M. P. Veerendra Kumar was a member of the 14th Lok Sabha and functioned as minister of state for labour and later finance. He is also the chairman and managing director of the Malayalam daily newspaper Mathrubhumi. A prominent writer in Malayalam, he won the Akademi Award in 2010 for his travelogue Haimavatha Bhoovil. He was arrested during the emergency. He has authored several books in Malayalam. Amazonum Kure Vyakulathakalum has won the Sahitya Academy Award. His recent work, Hymavatha bhoovil, won many awards including the prestigious Vayalar award.
