TRIVANDRUM, 3 June — Former Kerala Chief Minister K. Karunakaran’s daughter is all set to plunge into full time politics by assuming charge of the Congress party faction led by him.
Padmaja Venugopal, the only daughter of Karunakaran, said that since her brother K. Muraleedharan had assumed charge as president of the state Congress, it was her duty to help her father in his group’s activities.
“Now that Muraleedharan has been appointed the new Congress president in the state and has said that the president would have no groups, it is my duty to help my father in all the group’s activities,” Padmaja said. “Muraleedharan as an individual would have one. The president is for the entire party. It is no takeover in the real sense,” she added.
Padmaja made her political debut on April 20 by delivering her maiden political speech at a rally for Congress candidate Savithiri Laksman in the state’s Chalakudy constituency. “Right now I am leaving for the United States on June 4 and would not be back until June 18. This visit of mine is to prospect for expanding my export business venture. I would be speaking to various business houses in Virgina and New York,” Padmaja said.
Padmaja runs three successful business ventures — Pallika Exports, the Pallika Studio and a travel agency. She employs around 50 people and has a net worth of close to 7.5 million rupees. Apart from these, she is also a successful producer of television serials.
“After I return on June 18, I would be plunging full time into politics from June 20, where I would be attending and speaking at various party meetings. There is no edging out Muraleedharan because he has a different role to play as he is the president of the Congress in the state and my role would be different,” she said.
No stranger to politics, Padmaja entered the field almost a decade back when she took center stage in dealing with all her father’s political activities. She was largely instrumental in ensuring Karunakaran’s victory at the 1997 parliament elections from the Trivandrum constituency after he had lost the polls from Thrissur.
Padmaja now shuttles between Trivandrum and Cochin. She spends 15 days of the month helping her aging father who is based in the state capital. Reports here indicate that she has taken full charge of her father’s office and meets all those who come calling on her father.
