Thrissur (Kerala) | Union Minister Suresh Gopi on Wednesday described former PM Indira Gandhi as the "mother of India" and late Congress Chief Minister K Karunakaran as a "courageous administrator".

The BJP leader also called Karnuakaran and Marxist veteran E K Nayanar as his "political gurus".

Gopi was speaking to reporters after visiting the memorial of Karunakaran, "Murali Mandiram" located in Punkunnam here.

Interestingly, Suresh Gopi had won Thrissur Lok Sabha constituency by dashing the hopes of Karunakaran's son and Congress leader K Muraleedharan who finished third in a triangular contest in the April 26 polls.

Urging mediapersons not to add any political connotation to his visit to Karunakaran memorial, the BJP leader said he came here to pay his respects to his "guru".

He said like Nayanar and his wife Sarada Teacher, he had close relations with Karunakaran and his wife Kalyanikutty Amma also.

He had visited Nayanar's home in Kannur and renewed his relationship with his family members on June 12.

Gopi said as he viewed Indira Gandhi as "bharathathinte mathavu" (mother of India), Karunakaran was the "father of the Congress party in the state" for him.

He explained that describing Karunakaran as the "father" of the Congress in Kerala was not a disrespect to the founders or co-founders of the grand old party in the southern state.

The actor-turned-politician also hailed the administrative capabilities of the Congress veteran and dubbed him as a "courageous administrator" of his generation.

He further said though he had expressed his desire to visit the Murali Mandiram in 2019 also, the veteran's daughter Padmaja Venugopal, who recently defected to the BJP, discouraged him due to political reasons.

Later, Suresh Gopi also visited the famous Lourde Mata Church in the city and offered prayers.

He and his family's presentation of a golden crown to the idol of St Mary during his daughter's marriage was used by his political opponents to target him, alleging that it was not made of yellow metal but copper.

Gopi won the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat, opening an account for the BJP in Kerala.

Thrissur had witnessed a three-way contest for the Lok Sabha polls, with major candidates from the Congress, BJP, and CPI locked in a neck-and-neck battle.