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Prakash Karat Age, Wife, Family, Biography

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Wife: Brinda Karat
Hometown: Palakkad, Kerala
Age: 76 Years

Prakash Karat's photo

Bio/Wiki
ProfessionPolitician
Physical Stats
Height (approx.)5' 10" (178 cm)
Eye ColourBlack
Hair ColourSalt and Pepper
Politics
Political PartyCommunist Party of India (Marxist)
Communist Party Of India (Marxist) Symbol
Political Journey• Became an active member of student politics while studying at the University of Edinburgh
• Worked as an aide to the CPI(M) Leader A.K. Gopalan (1971-1973)
• Became one of the founder and President of the Student Federation of India (SFI) in Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi (1973)
• Elected as the third president of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union
• Became the Second president of the Student's Federation of India between 1974 and 1979
• Worked underground during the Emergency of India (1975-1976)
• Served as the Secretary of the Delhi State Committee of the CPI(M) (1982-1985)
• Elected to the Central Committee of the CPI(M) (1985)
• Became a member of 'Politburo' (1992)
• General Secretary of the CPI(M) (2005-2015)
Personal Life
Date of Birth7 February 1948 (Saturday)
Age (as of 2024)76 Years
BirthplaceLetpandan, Burma (Now Myanmar)
Zodiac signAquarius
SignatureA signature of Prakash Karat
NationalityIndian
HometownPalakkad, Kerala
SchoolMadras Christian College Higher Secondary School, Chennai
College/University• Madras Christian College, Chennai
• University of Edinburgh, UK
• Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi
Educational Qualification(s)• B.A. in Economics from Madras Christian College
• M.A. in Political Science from University of Edinburgh
• MSc from University of Edinburgh
• PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University
CasteNair
ControversyInvolvement in NewsClick Funding Scam
In 2023, he was accused of being involved in a foreign funding scam with an independent media outlet named NewsClick funded by the American businessman Neville Roy Singham known for promoting Chinese propaganda. The Enforcement Directorate found out his email exchanges with Neville, where he talked about the government restricting investments and imports from China which will harm India. The ED also found that NewsClick recieved over Rs. 86 crore in foreign funds which were used to support various individuals and causes connected to left wing politics, including Prakash Karat. [1]The Telegraph
Relationships & More
Marital StatusMarried
Marriage Date7 November 1975
Family
Wife/SpouseBrinda Karat (Activist, Politician)
Prakash Karat with Brinda Karat
ParentsFather- Padmanabhan Nair (Clerk in the Burma Railways)
Mother- Radhamma
A childhood photo of Prakash Karat with his parents
Other RelativesSister-In-Law- Radhika Roy (Journalist)

A picture of Prakash Karat

Some Lesser Known Facts About Prakash Karat

  • Prakash Karat belonged to a Maliyali Nair family in Kerala.
  • He lived in Palakkad, Kerala till age five and later moved with his family to Burma.
  • After completing his schooling, he secured the first prize in an all-India essay competition on the topic of the Tokyo Olympics as a result in 1964, he was sent on a ten-day tour to the Tokyo Olympics.
  • On the graduation day, he won the best all-round student prize at Madras Christian College in Chennai.
  • He was encouraged by one of his professors Duncan B. Forrester and got a scholarship to study master’s in politics at the University of Edinburgh in the UK.
  • In 1970, he completed his thesis on Language and Politics in modern India.
  • After joining student politics at the University of Edinburgh, UK, he was rusticated from the university for anti-apartheid protests which later was suspended due to his good behaviour.
  • Some of the associates who worked with him while he became the president of the Student Federation of India were N. Ram, Mythili Sivaraman, and P. Chidambaram.
  • During the 1975-1976 Emergency of India, he was arrested twice and spent eight days in prison.
  • Some of the books that he has written are Language, Nationality and Politics in India (1972), A World to Win-Essays on the Communist Manifesto (1999), and Across Time and Continents: A tribute to Victor Kieran (2003).
  • In July 2008, he announced that CPI(M) would withdraw support from the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) over the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal.
  • As of 2024, he is an active senior member of the Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India and focuses on internal party affairs, strategy, and debates.

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