C. Achutha Menon | |
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4th Chief Minister of Kerala | |
In office 1 November 1969 – 1 August 1970 |
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Constituency | Kottarakkara |
In office 4 October 1970 – 25 March 1977 |
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Constituency | Kodakara |
Personal details | |
Born |
Thrissur, Kingdom of Cochin, British India |
13 January 1913
Died | 16 August 1991 Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India |
(aged 78)
Political party | Communist Party of India (CPI) |
Spouse(s) | Ammini Amma |
Residence | Thrissur, Kerala |
As of 26 January, 2009 Source: Legislators of Kerala |
Chelat Achutha Menon (13 January 1913 – 16 August 1991) was the Chief Minister of Kerala state for two terms. The first term was from 1 November 1969 to 1 August 1970 and the second 4 October 1970 to 25 March 1977. He was instrumental in starting number of institutions and development projects in Kerala. Achutha Menon was the only politician who adorned the chief minister ship of Kerala for two consecutive terms. He led the then United Front to a thumping electoral victory in Kerala when Congress party was routed in elections in other parts of India.
Born to Madathil Veettil Achutha Menon (after whom he was named) and Lekshmykutty Amma at Puthukkad, Thrissur District on 13 January 1913. His brother in law V.V. Raghavan was also a Communist Party of India politician from Thrissur city. V.V. Raghavan was the Member of Parliament from Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency, in 1996 and 1998. He was married to Ammini Amma, and had three children.
Being a brilliant student, he studied on merit scholarship throughout his student life, and stood first in the SSLC examination in the then State of Kochi. He is a former student of Church Mission Society High School, Thrissur (CMSHSS, Thrissur) And after finishing the intermediate level in St. Thomas College, Thrissur, he continued his college education in the St. Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli Madras. There he won a gold medal for academic excellence and was a role model for other fellow students. Menon, then went on to study Law in Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram and scored the highest marks in Hindu Law. After the B.L. degree, he started legal practice in various courts of Thrissur, during which time he began to get involved in many social issues.