FORMER minister and Communist Marxist Party (CMP) general secretary M V Raghavan passed away on November 9 at Pariyaram Medical College in Kannur. M V Raghavan, popularly known as MVR, was undergoing treatment for prolonged illness. He was 81. A firebrand CPI(M) leader, MVR was expelled from the Party in 1986, after which he formed CMP. He served as an MLA and minister for several tenures. He is survived by wife Janaki and two sons and two daughters. Raghavan was born in 5th May 1933 in Pappinisseri. His parents were Melath Veettil Shankaran Nambiar and Thambayi. After getting primary education at Pappinisseri Management School, Raghavan joined Rajarajeshwari Mill as weaver at a tender age of 12. Then he preferred to work in a plywood factory. P Krishnappillai, the stalwart of Communist Movement of Kerala, handpicked him while he was branch secretary of Balasamgham. Under the guidance of Krishnapillai, he became an active activist of the Communist movement. Starting his political life as a branch secretary in Pappinisseri, he became the secretary of local committee and Madayi area. In 1960, he became district committee member of the unified party, and in 1967, he became Kannur district secretary of CPI(M). He was a secretariat member of CPI(M) since 1978. In 1986, he was expelled from the Party on the issue of alternative document. In the same year, he formed CMP in a conference held at Thrissur and was elected as the general secretary and continued in this post till death. He was elected MLA in 1970, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1987, 1991 and 2001. During the tenures of UDF in 1991-1996 and 2001-2006, he served as co-operative minister. In 1964, he was put in jail while the Communist leaders were branded as ‘Chinese spies’ and underwent severe torture during the tenure of K Karunakaran. CPI(M) state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan and opposition leader V S Achuthanandan expressed deep sorrow in the death of MV Raghavan.