• Worked as an aide to the CPI(M) Leader A.K. Gopalan (1971-1973)
• Became one of the founder and President of the Student Federation of India (SFI) in Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi (1973)
• Elected as the third president of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union
• Became the Second president of the Student’s Federation of India between 1974 and 1979
• Worked underground during the Emergency of India (1975-1976)
• Served as the Secretary of the Delhi State Committee of the CPI(M) (1982-1985)
• Elected to the Central Committee of the CPI(M) (1985)
• Became a member of ‘Politburo’ (1992)
• General Secretary of the CPI(M) (2005-2015)
• University of Edinburgh, UK
• Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi
• M.A. in Political Science from University of Edinburgh
• MSc from University of Edinburgh
• PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University
In 2023, he was accused of being involved in a foreign funding scam with an independent media outlet named NewsClick funded by the American businessman Neville Roy Singham known for promoting Chinese propaganda. The Enforcement Directorate found out his email exchanges with Neville, where he talked about the government restricting investments and imports from China which will harm India. The ED also found that NewsClick recieved over Rs. 86 crore in foreign funds which were used to support various individuals and causes connected to left wing politics, including Prakash Karat. [1]The Telegraph
Mother– Radhamma