Com. C.K Lukose (71) member of the Polit Bureau and former Kerala state secretary of SUCI (Communist) breathed his last on February 13, 2019 at medical college hospital, Thiruvananthapuram following a sudden cardiac arrest. He was under prolonged treatment for Parkinson’s disease.
Com. Lukose came forward to build SUCI (C) in Kerala when he was an engineering student at Kollam in the late 1960’s. Since then he was in the forefront of the struggle to organize our party in Kerala, happily taking up the arduous struggle. He played a crucial role in the struggle to face the difficult situation created due to the untimely death of Com. V. Natarajan who was a prominent organizer of the party in its formative years in Kerala. Com. Lukose was the secretary of the Kollam district organizing committee of the party for a long time. Later in 1988 he became the secretary of the Kerala state committee of the party, elected in the first state conference. His leadership was instrumental in developing collectivism in the party, transforming it into a well-built organization. By conducting countless discussions on fundamentals of Marxism-Leninism-Com. Shibdas Ghosh thoughts he developed ideological standard of the comrades providing them a strong philosophical foundation. Carefully guiding the struggle of hundreds of party comrades in their personal life in the light of Marxism-Leninism Com. Shibdas Ghosh thoughts, he helped them to develop as able organizers of the party. He travelled tirelessly throughout the state to build the party and its class and mass organizations. Under his dynamic leadership party organization developed all over the state of Kerala.
Com. Lukose played a significant role in organizing AIUTUC, the revolutionary trade union of the working people. He was the vice-president of the all India committee and president of the Kerala state committee of AIUTUC. Under his able leadership people’s movement in Kerala attained a different character. He put forward the idea of developing a new people’s struggle committee called ‘Janakeeya Prathirodha Samithi’ to fight against the policy of globalization. It was a decisive step in the history of people’s movement in Kerala. Eminent personalities like Justice V.R Krisha Iyer came forward to lead ‘Janakeeya Prathirodha Samithi’ which organized many victorious movements. This movement contributed significantly to the growth of the party.
Com. Lukose inspired children to take up struggle to acquire higher values and culture in life. With this aim he initiated and nurtured state level children’s camps. Today after 25 years of starting this movement we witness many of the members of the children’s camps becoming full time organizers of the party.
He was also looking after the Tamil Nadu state organization of our party. Under his guidance Tamil Nadu state organization of the party could achieve significant progress.
Even when his mobility was seriously affected due to the prolonged illness, he guided the party on all important organizational matters and activities with his clear thoughts on the basis of Marxism–Leninism thereby remaining as a source of inspiration to all comrades. At his sad demise we have lost a prominent leader of working class in India.
RED SALUTE COMRADE C.K.LUKOSE.
Memorial Meeting in Kolkata
They braved the inclement weather- several thousands of cadres, supporters, sympathizers and leaders from near and far corners of Bengal and also from some states of India who stood in a great crescent high atop the steps in front of the huge auditorium of Sarat Sadan, Howrah, West Bengal on 25 February afternoon. All the comrades were in deep mourning, wearing black badge on their heart remembering Comrade C K Lukose, Member, Polit Bureau and former Kerala State Secretary of SUCI(C) who passed away at an age of 71 in Thiruvananthapuram on 13 February last after prolonged illness.
The memorial meeting was organized by the Central Committee of our Party. First floral tribute was paid to the departed leader on behalf of various Party bodies and class and mass organizations of the state outside the main entrance to the auditorium main hall where his portrait bordered with white flowers and bedecked in a column was set outside.
Thereafter, the comrades streamed inside the auditorium and in little time the seats were full. Inside the dais on the left was another photograph of the departed leader endowed with flowers.
The memorial meeting then started with rendering of the song composed on Comrade Shibdas Ghosh, founder, leader, teacher and guide of the Party. Then Comrade K Radhakrishna, Polit Bureau member and President of the meeting read out the homage to the departed leader. Then Comrade Provash Ghosh, General Secretary of the Party, Comrade Mubinul Haider Chowdhury- General Secretary, BASAD (Marxist), other Polit Bureau and Central Committee members, garlanded the portrait of Comrade Lukose. Floral tribute was also paid by Comrades Rabin Samajpati, Pratap Samal, B S Amarnath and C H Murahari, the State Secretaries of Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu respectively and Comrade Bishnu Das on behalf of Odisha State Committee.
Thereafter, Comrade V Venugopal, Central Committee member and present Kerala State Secretary, delivered a touching speech in memory of Comrade Lukose. He showed how Comrade Lukose through a course of arduous all-embracing life struggle based on Comrade Shibdas Ghosh Thought emerged as a model revolutionary character, established Party organization in Kerala where the party was unknown even in 1960s and developed a number of Party leaders and cadres capable of shouldering revolutionary responsibilities.
After Comrade Venugopal, Comrade Radhakrishna in his presidential address reminisced his close association with Comrade Lukose for decades and how Comrade Lukose conducted the Kerala State organization, oversaw functioning of Tamil Nadu State organization on behalf of the Central Committee and discharged his responsibility as a national-level leader of the Party till his last breadth defying his serious ailment that robbed his ability to move and even speak. Finally, Comrade Provash Ghosh paying glowing tribute to the departed leader dwelt on length how Comrade Lukose as an ardent student of Comrade Shibdas Ghosh achieved such a high standard of a genuine revolutionary character and firmly established the Party in not only Kerala but in other parts of South India as well. Full speeches of Comrades Venugopal, Radhakrishna and Provash Ghosh will be published.
The meeting ended with rendition of the Internationale.
