For VS, the sun never set
Caste discrimination was rampant. Achuthanandan, even as a schoolboy, had to physically resist the injustices he faced. He often recalled how he had to carry a weapon to defend himself and other backward community students from the agents of landlords who tried to prevent them from attending school.
Later, he became a worker in a factory where he found himself in the middle of another struggle—this time against exploitative managers who demanded hard labour without fair wages. It was during this period that the Communist Party began to emerge as a force in northern Travancore. Under the leadership of P Krishna Pillai, trade unions were formed and the coir workers' unions of the time were radicalised. Many factory strikes were led by a young and determined VS.
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New Indian Express
2 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Paddy, wetland conservation Act, three fold growth in IT sector key highlights of VS government
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Among the many initiatives undertaken by the VS Achuthanandan-led government from 2006-11, the most remembered one was the legislation to conserve the paddy land and wetland and to restrict its conversion or reclamation. The Act was aimed to promote the state's agricultural growth and sustain its fragile ecological system. Enacted in 2008, the Act intended to curb the indiscriminate reclamation and conversion of paddy land and wetland in the state. The legislation also increased the level of awareness in society against the reclamation of wetlands and the need to conserve them. The legislation was passed after the select committee of the Assembly held 22 sittings across Kerala which were attended by a large number of people. "This Bill received the highest number of suggestions from a wide spectrum of stakeholders and it was also noted internationally," remembered KP Rajendran, who piloted the Bill as the then Revenue Minister. Achuthanandan's detractors would often cite his role in the agitation against computers decades ago. But it was during his tenure as CM that IT exports grew significantly, with the growth even surpassing the national average. "It should be noted that the three fold growth in IT exports was recorded despite the worst global recession of 2008. Besides, the VS government is credited with adding many new IT parks in the state's technological landscape and permitting many IT majors to set up base in the state," said Joseph C Mathew, Achuthanandan's former IT advisor. The idea for the first district IT park in Kerala at Kollam was announced in January 2009 when Achuthanandan was CM and was opened on February 15, 2011. The first phase of Koratty IT Park became operational on October 10, 2009. It was launched as the first IT park in Kerala under the "Hub and Spoke Model," with Infopark Kochi acting as the hub.
Economic Times
2 hours ago
- Economic Times
Comrade's glory and folly: VS Achuthanandan's century-long life mapped the state's social revolution
Agencies Representational Veteran communist leader and former Kerala CM V S Achuthanandan died on Monday. He was 101. VS lived 23 years longer than the average life expectancy in Kerala. Which, at 78, is the highest among all states - and nine years longer than in UP. The increase in the average lifespan of a Malayali is but one example of the social transformation the state underwent, driven by people like VS. That a tea seller could rise as a political leader seems remarkable to many. But not in Kerala. Pinarayi Vijayan started life as a weaver. VS started off as a tailor, joined a coir factory, and became a trade union worker at the factory, commencing the political career that took him to the CM's office, and into the hearts of millions of Malayalis. Communists of Kerala came out of Congress Socialist Party. Their leaders were ordinary people who organised mass movements, taking forward the dynamic of emancipatory change that decades of social reform, including socio-religious reform, had set in motion in the princely states of Travancore and Cochin, and, to a lesser extent, in Malabar, directly under British control. Kerala's communists were the most radical of the freedom fighters, in the forefront of championing interests of peasants and workers against landlords and their overlords, the British. They spoke of socialism, Marx and the Soviet Union. But by organising people to break the resistance of entrenched authority, Kerala's communists effectively ushered in democratic modernity. This was in line with the official goals of Congress and other political formations. By going farther than other parties in using organised strength to secure the people's rights, the communists hegemonised the state's other parties as well - so much so that there is little to distinguish the actual political imagination of any party in Kerala from that of the communists, except, of course, in the case of BJP, and some fringe Muslim is true that Congress led the Opposition to the radical land reforms Bill brought by Kerala's first elected government, of communists, and the Congress government at the Centre used Article 356 to dismiss the government. But Congress was part of the coalition government that subsequently implemented provisions of the of Kerala were a force for democracy, abolishing pre-capitalist property relations in the