Quick Info→
Age: 76 Years
Hometown: Kumbalangi, Kochi
Wife: Sherly Thomas
| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Kuruppassery Varkey Thomas [1]Sixteenth Lok Sabha Members Bioprofile- K. V. Thomas |
| Nickname(s) | Prof. Thomas, Thomas Mash, KVT [2]Google Books- For The Grains |
| Profession(s) | Professor, Trade Unionist, Writer, Social Worker, Agriculturist, Politician |
| Politics | |
| Political Party | Indian National Congress |
| Positions Held |
As an MP • Member of Committee on Official Language • Member of Library Committee • Member of the Committee on Subordinate Legislation from 1984 to 1989 • Member of the Consultative Committee on the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Tourism, and Ministry of Defence from 1984 to 1996 • Member of the Joint Committee on Salaries and Allowances of Members of Parliament from 19 January 1990 to 7 August 1990 • Member of the Consultative Committee on the Ministry of Civil Aviation in 1990 • Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution from 27 May 2009 and 18 January 2011 • Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) in Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution • Member of Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs • Member of Cabinet Committee on Prices • Member of Group of Ministers on Agreement on Trade in Goods under the Comprehensive Economic co-operation Agreement (CECA) • Member of Group of Ministers (GOM) regarding review of the Fertilizer Policy • Member of Group of Ministers to consider issues relating to World Trade Organisation • Member of Core Group of Central Ministers and State Chief Ministers regarding prices of Essential Commodities • Member of Empowered Group of Ministers to review the situation and take quick and timely decisions on policy issues as well as on other issues for effective management of drought and related issues • Member of Empowered Group of Ministers to consider issues concerning procurement Management of food grain stocks, revision of Central issue prices of food grains and the proposed law on Food Security • Member of Panel of Chairpersons in Lok Sabha from 9 June 2014 to 12 December 2014 • Member of the House Committee from 12 June 2014 to 22 August 2014 • Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) from 14 August 2014 to 30 April 2017 • Member of Standing Committee on Urban Development • Member of Consultative Committee on Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers • Member of Committee on Scrutiny of Budget Estimate of Lok Sabha • Member of General Purposes Committee • Member of Joint Committee on the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Second Amendment) Bill, 2015 • Member of House Committee As an MLA • Minister of Tourism, Excise Minister, and Minister for Fisheries (2001-2004) |
| Awards, Honours, Achievements | • Awarded Best Tourism Minister by Pacific Asia Travel Writer’s Association (PATWA) (2003) • Recognised as Ambassador for Peace by the Universal Peace Federation Inter Religious and International Federation for World Peace (2005) |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 10 May 1946 (Friday) |
| Age (as of 2022) | 76 Years |
| Birthplace | Kumbalangi, Kochi, India |
| Zodiac sign | Taurus |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Kumbalangi, Kochi, India |
| School | St. Peter’s Higher Secondary School, Kumbalangi, Ernakulam |
| College/University | Sacred Heart College, Kochi, Kerala |
| Educational Qualification | Master of Science in Chemistry [3]Sixteenth Lok Sabha Members Bioprofile- K. V. Thomas |
| Religion/Religious Views | K. V. Thomas is follower of Latin Christianity (also known as Roman Christianity). [4]The Times of India He hails from the Kochi diocese of the Latin Community. [5]The Times of India |
| Food Habit | Vegetarian/Non-vegetarian [6]citation |
| Address |
Permanent Address Prof. K.V. Thomas Road, Thoppumpady, Kochi – 682 005, Kerala Present Address |
| Hobbies | Fishing, Listening to music, Reading books, Writing, Gardening, Playing chess and badminton |
| Controversies |
Surya TV forgery case An intelligence report was faxed to the Chief Minister A. K. Antony’s office in 2002 allegedly linking the Tourism and Fisheries Minister K. V. Thomas to Rs 330 crore hawala scam. The news made headline when a reporter of Surya TV named Anil Nambiar beemed the letter on his channel accusing Thomas of participating in the scam. However, A. K. Antony later declared that it was a forged document. After a month, Anil Nambiar confessed that it was Congress MLA Sobhana George who had lent him the fraudulent document. Soon after, a non-bailable arrest warrant was issued for the arrest of Sobhana George. The court held that Sobhana was a victim of groupism among the Congress Party and ruled out the case against her. [7]The New Indian Express Corruption Charges Disciplinary Action by Congress |
| Relationships & More | |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Marriage Date | 12 April 1970 |
| Family | |
| Wife/Spouse | Sherly Thomas (former teacher at Sacred Heart College, Kochi, who later started running a small distribution agency in consumer goods called Sherly’s with her daughter) |
| Children |
Son(s)-2 • Biju Thomas (elder; works as a Senior Director at Mashreq Bank, Dubai) • Joe Thomas (younger; serves as a doctor in the hospital Aster Medcity, Kerala) Daughter– Rekha Thomas (runs a small distribution agency in consumer goods called Sherly’s with her mother) |
| Parents |
Father– Kuruppassery Devassey Varkey Mother– Rosa Varkey (homemaker) |
| Siblings | Brother– Joseph Kuruppassery |
| Money Factor | |
| Assets/Properties |
Movable Assets • Cash: Rs 1,25,000 • Deposits in Banks, Financial Institutions and Non-Banking Financial Companies: Rs 41,51,959 • Motor Vehicles: Rs 9,13,251 • Jewellery: Rs 1,00,000 • Other assets, such as values of claims/interests: Rs 2,19,577 Immovable Assets • Non-Agricultural Land: Rs 17,98,059 • Residential Buildings: Rs 87,52,639 (Myneta.info)) |
| Net Worth (approx.) | Rs 1,40,72,754 [11]Myneta.info |
Some Lesser Known Facts About K. V. Thomas
- K. V. Thomas is an Indian professor, trade unionist, writer, social worker, agriculturist, and politician.
