S. Krishna Kumar (born 6 September 1939) is an Indian former IAS officer, technocrat, and politician from

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, 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 ...

. He was a former leader of

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...

in Kerala and joined the

Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; , ) is a political party in India and one of the two major List of political parties in India, Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. BJP emerged out from Syama Prasad Mukherjee's ...

on 20 April 2019. He has been elected to the Lok Sabha three times during 80s and 90s, and was also a minister in the Rajiv Gandhi ministry and

Rao ministry P. V. Narasimha Rao was sworn in as Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Union Cou ...

. He served as a member of the

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, also known as the House of the People, is the lower house of Parliament of India which is Bicameralism, bicameral, where the upper house is Rajya Sabha. Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by a ...

representing Quilon (Lok Sabha constituency). He was elected to 8th, 9th and

10th Lok Sabha The 10th Lok Sabha, (20 June 1991 – 10 May 1996) elected during 1991 Indian general election held during May–June 1991. The Lok Sabha (House of the People) is the lower house in the Parliament of India, four sitting members from Rajya Sabha, ...

Personal life

He was born in Kowdiar in erstwhile

Travancore The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

(present-day

Thiruvananthapuram district Thiruvananthapuram District () is the List of districts of Kerala, southernmost district in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. The district was created in 1949, with its headquarters in the city of Thiruvananth ...

, India) on 6 September 1939 as son of C. P. Shankara Pillai. He got married in June 1970 to Usha Krishna Kumar, who later became the general secretary of

All India Mahila Congress All India Mahila Congress (AIMC), also referred to as Mahila Congress, is the women's wing of the Indian National Congress (INC). It was founded in 1940 to promote the political and social empowerment of women in India. Currently Alka Lamba he ...

. He has two children, one son and a daughter. His daughter was married to the family of

Khushwant Singh Khushwant Singh FKC (born Khushal Singh, 2 February 1915 – 20 March 2014) was an Indian author, lawyer, diplomat, journalist and politician. His experience in the 1947 Partition of India inspired him to write '' Train to Pakistan'' in 1956 ( ...

. He is currently settled in Delhi.

Career

He completed graduation in Mechanical engineering from

University of Kerala University of Kerala (formerly known as University of Travancore) is a state-run public university in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital of Kerala, India. It was established in 1937 by a promulgation of the Maharajah of Travancore, Chithi ...

with gold medal in the year 1960.

Bureaucrat

He cleared the

Indian Civil Service The Indian Civil Service (ICS), officially known as the Imperial Civil Service, was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British Raj, British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947. Its members ruled over more than 3 ...

exam and joined the

Indian Administrative Service The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is the Public administration, administrative arm of the All India Services of Government of India. The IAS is one of the three All India Services along with the Indian Police Service (IPS) and the Indian ...

in the year 1963. While in service he served as

District magistrate The district magistrate, also known as the district collector or deputy commissioner, is a career civil servant who serves as the executive head of a district's administration in India. The specific name depends on the state or union territo ...

Ernakulam district Ernakulam (; ISO: ''Eṟaṇākuḷaṁ'') is one of the List of districts of Kerala, 14 districts in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala, and takes its name from the Ernakulam, eponymous city division in Kochi. ...

from 1969 to 1973. During this period he spearheaded

family planning Family planning is the consideration of the number of children a person wishes to have, including the choice to have no children, and the age at which they wish to have them. Things that may play a role on family planning decisions include marit ...

and

land reforms Land reform (also known as agrarian reform) involves the changing of laws, regulations, or customs regarding land ownership, land use, and land transfers. The reforms may be initiated by governments, by interested groups, or by revolution. Lan ...

projects in the district. This efforts helped Kerala reduce population growth and ensure fair redistribution of land. He is also regarded as the architect of 'modern

Kochi Kochi ( , ), List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the Ernakulam district, district of Ernakulam in the ...

' because of efforts to develop city into a modern city through institutions such as Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA)and also he was founding chairman of GCDA from 1976 to 1980. He has also served in the capacities of Civil Supplies Commissioner, Industries Commissioner, Principal Secretary (Industries, Local Administration, Urban Development, Fisheries & Social welfare) in

Government of Kerala The Government of Kerala (abbreviated as GoK), also known as the Kerala Government, is the administrative body responsible for governing the Indian States and territories of India, state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who ...