primary form of property of the time: land. They carried forward the tradition of Kerala's social reform movements that had identified education as the key to social empowerment and universalised primary education. Adult literacy movements, a library movement that established at least one library and reading room in every village, and substantial investment in the expansion of healthcare - all these were not all done by communists, true. But the ideas of equality and empowerment of the common man that inspired all such activity were championed most effectively by the communists. They got a disproportionate share of the resulted from the ordinary people's political empowerment. Adult franchise remains a formal ideal in those parts of India where a dalit can still be attacked for riding a horse, or showing other uppity challenges to traditional hierarchy. In Kerala, adult franchise universalised human dignity because all the state's political formations bought into the ideology of progress towards equality through the organised strength of the is not what an enlightened state dishes out to grateful subjects. It's the consequence of popular of Kerala adored the initial generation of communist leaders - who changed them from powerless, assetless, unlettered bits of labour at the disposal of those who owned land or factories, into citizens with entitlements, to political power and what power could do to allocate resources in a pro-people as one of Kerala's foremost communists - who had been jailed and tortured, had to go into hiding when the party was banned, led an austere lifestyle, and was incorruptible - was adored, like A K Gopalan and E M S Namboodiripad. But his active political life extended to the time of 24x7 TV, and later, into that of celebrity, promoted by social his long stints as leader of opposition, and one term as CM, VS dominated the public discourse as other leaders had not. He championed environmental causes and acted against overt misogyny. But he shaped and reflected the limitations of Kerala's communist movement as well. Women hold up half the sky, said Mao. Labour force participation rate for Chinese women is 60%. While Kerala women are as educated as men, their presence in the workforce is low. Patriarchy governs norms of acceptable conduct. Reform of culture and caste ossified in Kerala. Not so much despite, as because of communists. After having laid the ground for rapid capitalist growth - removing pre-capitalist restraints on deployment of labour and creating an educated workforce - opposition to capitalism stunted the economy and aborted social and cultural changes associated with growth. Only of late has pragmatism allowed the communists to promote private was decisive, and could rally public support. But limitation of his party's appreciation of the emancipatory potential of broad-based capitalist growth curtailed his legacy short of prosperity. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. 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News18
3 hours ago
- News18
'Goodbye Comrade VS': Kerala Fills The Streets As Achuthanandan Begins His Final Journey
Last Updated: Thousands in Kerala mourned former Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and other leaders paid tribute. Kerala declared three days of mourning. The roads of Kerala turned red on Tuesday as thousands lined the national highway, pouring in to bid farewell to former Kerala chief minister and veteran Indian communist leader VS Achuthanandan. Thousands took to the streets to mourn the man who fought his way from the fields and factory floors to the frontlines of India's communist movement. The turnout was staggering. In CPI(M) leader Thomas Isaac's words, 'It has taken eight hours for the cortege to cover just 30 kilometers" indicating that it was not crowd control but the masses refusing to let go. He also posted an image of the sea of people lining the highway, referring to the photo he shared on X showing crowds stretching for miles to pay tribute to Achuthanandan. Beaten and left for dead by colonial police in a pre-Independence workers' protest, he got back up and never stopped fighting. When he finally became Kerala's Chief Minister, the office didn't tame him. He took on land mafias, corruption and even factionalism in his own party. He called things as they were and for that, generations called him simply 'VS". On Tuesday, Kerala gave him a honourable send off. In the morning, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan visited the residence of the late leader to pay his respects. State ministers, including V Sivankutty, and senior CPI(M) leaders also paid tribute. The Kerala government has declared a three-day mourning period starting July 22 as a mark of respect. During this period, the national flag will be flown at half-mast on all government buildings across the state. All state government offices, educational institutions, public sector units, statutory bodies, and establishments covered under the Negotiable Instruments Act remained closed on Tuesday. In a message shared on social media, Chief Minister Vijayan said Achuthanandan played a key role in Kerala's political history and contributed to movements like the Punnapra-Vayalar uprising. The final rites will be held after the public homage. view comments First Published: July 22, 2025, 23:32 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
