term_start2 = 1957
| term_end2 = 1959
| successor2 =
| birth_date = {{birth date text|1908}}
| birth_place = Puthiyaparamba, [[Malabar District]], [[British India]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|1977|04|20|1908}}
| death_place =
| party = [[Communist Party of India]]
| father =
| mother =
| spouse =
| children =
| website =
}}
'''K. P. Gopalan''' (1908-1977) was a [[Communist Party of India]] politician, minister, freedom fighter and a trade unionist from [[Kerala]], India. He was first elected to the [[Madras Legislative Assembly]] in 1952. During his term as a member of the [[Kerala Legislative Assembly]], he was appointed the first Minister for Industries and Community Development of the state.

==Biography==
K. P. Gopalan was born in 1908, in Puthiyaparamba in present-day [[Kannur district]] of [[Kerala]].<ref name="stateofkerala">{{cite web |last1=Suresh |first1=Sreelakshmi |title=Kerala State - Everything about Kerala |url=http://www.stateofkerala.in/niyamasabha/k_p_gopalan.php |website=www.stateofkerala.in |language=en |access-date=20 May 2022 |archive-date=11 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231211064203/https://stateofkerala.in/niyamasabha/k_p_gopalan.php |url-status=dead }}</ref> His parents were Mankil Kannan and Kotiyath Kalyani.<ref name="Bhaskaran">{{cite book |last1=C. |first1=Bhaskaran |title=Keralathile Communist Prasthanam, Adya pathikar |date=2010 |publisher=Chintha Publishers |isbn=81-262-0482-6 |pages=206–211}}</ref> He was educated at Chirakkal Rajas High School and Kannur Municipal High School.

He died on April 20, 1977.<ref name="stateofkerala"/>

==Career and activism==
Gopalan, who was attracted to the [[Indian freedom struggle]] after his schooling, was a volunteer in the [[Salt Satyagraha]] march of 1930. He was arrested for the first time for participating in the Salt March held under the leadership of [[K. Kelappan]].<ref name="Bhaskaran"/> He started his political career as a member of [[Indian National Congress]]. While in Ballari prison, he came in contact with national leaders. From them he learned socialist ideas. He became an active member of the Abhinava Bharat Yuvasangham, formed in Kannur and existing in [[Kasaragod]] and [[Chirakkal, Kannur|Chirakkal]] taluks.<ref name="Bhaskaran"/> He who was a member of the Socialist Group of the Indian National Congress, reached the Communist ideology through the [[Congress Socialist Party]]. Gopalan joined the [[Communist Party of India]] in the Parappuram Conference where left-wingers of the Congress Socialist Party joined the Communist Party, in 1939.<ref name="stateofkerala"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Party History |url=http://cpimkerala.org/eng/history-2.php |archive-url=https://archive.today/20131001154103/http://cpimkerala.org/eng/history-2.php |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-10-01 |website=archive.ph |date=1 October 2013}}</ref> Gopalan presided over the Parappuram Conference.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Daily |first1=Keralakaumudi |title=പാറപ്രത്തെ കനൽക്കാഴ്ചകൾ |url=https://keralakaumudi.com/news/news.php?id=775944&u=local-news-kannur-775944 |work=Keralakaumudi Daily |language=en}}</ref> During his political career, he spent more than 16 years in prison.<ref name="ministers">{{cite web |title=Ministers of Kerala |url=http://www.niyamasabha.org/codes/Ministers%20Book%20Final.pdf |publisher=[[Kerala Niyamasabha]]}}</ref>

Gopalan had been active in the trade union movement since 1935. He along with Pamban Madhavan tried to organize the weavers in Kannur but failed. After that he actively participated in the Farook workers' strike along with [[P. Krishnapillai]].<ref name=flp1>{{cite news|title=ഫറോക്കിലെ പണിമുടക്കം|publisher=Mathrubhumi daily|date=March 4, 1935 |language=ml}}</ref> As a [[trade union]]ist He also held several positions including president of Kerala Trade Union Congress and vice president of All India Motor Workers' Union.<ref name="niyamasabha">{{cite web |title=Members - Kerala Legislature |url=http://www.niyamasabha.org/codes/members/m188.htm |website=www.niyamasabha.org}}</ref>

After independence he was elected member of the [[Madras Legislative Assembly]] from [[Payyannur]] constituency, in 1952 general elections and served as the Deputy Leader of Opposition in that Assembly.<ref name="stateofkerala"/> In the 1957 general election, the first election after the formation of Kerala state, he contested and won from Kannur-2 constituency. He became the Minister of Industries in the [[First Namboodiripad ministry]]. When the Communist government was dissolved, he concentrated in political activism in Kannur, where he took over the leadership of the party-led evening newspaper ''Janamunnani''. When the Communist Party of India split in 1964, he remained steadfast in the CPI, but later joined the [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)|CPI (M)]].

==Books on him==
In 2021 [[Kerala Bhasha Institute]] published biography of Gopalan named ''K. P. Gopalam Jeevithavum Rashtreyavum'' which literally means 'K. P. Gopalan - Life and Politics'. In the introduction to the book, author dr. Chinthavila Murali describes that the book is about a visionary revolutionary who fought for the poor till the end of his life and lived as a poor man.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Muraḷi |first1=Chinthavila |title=K.P. Gopalan Jeevithavum Rashtreeyavum |date=March 2021 |publisher=[[Kerala Bhasha Institute]] |location=Tiruvanantapuraṃ |isbn=9789390520190}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gopalan, K. P.}}
[[Category:1908 births]]
[[Category:1977 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian National Congress politicians from Kerala]]
[[Category:Communist Party of India politicians from Kerala]]
[[Category:Communist Party of India (Marxist) politicians from Kerala]]
[[Category:Malayali politicians]]
[[Category:Kerala MLAs 1957–1959]]
[[Category:Indian independence activists from Kerala]]
[[Category:Madras MLAs 1952–1957]]
[[Category:Industries ministers of Kerala]]

K. P. Gopalan - Revision history

Narayanacancercentre at 13:53, 25 April 2026