Politics

He quit

and entered politics in 1980 through

and K. Karunakaran as his mentor. He expected a seat in

1982 Kerala Legislative Assembly election The elections to the Seventh Kerala Assembly were held on May 19, 1982. Background After the election of 1980, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) formed a government led by E. K. Nayanar. By 20 October 1981, LDF lost their majority in the Ass ...

but that didn't came through. However he was appointed as the chairman of HLL Lifecare, a central Public sector undertaking. It was a loss making entity and was transformed into a leading

Condom A condom is a sheath-shaped Barrier contraception, barrier device used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy or a Sexually transmitted disease, sexually transmitted infection (STI). There are both external condo ...

and medical accessories manufacturer in Asia. Then he moved to

Kollam Kollam (;), is an ancient seaport and the List of cities and towns in Kerala, fourth largest city in the Indian state of Kerala. Located on the southern tip of the Malabar Coast of the Arabian Sea, the city is on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake ...

and started becoming active in Trade union activities of Cashew industry in Kollam. In 1984

CAPEX Capital expenditure or capital expense (abbreviated capex, CAPEX, or CapEx) is the money an organization or corporate entity spends to buy, maintain, or improve its fixed assets, such as buildings, vehicles, equipment, or land. It is considered ...

the only

cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, coöperative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomy, autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned a ...

in cashew sector was started in his leadership. Soon he got elected into

from

Kollam (Lok Sabha constituency) Kollam Lok Sabha constituency formerly Quilon Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 20 Lok Sabha constituencies in Kerala state in southern India. Assembly segments Kollam Lok Sabha constituency is composed of the following assembly segments: ...

in the

8th Eighth is ordinal form of the number eight. Eighth may refer to: * One eighth, , a fraction, one of eight equal parts of a whole * Eighth note (quaver), a musical note played for half the value of a quarter note (crotchet) * Octave, an interval b ...

, 9th and

. He was a

Union Minister The Union Council of Ministers is the Cabinet (government), principal executive organ of the Government of India, which serves to aid and advise the President of India in execution of their functions.Article 74 of the ''Constitution of India' ...

handling Ministries of Health and Family Welfare, Textiles, Information and Broadcasting from 1984 to 1989 in Rajiv Gandhi ministry and Ministries of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Defence, Non Conventional Energy and Agriculture in

from 1991 to 1996. He worked for universalisation of Television in India and established microwave link across

in record time. In 1990's there were a series of allegations were raised against Krishna Kumar, including amassing of wealth disproportionate to the known sources of income and benami real estate deals. His wife Usha Krishnakumar was arrested for violation of the

Foreign Exchange Regulation Act The Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA) is an Act of the Parliament of India which was under the guidance of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee "to consolidate and amend the law relating to foreign exchange with the objective of faci ...

and was sent to

Tihar Jail Tihar Prisons, popularly known as Tihar Jail, are a prison complex in India and are one of the largest complexes of prisons in India. There are 9 functional prisons spread over more than 400 acres. Run by Department of Delhi Prisons, the prison ...

. In elections to the

11th Lok Sabha The 11th Lok Sabha was constituted after April–May 1996 general elections. The result of the election was a hung parliament, which would see three Prime Ministers in two years and force the country back to the polls in 1998. Atal Bihari Vajpa ...

of 1996, Krishna Kumar lost to N. K. Premachandran. Nina Pillai, wife of biscuit tycoon

Rajan Pillai Rajan Pillai (1947 – 7 July 1995) was an Indian businessman from Kerala, popularly known as the ''Biscuit Baron''. He was to be sentenced to a possible 14-year imprisonment on 23 counts of breach of trust and one of cheating-by the Singapore ...

also contested this elections as a BJP-supported candidate against Krishna Kumar. Following this he distanced himself from electoral politics and took on the role of an education and industrial consultant. There are many analysts who believe that, machinations against K. Karunakaran within

both at national level and state level due to differences he had with Rao and Antony along with the downfall of Karunakaran's clout both at

and Delhi following the ISRO espionage case have seriously impacted the political career of Karunakaran loyalists like Krishnakumar. In 2003, he left

due to differences with K. Karunakaran and joined

. He contested in BJP ticket from

Mavelikara (Lok Sabha constituency) Mavelikara is one of the 20 Lok Sabha (parliamentary) constituencies in Kerala state in southern India. Assembly segments Mavelikkara Lok Sabha constituency is composed of the following assembly regions: Members of Parliament As Thiruvalla ...

for the

2004 Indian general election General elections were held in India in four phases between 20 April and 10 May 2004. Over 670 million people were eligible to vote, electing 543 members of the 14th Lok Sabha. Seven states also held assembly elections to elect state governmen ...

. However, in 2006 he joined back in the

. He was active in poll campaigns of 2014 elections for

. In 2014, he did a doctorate in Public policy from

Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani The Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani (BITS Pilani) is a private deemed university in Pilani, Rajasthan, India. It focuses primarily on higher education and research in engineering and sciences. BITS Pilani was one of the first ...

. In 2019 at his age of 80, he again left Congress and joined

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Krishna Kumar S. India MPs 1991–1996 People from Thiruvananthapuram district 1939 births Living people India MPs 1989–1991 India MPs 1984–1989 Lok Sabha members from Kerala People from Kollam district Indian Administrative Service officers