K M Mani –A profile

By Pooja Jayan

K. M MANI 

 

If there's one man that Kerala politicians - existing and aspiring - would like to emulate, it would be   none other than the  veteran  politician  K.M. Mani, who has been contesting assembly polls since 1965. K M Mani, a stalwart in Kerala politics who holds the record of having presented a maximum number of eight budgets as state finance minister, has once again adorned the garb of a minister in the United Democratic Front ministry. Karingozhakkal Mani (K. M. Mani) is the leader of Kerala Congress (M), one of the factions of the Kerala Congress. He holds the distinction of being the longest serving minister in the Government of Kerala. Palai ,has seen just Mani as its legislator because right from the time the constituency came into being in 1965, it has been his pocketborough and thus  holds the record of getting elected from the same Constituency the maximum number of times.

He was one of the founding members of the Kerala Congress. He was minister for Home Affairs (April 1977 to September 1978 and again October 1978 to July 1979), Finance and Law (January 1980 to October 1981, December 1981 to March 1982, May 1982 to March 1986) Irrigation and law (1987) Revenue and law (June 1991 to March 1996 and from 2001 to 2006) Mr Mani also presented working class theory as an alternative to the communist manifesto. As an alternative to European Economic Community, he had suggested Asian Economic Community by incorporating China. Smt. Annamma Mani is his wife and they have one son and five daughters .Mr Mani's son Jose K Mani is a member of the Lok Sabha from Kottayam.

Mani's biggest margin of victory was in the 1996 polls which he won by 23,790 votes and his least was in 1970 when he won by a mere 364 votes. 

Being a  gifted writer, he has authored many books also, “Fiscal Problems of Kerala-Causes and Remedial Measures”, “The People’s Socialism'', "The Eighth Five year Plan-an Alternative Approach", "Doctrine of Toiling Class", "The Economic Development of Kerala", "Toiling Class Theory'' and "Political and Economic Studies" to name just a few.