Kerala governor Arif Mohammad Khan on Friday remembered late MP Veerendra Kumar as a humanist who stood for compassion and justice, and called him a crusader for protection of environment.
Speaking at a commemorative meet held here on Friday on the first death anniversary of former Mathrubhumi Managing Director, writer, and politician MP Veerendra Kumar, the Governor said that he was a versatile genius.
"At a personal level my association began with him in 1986 when I resigned from the council of ministers. Veerendra Kumar extended his full support through his speeches and even wrote editorial. He invited me to speak in three public functions in Kerala on the issue of protection of marital right of Muslim women," said Arif Mohammad Khan.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that Veerendra Kumar was a leader who was determined to defeat the destructive forces of communalism.
"Despite having difference of opinions, both of us maintained a healthy relationship for a long time. We were imprisoned during the Emergency and our friendship began from there. Though we followed two different ideologies, the values he upheld led us to maintain a personal relationship. He was a strong presence in the Assembly and the Parliament. He was a noted literary and a cultural figure," Vijayan remembered at the meet.
Kerala Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader O Rajagopal, MP Abdussamad Samadani (MP), Kanam Rajendran (CPI state secretary), Manju Mohan (Socialist Party Leader and Social Worker), T Padmanabhan (Writer), Gopalakrishna Gandhi, Sunita Narain, C Srinivasan, PV Chandran and son of Veerendra Kumar MV Shreyams Kumar (MP) participated in the meet.
( With inputs from ANI )
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