Senior CPM leader M. M. Lawrence (95) passed away. He had been undergoing treatment for age-related ailments for a long time. M. M. Lawrence was one of the key leaders who played a major role in the growth of CPM in the state.
Since 2015, M. M. Lawrence had served as an invitee to the party’s state committee and had also held various significant positions, including member of the central committee, state secretariat, district secretary of Ernakulam, Left Front convener, state general secretary of CITU, and as a Lok Sabha member representing Idukki from 1980 to 1984.
Lawrence was one of the first-generation leaders of the undivided Communist Party of India (CPI). When the party split in 1964, he joined the Communist Party of India (Marxist). He played a significant role in organizing port and factory workers in Kochi. Lawrence was a notable figure involved in several factional disputes within the party from the 1980s onward.
M. M. Lawrence was imprisoned for 22 months in connection with the Edappally police station attack case. His wife, Baby, had predeceased him. He is survived by his children: Advocate M. L. Sajeevan, Sujatha, Advocate M. L. Abi, and Asha Lawrence. Lawrence was the elder brother of the late Abraham Madackal, a freedom fighter and renowned literary figure.
