Former Kerala Minister passes away

Senior IUML leader and former Kerala Minister, Cherkallam Abdullah, passed away after a prolonged illness.

He was 76 and was undergoing treatment for heart ailment.

The Muslim League leader had been admitted to a hospital in Mangaluru since the past two weeks and was discharged last night.

The end came at his home this morning, party sources said.

Abdullah, a prominent leader of the Opposition Congress-led UDF in north Kerala, is survived by wife, two sons and two daughters.

A four-time MLA from Manjeswaram in Kasaragod district, Abdullah was the local self development minister in the A K Antony cabinet from 2001-2004.

Condoling his death, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said Abdullah who had represented Manjeswaram four times since 1987, was at the forefront in taking up development projects for Kasaragod district.

Leader of Opposition in the state assembly, Ramesh Chennithala, IUML leader, P K Kunhalikutty, MP, UDF convenor, P P Thankachan, were among those who condoled his death.

--PTI