Thiruvananthapuram: Former minister and JSS leader K R Gouri Amma passed away here at the age of 102. She was hospitalised due to physical ailments a few days ago and the death occured due to severe infection.

Gouri Amma was admitted to PRS hospital a week back due to fever, breathing trouble and urinary ailments. She was shifted from her residence in Alappuzha to the house of a relative in Thiruvananthapuram only recently.

Daughter of Arumuri Parambil Parvathi Amma and Kalathilparambil Raman, Gouri Amma was born in Pattanakkad in Cherthala of Alappuzha district on July 14, 1919. She completed law studies from Government Law College in Thiruvananthapuram. She was the first female law student coming from the Ezhava community.

KR Gouri Amma was the first revenue minister of Kerala and one of the founding leaders of Communist party in the state. She became the revenue minister in the first Communist government led by EMS Namboodiripad in 1957. She initiated the Land Reforms Bill to ensure land to the poor. She served as ministers in different governments.

In 1964, when the Communist party split, Gouri Amma joined the CPI (M). In the 1987 elections, Gouri Amma was about to become the first woman chief minister of Kerala. But due to political games she was sidelined.Later, she was ousted from the party for anti-party activities in 1994 and this led to the formation of Janadhipathya Samrakshana Samithi (JSS). Following this, Gouri Amma joined the UDF and became a minister in the UDF government. She last contested election in 2011, but was defeated.

Gouri Amma’s 100th birthday was celebrated grandly in 2019.

  k r gowri