Pulloli Thomas Chacko (9 April 1915 – 31 July 1964), was an Indian politician from

Kottayam Kottayam () is a municipal town in the Indian state of Kerala. Flanked by the Western Ghats on the east and the Vembanad Lake and paddy fields of Kuttanad on the west. It is the district headquarters of Kottayam district, located in south- ...

in central

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

. A member of the Travancore and Travancore-Cochin Assemblies and the

Constituent Assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

, Chacko served as the first

Leader of Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

of the newly formed state of Kerala ( Namboodiripad ministry). He was also the Home Minister of Kerala holding the additional portfolios of Revenue and Law during the period 196064 ( Pillai and Sankar ministries). Resignation of Chacko from

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

-led cabinet in 1964 resulted in the formation of the regional party Kerala Congress.

Early life

P. T. Chacko was born on 9 April 1915 to Thomas and Annamma of the Pulloli family at Chirakkadavu in

Travancore The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...

. He was married to Mariamma was survived by six children. Chacko graduated from St. Joseph's College,

Trichy Tiruchirappalli () ( formerly Trichinopoly in English), also called Tiruchi or Trichy, is a major tier II city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli district. The city is credited with bein ...

, the

University of Madras The University of Madras (informally known as Madras University) is a public state university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigious universities in India, incorporated by an a ...

after studying in

St. Berchmans College St. Berchmans College, Changanassery (Autonomous), also known as SB College, is one of the first Autonomous Colleges in Kerala. One of the most famous colleges in India, the college has a strength of 3000 students with 800 hostlers. Currently, ...

Changanassery. He continued his studies in law in

Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram also known as GLC Trivandrum is one of the institutions imparting graduate and post graduate legal education in India. Affiliated to the University of Kerala, it is the second law college in Kerala ...

, where as a student leader in 1938, he participated in the anti-colonial struggle and in the agitation against princely state of

Political career

In Travancore

P. T. Chacko was chosen in as President, Kottayam D. C. C. in 1945. He served as a member of Travancore Legislative Assembly from 1948 to 1949. After the integration of the states of

and

Cochin Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

, he served as a member of the Travancore-Cochin Legislative Assembly from 1949 to 1952. Chacko was also the first

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

(1952–53) from Meenachil Constituency. In 1949, Chacko was elected to the

Constituent Assembly of India The Constituent Assembly of India was elected to frame the Constitution of India. It was elected by the 'Provincial Assembly'. Following India's independence from the British rule in 1947, its members served as the nation's first Parliament as ...

. He was the Chief Whip,

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...

, the Travancore Legislative Assembly in 1948, and also acted as Secretary, Congress Legislature Party, Travancore Legislative Assembly.

In Kerala politics

P. T. Chacko was elected to the first Kerala Legislative Assembly from Vazhoor Constituency in 1957 and became the first

of the newly formed state of Kerala. He later played a significant role in the

Liberation Struggle The Liberation Struggle in Kerala (1958–59) was a period of anticommunist protest against the first elected state government in Kerala, India, which was led by E. M. S. Namboodiripad of the Communist Party of India. Organised opposition to ...

against the Communist government in Kerala. He represented Meenachil Constituency in the second Kerala Legislative Assembly and handled the portfolio of Home Affairs, Revenue and Law in the coalition ministry headed by Praja Socialist Party leader

Pattom Thanu Pillai Raja Shri Pattom A. Thanu Pillai (15 July 188527 July 1970) was a participant in the Indian independence movement who later served as the chief minister of Kerala from 22 February 1960 to 25 September 1962. He was known as the 'Bhishmacharya' o ...

from 22 February 1960 to 26 September 1962. In the subsequent cabinet headed by Congress leader R. Sankar, he handled the same portfolios from 26 September 1962 to 20 February 1964. He resigned from the post of Home and Revenue Minister on 20 February 1964. He was defeated in the contest for KPCC presidency in June 1964. Chacko returned to his law practice and continued to work for the Congress Party. The political career ended abruptly when he succumbed to a heart attack on 31 July 1964 at the age of 49. As a defense lawyer, he was visiting a scene of crime in Pulappara Mala in

Thottilpalam Thottilpalam is the second major town (after kuttiady) in north east of Kozhikode district, Kerala.State Highway 54 to Wayanadu district passes through this town. It is 29 km from Vatakara and 5 km from kuttiady. Thottilpalam is t ...

, Kozhikode District.

Legacy

After the death of P. T. Chacko, the Chacko supporters in the Congress Party grouped together and formed the regional party Kerala Congress under the leadership of K. M. George and with the blessings of the Catholic Church and the Nair community leader

Mannath Padmanabhan Mannathu Padmanabhan (2 January 1878 – 25 February 1970) was an Indian social reformer and freedom fighter from the south-western state of Kerala. He is recognised as the founder of the Nair Service Society (NSS), which represents the Na ...

P. C. Thomas

P. C. Thomas, son of Chacko, represented the Muvattupuzha Parliamentary Constituency in

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-p ...

from 1989 to 2009, and also served as the Union Minister of State for Law in the National Democratic Alliance cabinet.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:P. T. Chacko 1915 births 1964 deaths India MPs 1952–1957 Indian independence activists from Kerala Indian National Congress politicians from Kerala Kerala MLAs 1957–1959 Leaders of the Opposition in Kerala Lok Sabha members from Kerala Members of the Constituent Assembly of India Travancore–Cochin MLAs 1949–1952 Politicians from Kottayam Politicians from Thiruvananthapuram Ministers of states and union territories of India Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram alumni