- Before venturing into politics, K. V. Thomas served as a professor at Sacred Heart College, Kochi in the Department of Chemistry for 33 years. He retired from the college as the Head of the Department of Chemistry.
- In 2004, he began his journey as a writer when he published the Malayalam language book titled ‘Ente Kumbalangi,’ which centred around his native village, Kumbalangi.
Ente Kumbalangi
Later, he published numerous Malayalam language books including Kumbalangi Flash, Sonia Priyankari, Villaku Marangal, and For The Grains.
- In 1970, K. V. Thomas started his career as a politician when he joined the Indian National Congress.
- After serving as the General Secretary of Ernakulam District Congress Committee from 1978 to 1987, he held the position of President of the Ernakulam District Congress Committee from 1987 to 2001.
- As a candidate of INC, Thomas contested the 1984 general elections from Ernakulam Lok Sabha constituency and won the seat defeating A. A. Kochunny, a candidate of the Indian Congress (Socialist) party, by 70,324 votes.
- Later, he was served as an AICC observer for Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Lakshadweep.
- He became a member of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in 1984.
- As a candidate of INC, Thomas contested the 1989 general elections from the Ernakulam Lok Sabha constituency and won the seat defeating independent candidate P. Subramnoian Poti by 36,465 votes.
- As a candidate of INC, Thomas contested the 1991 general elections from the Ernakulam Lok Sabha constituency and won the seat defeating V. Viswanatha Menon, a candidate of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)), by 47,144 votes.
- Later, he became a member of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (Kerala PCC). He was the Treasurer of Kerala PCC from 1992 to 1997.
- As a candidate of INC, Thomas contested the 2001 Kerala Legislative Assembly elections from the Ernakulam Assembly constituency and won the seat defeating the independent candidate Sebastian Paul by 11844 votes.
- As a candidate of INC, Thomas contested the 2006 Kerala Legislative Assembly elections from the Ernakulam Assembly constituency and won the seat defeating CPI(M) candidate M M Lowranace by 5800 votes.
- As a candidate of INC, Thomas contested the 2009 general elections from the Ernakulam Lok Sabha constituency and won the seat defeating the CPI(M) candidate Sindhu Joy by 11,790 votes. Consequently, Thomas resigned from his post as MLA.
- As a candidate of INC, Thomas contested the 2014 general elections from the Ernakulam Lok Sabha constituency and won the seat defeating the independent candidate Christy Fernandez by 87,047 votes.
K. V. Thomas celebrating his victory in the 2014 general elections with his family
- Although K. V. Thomas wanted to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from the Ernakulam Lok Sabha constituency, INC denied him the party ticket. Thereafter, the party fielded Hibi Eden from the constituency. Eden won the elections defeating CPI(M) candidate P. Rajeev.
- In 2022, CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan accused Congress of neglecting and sidelining leaders like K V Thomas, which belonged to minority communities. Balakrishnan cited the speech that Rahul Gandhi delivered in Jaipur in which he encouraged the establishment of a rule of Hindus in India after expelling the Hindutva government from the Centre. [12]The Times of India
- In 2022, while Thomas was anticipating his removal from the state political affairs committee and the executive committee of KPCC, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan (from CPM) assured him political asylum if Congress ousted him. Thomas rejected the offer extended by Balakrishnan saying,
Party positions are like tables and chairs. If that is taken away and I am given a stool, I have no problem with that. I will continue to remain a Congressman.”
- He is fond of fishing, listening to music, reading books, writing, and gardening. In his leisure, he also likes to play chess and badminton.
K. V. Thomas planting flowers in his garden
- He owns a Honda City.
- Thomas is an avid dog lover and has a pug named Archie. He posts various pictures with Archie on his social media account.
K. V. Thomas with his pug, Archie
References/Sources:[+]
| ↑1, ↑3 | Sixteenth Lok Sabha Members Bioprofile- K. V. Thomas |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | Google Books- For The Grains |
| ↑4 | The Times of India |
| ↑5 | The Times of India |
| ↑6 | citation |
| ↑7 | The New Indian Express |
| ↑8 | Gulf News |
| ↑9 | The Times of India |
| ↑10 | Onmanorama |
| ↑11 | Myneta.info |
| ↑12 | The Times of India |