Tributes Pour In for VS Achuthanandan, Former Kerala Chief Minister, Who Passed Away at 101

A Legacy Remembered

VS Achuthanandan, a prominent figure in Kerala's political landscape and former chief minister, passed away in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday at the age of 101.

After experiencing a minor stroke in 2019, Achuthanandan had stepped back from public engagements and was residing with his son, V Arun Kumar, in the state capital.

In June, he was hospitalized following a cardiac arrest and had been on life support since then.

Born in 1923 in Punnapra village, Alappuzha district, Achuthanandan faced early hardships, losing his mother at four and his father at eleven.

His political journey began in his youth when he joined the Travancore State Congress, later becoming a member of the Communist Party of India at the age of 17.

In 1940, he began working at a coir factory in Alappuzha, where he was encouraged by Communist leader Comrade P Krishna Pillai to unite workers in their fight for rights.

Achuthanandan played a significant role in the militant resistance against colonial rule in 1946, notably participating in the Punnapra-Vayalar uprising.

He became a member of the Communist Party of India state committee in 1954 and advanced to the state secretariat by 1957.

In 1964, following a lengthy internal conflict regarding political direction, he was among 32 leaders who left to establish the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

Achuthanandan began his legislative career in 1965, contesting from the Ambalapuzha seat, and secured victory in 1967 and 1970.

During the Emergency, he was imprisoned for 21 months.

He served as the state secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) from 1980 for 12 years and was the convener of the Left Democratic Front from 1996 to 2000.

His tenure as chief minister of Kerala lasted from 2006 to 2011.