New Delhi, Jul 21 (PTI) The CPI(M) on Monday expressed profound grief at the demise of former Kerala chief minister and veteran party leader V S Achuthanandan.
Achuthanandan, one of India’s most respected Communist leaders and a key figure in Kerala’s political history, passed away on Monday at the age of 101. The veteran leader died at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram while undergoing treatment following a cardiac arrest.
The CPI(M) in a statement called Achuthanandan an outstanding leader and a veteran of the Communist movement.
“The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) dips its red banner in salute to V S Achuthanandan. It conveys its heartfelt condolences to his wife, son and daughter,” the CPI(M) said in the statement.
Fondly called VS, Achuthanandan was an able organiser who spearheaded various struggles in Kerala. His first brush with the trade union movement came when he organised the coir workers at the Aspinwall Company where he had started working, the CPI(M) said.
“In 1940, when he was just 17 years old, VS joined the Communist party. Krishna Pillai assigned him work among the agricultural workers in Kuttanad, who were subjected to terrible exploitation by the landlords.
“During the Punnapra-Vayalar uprising against the Diwan of Travancore, VS had to go underground. After being arrested, he was subjected to severe custodial torture,” the CPI(M) said.
VS was elected to the state committee of the united Communist party in 1956 and to its national council in 1958. He was the last of the 32 surviving members of the national council who left to form the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
He served as the secretary of the Kerala state committee of the CPI(M) from 1980 to 1991.
Achuthanandan was elected to the central committee of the party in 1964 and became a member of the Polit Bureau in 1985.
He was relieved from the central committee, of which he had become a special invitee, due to age in 2022.
Achuthanandan was elected to the Kerala Assembly for seven terms. He also served as the leader of opposition for two terms and was the chief minister from 2006 to 2011.
“His tenure as the chief minister was marked by several legislative and administrative measures for the welfare of the working people,” the CPI(M) said.
During his eight-and-a-half-decade long association with the party, Achuthanandan witnessed the steady growth of the Communist movement in Kerala.
“Known for his austere lifestyle and unwavering commitment to social justice, Achuthanandan left an indelible mark on Kerala politics. In his death, the party and the Communist movement have suffered a grievous loss,” the CPI(M) said. PTI AO ARI
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