V S Achuthanandan: From the freedom struggle to free software, to bringing MGR and Ilaiyaraaja – he always thought of the people

Indian Express

22-07-2025

Comrade V S Achuthanandan was a rare breed of leader: He rose from the ranks of Alleppey's coir workers to become the Chief Minister of Kerala. He attended only primary school, but with self-education, he became fully at ease with the English-educated. He was a mass agitator par excellence, but also proved to be one of the best administrators. Wherever he was, he never lost his link with the people. He was a man of the masses.
In the 1930s and 1940s, the industrial port town of Alleppey was a crucible for a generation of revolutionaries who fought caste discrimination, struggled for labour rights and threw themselves into the freedom struggle against the army of Travancore. The estimate is that around 500 workers were massacred in what has come to be known as the Punnapra-Vayalar uprising. V S Achuthanandan was one of the leaders of the pinnacle of the freedom movement in southern Kerala.
As with many other Alappuzha worker-leaders, it was P Krishna Pillai who identified the organiser in young Achuthanandan and deputed him to organise the agricultural workers in Kuttanad, the rice bowl of Kerala. Since then, the story of the mobilisation of agricultural workers in Kerala has been intertwined with that of V S Achuthanandan. The struggle was not only for better wages but also against caste and for self-respect and dignity.
During the Punnapra-Vayalar armed uprising, V S was arrested and brutally tortured. His main contribution came during the post-insurrection period when he played a key role in resisting repression and rebuilding the movement. He rose rapidly in the party leadership and, as the district secretary, earned widespread admiration for winning nine out of 11 seats in the then-unbifurcated Kollam district in the 1957 legislative assembly election.
It was for the above reason that he was deputed to lead the election campaign in the prestigious by-election in Devikulam in 1958. The election campaign focused on new initiatives of the Communist government for the welfare of the plantation labourers, most of whom were migrants from Tamil Nadu. While Congress brought leaders and ministers from Tamil Nadu, V S stole the limelight by bringing M G Ramachandran (MGR) to campaign, making it the only time that MGR campaigned in Kerala elections. The musician Ilaiyaraaja was also a key player in the music troupe. The CPI candidate Rosamma Punnoose had a resounding victory.
In the inner party struggle during the early 1960s, V S was one of the 32 members who walked out of the CPI National Council, which led to the split in the Communist Party. Since then, he has been one of the foremost leaders of CPI(M), being state secretary for 12 years and a Politburo member for 24 years. He was a member of the legislative assembly for 35 years. Whether in power or outside, he always identified himself with the struggles of the poor for land, wages and livelihood. He could communicate with them easily and endeared himself to the masses.
There were two occasions for me to closely interact with and work with him. The first was during the People`s Plan Campaign when, after the demise of E M S Naboodiripad, he became the Chairman of its High-Power Guidance Council. Every month, we would undertake tours visiting panchayats, reviewing the work and learning from practice.
One incident that I remember specifically occurred during our visit to an IT co-operative setup by Ernakulam District Panchayat. V S closely listened to the enthusiastic narrative of a bunch of youngsters about the digital future and the importance of free software in the people's struggles against the monopolistic control of the IT industry. A decade later, as Chief Minister of Kerala, he would draw up an IT policy where free software figured importantly and set up the International Centre for Free and Open-Source Solutions (ICFOSS). The picture of his meeting with Richard Stallman is as iconic as the many images of him among the people leading the agitations.
The second occasion was when I worked as a member of his cabinet. I have watched with tremendous admiration his determined pursuit of some development projects. For example, he had a clear vision about the role the Vizhinjam port could play in Kerala`s development, and he tenaciously pursued the project against odds. Although delayed by a decade, the Vizhinjam deep water port has today become a reality.
Another occasion was my 2009 budget when I startled many by announcing an anti-recession package of Rs 5,000 crore, after the plan and budget accounts were finalised. I found the chief minister receptive to my explanations of Keynesian tactics. This rather audacious action, which was later favourably commented on by the RBI, could not have been carried out but for his support. He oversaw the expansion of social security measures and also the revival of public sector units and the revamping of public education and public health.
He was vocal about women's rights, and women constituted an important support base. He was uncompromising on corruption, and his dramatic campaign against encroachment of public land in Munnar raised a hornet's nest.
His last contribution to the state was the Administrative Reforms Commission Report. The focus of his recommendations was on simplifying administration and making it more citizen-friendly. Each department was meticulously examined, and detailed recommendations were listed.
V S Achuthanandan will always be remembered as one of the key architects of modern and egalitarian Kerala.
The writer is former finance minister of Kerala