R. Balakrishna Pillai

Keezhoote Raman Pillai Balakrishna Pillai is a veteran Indian politician, a former minister of the state of Kerala in India, who has held major portfolios like Transport and Electricity. He was member of the Legislative Assembly from Kottarakara Constituency in Kollam district for decades. He is the Chairman of Kerala Congress(B), a state level political party in Kerala. Throughout his entire career as a politician, Mr Pillai remained a highly controversial figure in Kerala state politics.Gandeevam, a biography of R. Balakrishna Pillai written by Vrindavanam Venugopalan with a foreword by Dr. Sooranad Kunjan Pillai, was published by Viswakeralam Daily. Pillai's autobiography was published by DC Books in 2011.

Balakrishna Pillai was born in 1935 in Valakom near Kottarakkara in Kollam district, as the son of Keezhoote Raman Pillai and Karthyayani Amma. His father was a wealthy landlord with plenty of land in the present-day Kerala and Tamil Nadu states. He is married to Valsala and has three children - two daughters named Usha & Bindu, and a son named K. B. Ganesh Kumar, who is a well-known film actor and politician, and served as state Minister during 2001-03 and 2011-13 periods.

Student Politics

R. Balakrishna Pillai was member of Thiruvathankur Student's Union (which later become Tirukochi Vidyarthi Federation).

Indian National Congress

Balakrishna Pillai later joined Indian National Congress.In 1960 he became a KPCC executive member and AICC member. He was elected to Kerala Legislative Assembly for the first time in 1960 from the Pathanapuram Assembly Constituency of Kollam district, as a candidate of the Indian National Congress, at the age of 25 and holds the record for becoming the youngest MLA of Kerala.

Kerala Congress Formation

In 1964, fifteen MLAs led by K. M. George (including Balakrishna Pillai) left the Congress and formed a regional Party called the Kerala Congress, with K M george as the Chairman and Balakrishna Pillai as General Secretary. Pillai won the elections from his home constituency Kottarakara in 1965 but was defeated in the next two elections of 1967 and 1970. He was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1971 General Election from Mavelikara Constituency and served as the Member of Parliament (MP) till 1977. From December 1975 to June 1976, he served as the Minister for Transport, Excise and Jails in the Kerala Cabinet.

Kerala Congress Split

After the death of K. M. George in 1976, there was tussle for control over the party between Balakrishna Pillai and K. M Mani. In 1977, Kerala Congress split into the Mani and Pillai groups. He returned to State legislature in 1977 and represented Kottarakara after winning the General Elections in 1977, 1980, 1982, 1987, 1991, 1996, and 2001, but was defeated in the 2006 election. His victory margin of 37000 votes in 1980 remained a record for the State Assembly polls for more than a quarter century.

He is one of the Founder Members of United Democratic Front (UDF). He was Minister for several years starting in different Ministries headed by C. Achutha Menon, K. Karunakaran, E. K. Nayanar, and A. K. Antony.

The government appointed Justice K. Sukumaran to inquire into allegations related to the Idamalayar and Kallada Dam construction projects. Based on his report, R. Balakrishna Pillai and others were prosecuted by a Special Court. The Supreme Court on 10 February 2011 sentenced R. Balakrishna Pillai and two others to one-year imprisonment for allegedly abusing their position in the award of a contract for the Edamalayar hydroelectric power project.

The apex court bench of Justices P. Sathasivam and B.S. Chauhan reversed the Kerala High Court judgment which had acquitted all the three. Chief Minister V. S. Achuthanandan had moved the Supreme Court, in his personal capacity, challenging the verdict of acquittal and the apex court allowed Achuthanandan's appeal.