Veteran Congress leader Aryadan Muhammed passes away

Aryadan Muhammed was one of the most prominent and influential Muslim faces of Congress in the Malabar region. He was elected from the Nilambur constituency eight times and served as a minister for four terms.

Kozhilode: Veteran Congress leader Aryadan Muhammed, 87, passed away on Sunday. He was under treatment for age-related illnesses at a private hospital in Kozhikode. His body will be kept at his residence for the public to pay homage today. The funeral will be held on Monday.

Aryadan Muhammed was born on May 15, 1935 as the son of Unneen and Kadiyumma. He was one of the most prominent and influential Muslim faces of Congress in the Malabar region. He was elected from the Nilambur constituency eight times and served as a minister for four terms.

When A Group of Congress aligned with the CPM in 1980, Aryadan became the Minister for Labour and Forests in the ministry headed by EK Nayanar (January 1980 to October 1981). He served as the Minister for Labour and Tourism in the ministry headed by A K Antony from April 1995 to May 1996. He held the portfolio of Electricity in the ministry headed by Oommen Chandy (2004–2006). In the second Oommen Chandy Ministry from 2011 to 2016, Muhammed was the Minister for Power and Transport.

Aryadan joined Congress in 1952 and became a member of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee in 1958. He also served as the president of the Malappuram congress committee and a state leader of the INTUC.

Aryadan had been an alleged accused in the murder of communist leader K Kunhali in 1969. However, he was acquitted by the court.

Meanwhile, political leaders in the state mourned the death of Aryadan Muhammed. Opposition leader V D Satheesan said Aryadan will be remembered as a brilliant parliamentarian. “I consider him as my Guru in politics. He shared his knowledge of budget and constitution with me. He had deep knowledge in the constitution,” he said. IUML national general secretary P K Kunhalikutty said Aryadan inspired several youngsters to work for the Congress. “His demise is a big loss to the UDF,” he said. Former MP Sebastian Paul said Aryadan worked to give the Congress an upper hand over the IUML in Malabar.