E. M. S. Namboodiripad
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| E.M.S. Namboodiripad | |
 The stamp released by Indian Postal Dept. in honour of E.M.S. in 2001 |
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Former Chief Minister of Kerala
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| Born | June 13, 1909 Perinthalmanna, Kerala |
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| Political party | Communist Party of India (Marxist) |
| Spouse | Arya Antarjanam |
| Children | 2 sons and 2 daughters |
| As of Oct 30, 2007 Source: Government of Kerala |
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Elamkulam Manakkal Sankaran Namboodiripad, (Malayalam: ഏലങ്കുളം മനക്കല് ശങ്കരന് നമ്പൂതിരിപ്പാട്) (June 13, 1909 – March 19, 1998), popularly known as EMS, was an Indian Communist leader and the first Chief Minister of Kerala.He was renowned as a socialist and a Marxist theorist.
EMS was born on June 13, 1909, the son of Parameswaran Namboodirippad, at Elamkulam, in Perinthalmanna taluk of the present Malappuram district.In his early years, he was associated with V. T. Bhattathiripad, M. R. Bhattathiripad and many others in the fight against the casteism and conservatism that existed in the Namboothiri community. He became one of the office bearers of Valluvanadu Yogaskshema Sabha, an organization of progressive Namboothiri youth. During his college days, he was deeply associated with the Indian National Congress and Indian Independence Movement.
In 1934, he was one of the founder leaders of Congress Socialist Party, a socialist wing within the Indian National Congress and was elected as its All India Joint Secretary from 1934 to 1940. During this period he was also elected to the Madras Legislative Assembly (1939).
He remained committed to socialist ideals and his compassion towards the downtrodden working class made him join the ranks of the Communist movement. He was considered to be one of the founders of the Communist Party of India (CPI) in Kerala, for which he had to go in hiding for some time. During the Sino-Indian war in 1962, he was among those leaders who aired China's view on the border issue. When the CPI split in 1964, EMS stood with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)). He served as a member of the Central Committee and the Politburo of the CPI(M), before becoming its General Secretary in 1977, a designation he held until 1992. He was a member of the party Politburo until his death.
During his political career, EMS was defeated only once in the public elections. That was during 1952, when he lost to K.P.Kuttikrishnan Nair (the founder leader of Trade Union Movement in India) of the Indian National Congress by a huge margin from the Kozhikode constituency. In 1957, EMS led the Communists to victory in the first election for the state government, making him the first communist leader anywhere to head a popularly elected government.On 5th April 1957 he was appointed as the first chief minister of Kerala.His government soon introduced the Land Reform Ordinance and Education Bill. His government was dismissed in 1959 by the Central Government, which invoked the controversial Article 356 of the Indian Constitution following what became later known as the 'Liberation Struggle'. He became the Chief Minister of Kerala for the second time in 1967 as the leader of a seven-party coalition including the Muslim League. This time his tenure lasted for two and a half years.
Communism in India
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Communist Party of India |
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Communist Party of India (Marxist) |
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Naxalbari uprising |
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Socialist Unity Centre of India |
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A. K. Gopalan |
| Communism Portal |
EMS was the Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly from 1960 to 1964 and again from 1970 to 1977. He influenced Kerala society by his vision on decentralization of power and resources (People's Plan) and the Kerala Literacy Movement. He authored several books in English & Malayalam. Chintha Publication,Kerala has published all his books in title, E M S SANCHIKA . He was well-known as a journalist also.
EMS died on March 19, 1998. He was married to Smt. Arya Antarjanam and had two sons and two daughters.
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| Preceded by (none) |
Chief Minister of Kerala 1957–1959 |
Succeeded by Pattom Thanupillai |
| Preceded by R. Sankar |
Chief Minister of Kerala 1967–1969 |
Succeeded by C. Achutha Menon |
