Venkatesh P. Kulkarni, trade union leader and journalist, died in Mudenakoppa village in Belagavi district on Friday. He was ailing for some months. He was 70. He is survived by his wife and two sons.
A huge crowd of ASHAs and anganwadi workers, pourakarmikas and mid-day meal workers gathered in Ramdurg to pay respects to their departed leader. They took out a march in the main streets of Ramdurg and raised slogans praising him.
The former MLA and Congress leader Ashok Pattan, insurance employees association leader G.V. Kulkarni and others attended the funeral.
A Leftist student leader from his younger days, Mr. Kulkarni spent most of his life in organising landless labour, rural workers and farmers. He also served as the president of the Karnataka State Gram Panchayat Employees Union.
He was among the founders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) Ramdurg unit in 1984.
He started several labour unions, including pourakarmikas union in 1987, the beedi workers union in 1992, the mid-day meal workers union and the anganwadi workers union in Ramdurg.
After completing is education, he worked in a private factory in Dharwad for a few years. He served as a journalist in Kannada magazine Aikya Ranga in Bengaluru for over a decade. He returned to Ramdurg to organise labour.
