VS Achuthanandan, the iconic figure of the Communist movement in India and former Chief Minister of Kerala, passed away on Monday while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. He had been admitted on June 23 following a cardiac arrest. Achuthanandan had withdrawn from public life after suffering a mild stroke in 2019.
Popularly known as VS, he began his political journey as a trade union activist and was part of the historic Punnapra–Vayalar struggles. Among the most popular leaders of the CPI(M) in Kerala, VS was a founding member of the party. He turned 101 last October and was the last surviving member of the 32 leaders who walked out of the CPI National Council meeting in 1964 to form the CPI(M).
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Velikkakathu Sankaran Achuthanandan, fondly known as Comrade VS, was a charismatic and deeply committed mass leader who inspired and was inspired by the people he represented. He played a pivotal role in strengthening the Communist movement in Kerala from the grassroots and was often hailed as the “Fidel Castro of Kerala.”
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The life of VS Achuthanandan is an inseparable part of Kerala’s social and political history.
Born on October 20, 1923, in Punnapra in Kerala’s Alappuzha district, VS’s journey in politics is a story of struggle, resilience, and transformation. He lost his mother at the age of four and his father at eleven. Forced to discontinue his education after Class 7, he began working in a tailoring shop with his elder brother to support his family.
At 17, he joined the Communist Party and became a delegate to the Communist Party Congress in 1943. In 1946, he actively participated in the Punnapra–Vayalar uprising, following which he was imprisoned and subjected to brutal torture.
A seven-time legislator and the 11th Chief Minister of Kerala, VS served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Legislative Assembly for three terms. He became Chief Minister in 2006 at the age of 84, nearly seven decades after joining the Communist Party.
His tenure was marked by bold initiatives, including the historic Munnar eviction drive against illegal encroachments, undertaken despite resistance from within his own cabinet.
Often perceived as one of the most ideologically rigid Communist leaders, VS played a crucial role in shaping and strengthening the Left movement in Kerala. His political and legal confrontations with leaders like R Balakrishna Pillai, PK Kunhalikutty, and Vellappally Natesan reflected his unyielding commitment to political integrity and public accountability.
In his later years, as the CPI(M) shifted towards a more centrist, liberal position, VS found himself increasingly isolated within the party. Many of his close associates and supporters moved away as the party embraced new political realities. Yet, through sheer resilience, he remained a towering and respected figure in Kerala’s political landscape.
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