VS Achuthanandan, former Kerala CM and veteran communist leader, dies at 101
The former chief minister had withdrawn from public life after suffering a minor stroke in 2019, The Hindu reported. He had since been living with his son, V Arun Kumar, at his home in the state capital.
Achuthanandan was admitted to a hospital after a cardiac arrest in June, The Indian Express reported. He had been on a life support system since then.
The communist leader was born into a family of agricultural workers at Punnapra village in Alappuzha district in 1923. He lost his mother at the age of four and his father at 11.
At an early age, Achuthanandan developed an interest in politics and joined the Travancore State Congress, The Indian Express reported. He became a member of the undivided Communist Party of India after he turned 17.
In 1940, Achuthanandan joined a coir factory in Alappuzha and was urged by Communist leader Comrade P Krishna Pillai to bring the workers closer to the movement and ask them to fight for their rights.
The communist leader was also actively involved in a militant agitation against the colonial rule in 1946, which culminated in the Punnapra-Vayalar uprising, The Hindu reported.
In 1954, Achuthanandan became a member of the Communist Party of India state committee and was promoted to the state secretariat three years later.
However, Achuthanandan was one among the 32 leaders of the undivided Communist Party of India to walk out and form the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in 1964 after a prolonged inner-party struggle over political strategy.
In 1965, the communist leader started his legislative career during the Assembly elections, contesting from the Ambalapuzha seat, but did not win. He won from the same seat in 1967 and 1970.
Achuthanandan was also arrested for 21 months during the Emergency.
The communist leader was elected as state secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in 1980 and held the post for 12 years. He was the convener of the Left Democratic Front from 1996 to 2000.
He served as the chief minister of Kerala from 2006 to 2011.
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