VS Achuthanandan, one of Kerala’s most respected Communist leaders and a former chief minister of the state, passed away at the age of 101 in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday, July 21.
Velikkakathu Sankaran Achuthanandan was the oldest living communist in India, according to The Hindu.
A towering figure in Kerala’s political landscape, he remained active in politics for nearly 80 years, having joined the Communist movement before the age of 18.
Achuthanandan was the last surviving leader from the original group that split from the Communist Party of India in 1964 to form the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
He served as Chief Minister of Kerala from 2006 to 2011, at the age of 82, leading a Left Democratic Front government that focused on social justice and anti-corruption measures.
He had withdrawn from public life after suffering a minor stroke in 2019. Since then, he had been leading an assisted life at the residence of his son, V. Arun Kumar, in Thiruvananthapuram.
From a humble beginning as a tailor and coir worker, Achuthanandan rose through life’s struggles to reach the highest levels of governance.
He began his political odyssey at the age of 16 by joining the popular opposition against feudal landlords and colonial rule in Alappuzha. He cut his teeth as an activist by organising indentured agricultural labourers and Aspinwall factory workers in Kuttanad.
In 1946, he took part in the Punnapra-Vayalar revolt against the Travancore Dewan. He survived a police attack and was jailed several times during his early political life.
He was elected from the Mararikulam constituency for almost 20 years. At the age of 44, he became a Member of the Legislative Assembly and went on to serve three terms as the leader of the Opposition.
His advocacy spanned environmental protection, gender equality, wetland conservation, better pay for nurses, transgender rights, and the promotion of free software.
Achuthanandan also led fierce opposition against forest land grabs, illegal lottery scams, and police violence against Adivasi communities. He stood with protestors in Plachimada against the Coca-Cola bottling plant.
Having lost his parents early in life, his mother to smallpox, Achuthanandan was drawn to the freedom movement at the age of 16. He was mentored by pioneering communist leader P. Krishna Pillai, whom he later described as his “guru” who gave him a clear political purpose and direction.