K. Radhakrishnan Age, Caste, Wife, Family, Biography

Bio/Wiki
Profession	Politician
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	5' 9" (175 cm)
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Black
Politics
Political Party	Communist Party of India (Marxist)
Political Journey	• Elected to the Thrissur District Council from the Vallathol Nagar division in 1991 • Elected as an MLA from Chelakkara in 1996 • Served as Minister for the Welfare of Backward and Scheduled Communities and Youth Affairs from 1996 to 2001 • Re-elected as an MLA from Chelakkara in 2001 • Re-elected as an MLA from Chelakkara in 2006 • Re-elected as an MLA from Chelakkara in 2011 • Served as Speaker of Kerala Legislative Assembly from 3 June 2006 to 13 May 2011 • Became Central Committee Member of CPI(M) • Re-elected as an MLA from Chelakkara in 2021 • Became Minister for Welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes, Devaswoms, and Parliamentary Affairs in the Government of Kerala in 2021 • Won the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from the Alathur seat in Kerala
Personal Life
Date of Birth	24 May 1964 (Sunday)
Age (as of 2024)	60 Years
Birthplace	Pullikkanam Vagamon, Kerala
Zodiac sign	Gemini
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Thrissur, Kerala
School	• Aided Upper Primary School, Thonoorkara, Kerala • SMTGHSS, Chelakkara, Kerala
College/University	Sree Kerala Varma College, Thrissur, Kerala
Educational Qualification	BA in Economics (1985-1988)
Religion	Hinduism [1]K. Radhakrishnan -Facebook
Caste	Dalit [2]The Indian Express
Food Habit	Non-vegetarian
Address	Vadakkevalappil House, Thonnoorkara P.O., Chelakkara, Thrissur -680610
Hobbies	Reading books, Watching sports and cinema
Controversies	• Booked for Unlawful Assembly and Rioting: His 2021 election affidavit depicted that he faced legal action for being a member of an unlawful assembly, rioting, deterring a public servant from discharge of his duty, etc. He was accused under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), namely 143, 147, 149, 283, 332, and 353, at the Thiruvananthapuram Cantonment Police Station. [3]MyNeta • Revealing the Name of A Rape Victim: In November 2016, Youth Congress activists filed a complaint against K. Radhakrishnan for revealing the name of the rape victim in the Wadakkanchery sex scandal during a media interaction. He revealed the victim's name while explaining the CPI(M)'s decision to suspend Wadakkanchery municipal councillor Jayanthan. Apparently, Jayanthan was accused of sexual molestation by a party membership. The complainant also said that when someone warned him to not expose the victim’s identity, he said that if Jayanthan’s name could be disclosed, the victim’s name too could be. The police initiated a preliminary probe into the complaint. [4]Deccan Chronicle
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Unmarried
Family
Parents	Father- M.C. Kochunni Mother- Chinna
Money Factor
Assets/Properties	Movable Assets • Cash: Rs 3,500 • Deposits in Banks: Rs 1,01,651 • Bonds, Debentures and Shares: Rs 10,000 Immovable Assets • Non-Agricultural Land: Rs 7,50,000 • Residential Buildings: Rs 16,00,000 Note: The given estimates of the movable and immovable assets are according to the financial year 2020-21. It does not include assets owned by dependents. [5]MyNeta
Net Worth (as of 2021)	Rs 19,73,759 Note: It does not include the net worth of dependents. [6]MyNeta

Some Lesser Known Facts About K. Radhakrishnan

• Radhakrishnan’s interest in politics developed during his formative years. He became a dedicated member of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), a left-leaning student organization often associated with the CPI(M). Thereafter, he assumed various roles, including serving as the Unit Secretary of Sree Kerala Varma College, a member of the Thrissur District Secretariat, Secretary of the DYFI Chelakkara Block Committee, a member of the DYFI State Committee, National President of the Dalit Soshan Mukti Manch (D.S.M.M.), State President of the Farm Workers’ Union (C.t.U.), State President of the Kerala Samsthana Kaliman Patra Nirmana Thozhilali Union (K.P.N.T.U.), and President of the Steel & Industrial Forging Ltd. (S.I.F.L.) Union.
  

  An old picture of K. Radhakrishnan and Mathai Chacko

• During his college years, Radhakrishnan actively participated in student protests against the government’s education policy, during which he endured severe police brutality. He was actively involved in the issues of agricultural labourers and led protests alongside them.

• Furthermore, his involvement with the Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad and the Total Literacy Movement helped him establish connections with the community.

• He talked about what inspired him to become a communist in an interview and said,
  

  My family believed in communism. We lived in an era of inequality and exploitation. The communist party fought against social evils and, naturally, we were inspired by the movement. The ideology changed the world order.”

• In 2021, a person named Ajith from Kachani was taken into custody for making threat calls to the official phone line of K. Radhakrishnan. The minister brought this incident to light during the inauguration of an electronic office set up at the Directorate of Scheduled Castes Development. It was reported that the calls were linked to the ongoing investigation into the mishandling of funds designated for the welfare of Scheduled Castes, which were provided by the Central Government.
  

  Central Committee member, CPI(M) K. Radhakrishnan on his campaign trail contesting from Chelakkara constituency in 2021

• In September 2023, Radhakrishnan made headlines when he shared an incident involving caste discrimination that occurred during a ceremony where he was lighting a lamp to inaugurate the Nadapanthal (temple porch) at the Payyanur Nambiatrakovval Siva Temple, which falls under the Devaswom board. This incident took place on 26 January 2023, and video footage of it went viral on the internet in September 2023, resulting in legal action against the two priests involved. According to Radhakrishnan, the chief priest refused to hand him the ceremonial lamp because he belonged to the Dalit community. Instead, the chief priest gave the lamp to an assistant priest, who also hesitated to pass it to him and eventually placed it on the floor. The Minister expressed feeling humiliated by the behaviour of the priests and temple officials. This incident sparked public outrage, with many questioning how ordinary devotees might be treated if a minister faced such discrimination. However, it later came to light that this incident of alleged untouchability was a ‘misunderstanding’ related to the temple’s rituals. The State committee of the Akhila Kerala Thanthri Samajam clarified that the priests who perform ‘deva pujas’ do not touch anyone, regardless of whether they are Brahmin or non-Brahmin until the ritual is completed. The samajam also raised questions about whether there was an ulterior motive behind bringing up the incident and turning it into a controversy eight months later. They argued that many were unfairly insulting the temple’s head priest and his community based on the Minister’s statement without knowing the complete truth. The samajam accused Radhakrishnan of misinterpreting an innocent act and creating communal tension in society. ^[7]The Hindu

• In August 2023, the actor Salim Kumar, who is known for his work in Mollywood, made a humorous comment directed at the government led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in Kerala in the midst of a controversy surrounding Speaker AN Shamseer’s speech comparing science to myths. Kumar playfully suggested renaming the Devaswom minister as the “mythism” minister and jokingly referred to the offerings made at temples as “myth-money” on social media. Alongside this statement, he shared a picture of K Radhakrishnan, who is the Kerala Minister for Devaswoms, and emphasized that “change should begin from administrative centres.” The political dispute in Kerala began when Speaker Shamseer, during an event in Ernakulam on July 21, criticized the promotion of myths over science while speaking to school children. He mentioned a statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had used Lord Ganesha as an example of ancient plastic surgery in one of his speeches. This statement drew objections from the BJP, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Nair Service Society (NSS), and others, with the BJP even filing a police complaint against Speaker Shamseer.