PM condoles death of ‘valued’ Congress colleague Karunakaran

NEW DELHI - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday condoled the death of senior Congress leader K. Karunakaran and described him as a true patriot who served Kerala and the country with deep commitment and untiring zeal.

In his condolence message, Manmohan Singh said that Karunakaran would be long remembered for his love of his people, his concern and sensitivity to the problems of the poor and the underprivileged, and his administrative wisdom.

“On a personal note, I had the privilege of benefitting from Karunakaranji’s wisdom and experience many times. He was generous with his advice, which was always sagacious. I will miss him as a senior leader, a valued colleague in the Congress party and a close friend,”

He was a true patriot who served his country and Kerala with deep commitment and untiring zeal in a public career spanning more than six decades, the message further said.

Earlier, Congress president Sonia Gandhi in her message described Karunakaran as a national leader who was the voice of secularism and national integrity.

“The party has lost not only a great leader from Kerala but also a national leader who was a voice of secularism and national integrity,” she said.

Karunakaran died at a hospital in Thiruvananthapuram Thursday, at age 92.