P. J. Kurien

For the IAS officer, see V. J. Kurien.

In this Indian name, the name Pallath Joseph is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Kurien.

P. J. Kurien
11th Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha
In office 21 August 2012 – 1 July 2018
Preceded by	K. Rahman Khan, INC
Succeeded by	Harivansh Narayan Singh, JD(U)
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
In office 2 July 2006 – 1 July 2018
Succeeded by	Binoy Viswam, CPI
Constituency	Kerala
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office 2 December 1989 – 13 October 1999
Preceded by	Thampan Thomas
Succeeded by	Ramesh Chennithala
Constituency	Mavelikara
In office 31 December 1984 – 2 December 1989
Chairman	Hamid Ansari
Preceded by	M. M. Lawrence
Succeeded by	K. M. Matthew
Constituency	Idukki
In office 18 January 1980 – 31 December 1984
Preceded by	B. K. Nair
Succeeded by	Thampan Thomas
Constituency	Mavelikara
Personal details
Born	(1941-03-31) 31 March 1941 Vennikulam, Travancore (now in Kerala, India)
Party	Indian National Congress
Spouse	Susan
Alma mater	St. Thomas College, Kozhencherry Government Science College, Rewa

Pallath Joseph Kurien (born 28 March 1941) is an Indian politician, a social worker and educationist. He was the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India, till his retirement on 30 June 2018. A leader of the Indian National Congress party, Kurien previously served as a Union Minister in the P. V. Narasimha Rao government and was a member of the Lok Sabha for four consecutive terms from 1980 to 1999. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2005.

Early life

P. J. Kurien was born on 28 March 1941 to P. G. Joseph and Rachel Joseph at Vennikulam in Tiruvalla, Pathanamthitta District, Kerala. He had his early education at St. Behanas High School, Vennikulam. For higher education, he attended St. Thomas College, Kozhencherry, Kerala and at Government Science College, Rewa, Madhya Pradesh. He was a professor of physics at St. Thomas College, Kozhencherry, when he entered politics.

Election History

Lok Sabha

Year	Constituency	Party		Votes	%	Opponent	Party		Votes	%	Result	Margin	%
1980	Mavelikara		INC(U)	226,645	54.09	Thevally Madhavan Pillai		IND	163,523	39.03	Won	63,122	15.06
1984	Idukki		INC	308,056	57.67	C. A. Kurian		CPI	177,432	33.22	Won	130,624	24.45
1989	Mavelikara		INC	334,864	51.15	Thampan Thomas		JD	277,682	42.41	Won	57,182	8.74
1991	Mavelikara		INC	304,519	49.09	Suresh Kurup		CPI(M)	279,031	44.98	Won	25,488	4.11
1996	Mavelikara		INC	290,524	47.02	M. R. Gopalakrishnan		CPI(M)	269,448	43.61	Won	21,076	3.41
1998	Mavelikara		INC	275,001	44.26	Prof. Nainan Koshy		IND	273,740	44.06	Won	1,261	0.20
1999	Idukki		INC	356,015	46.00	K. Francis George		KEC	365,313	47.20	Lost	9,298	1.20

Rajya Sabha

Position	Party		Constituency	From	To	Tenure
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha (1st Term)		INC	Kerala	10 Jan 2005	1 July 2006	1 year, 172 days
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha (2nd Term)				2 July 2006	1 July 2012	5 years, 365 days
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha (3rd Term)				2 July 2012	1 July 2018	5 years, 364 days

Positions held

• 1980-84 Member, Seventh Lok Sabha.
• 1984-89 Member, Eighth Lok Sabha.
• 1987-89 Member, Executive, Congress Parliamentary Party [C.P.P.(I)], Member, House Committee, Member, Committee on Public Undertakings.
• 1989-91 Member, Ninth Lok Sabha, Chief Whip, Congress Parliamentary Party, Member of the Business Advisory Committee.
• 1991-96 Member, Tenth Lok Sabha.
• 1991-93 Union Minister of State, Industry with additional charge of Commerce.
• 1992-93 Union Minister of State, Industry,(Department of Small Scale, Agro and Rural Industries) with additional charge of Commerce.
• 1994-98 Chairman, Board of Governors, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
• 1995-96 Union Minister of State, Non-Conventional Energy Sources.
• 1996-98 Member, Eleventh Lok Sabha, Member of the Business Advisory Committee.
• 1998-99 Member, Twelfth Lok Sabha, Chief Whip, Congress Parliamentary Party, Member, Business Advisory Committee, Jan.
• July 2005 Elected to Rajya Sabha
• August 2012 Elected Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha

Controversy

Kurien was alleged to be an accused in the Suryanelli rape case, though his name was never included in the list of accused. There are four inquiries which exonerated Kurien, three inquiries were held under the Chief Ministership of E. K. Nayanar, who himself used the allegation against Kurien during 1996 elections, and was also a respondent in the defamation case filed by Kurien. During these three inquiries, Kurien was only an opposition MP; Congress Party being out of power both at the Centre and in Kerala. Kurien has maintained his innocence and police investigations into the case have also deemed him innocent. There are speculations such as the alleged controversy against Kurien is politically motivated and his political power even led to the exoneration. Sessions Judge Abraham Mathew in his order held that the victim's plea for inclusion of Kurien in the sex scandal case was not maintainable.

References

• http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/suryanelli-victims-plea-against-kurien-dismissed/article4863280.ece
• http://zeenews.india.com/news/kerala/suryanelli-sex-scandal-breather-for-pj-kurien-as-convict-retracts-claim_851672.html

External links

• Profile on Rajya Sabha website