Ruling party speaker passes away

AICC member and Kerala Assembly Speaker G Karthikeyan (66) died at a private hospital in Banglore today.

He is survived by wife and two sons.

G Karthikeyan died at Health Care Global (HCG) hospital in Bangalore after battling with liver cancer.He was undergoing treatment at the Health Care Global (HCG) hospital in Bengaluru after being diagnosed with cancer of the liver.Karthikeyan, who was lodged in the ICU, breathed his last around 10.35 am on Saturday.Karthikeyan was a prominent Congress leader who twice served as a minister in the state cabinet and was elected to the assembly six times.

Karthikeyan was a two-time minister in UDF governments in Kerala.He served as Minister for Electricity (Government of Kerala) in the Ministry headed by A.K.Antony in 1995 and was the Minister for Food and Civil Supplies in the A.K.Antony Ministry in 2001.Karthikeyan is known for clean image in the state politics.

He started political career as an activist of the Kerala Students Union (KSU), the student wing of Congress.Mourning his death, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, "My condolences to the family & well-wishers of Kerala Assembly Speaker, Shri G.Karthikeyan on his demise.May his soul rest in peace." "Shri G.Karthikeyan will be remembered as a grassroots leader who dedicated his life to serving the people of Kerala," he added.