Kerala ex-CM, Marxist stalwart & ‘comrade with anti-party mindset'. The many faces of Achuthanandan
Achuthanandan retired from active politics in 2019 after suffering a mild stroke. He had since been living with his son V.A. Arun Kumar in Thiruvananthapuram where doctors restricted the number of visitors he could receive on account of age-related ailments.
Chennai: Marxist stalwart V.S. Achuthanandan died Monday at the age of 101 at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. He had served as chief minister of Kerala from 2006-2011 and last held the post of chairman of Kerala Administrative Reforms Commission from 2016-2021.
In his condolence message Monday, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan said Achuthanandan was not just a political leader but a moral force who brought environmental, human rights, and gender issues to the heart of mainstream political discourse. 'With his passing, we have lost the final link to the chapter of our political evolution,' Vijayan wrote.
Achuthanandan was the MLA from Malampuzha constituency from 2001 till 2021. His last term as MLA ended in May 2021, making the end of his active legislative career spanning over two decades. In total, he served as an MLA for more than 34 years.
When he completed his tenure in the 14th Kerala Legislative Assembly at the age of 97 in May 2021, he was the eldest member ever in the history of the House.
He served as the CPI (Marxist) Kerala state secretary between 1980 and 1992 and was later inducted into the politburo in 1985.
Achuthanandan is known for his initiatives including anti-encroachment drive at Munnar, crackdown on lottery mafia in Kerala, demolition drives against illegal encroachments in Kochi and anti-piracy operations across the state during his tenure as chief minister.
Born in Punnapra, Alappuzha, to Sankaran and Accamma, Velikkakathu Sankaran Achuthanandan lost his mother when he was 4 and his father when he was 11.
Financial constraints forced him to leave school after Class 7, which is when he started working in factories, joined labour unions and later the Communist Party of India (CPI) in 1940.
It was during this period that he took part in the Punnapra-Vayalar militant Communist uprising against the rule of the Maharaja of Travancore who had declared that Travancore would not join India. Achuthanandan was among those arrested for taking part in the uprising in October 1946.
After Independence, in 1952, he became Alappuzha division secretary of the unified Communist Party of India and in a span of five years, rose to the level of district secretary before being appointed state secretariat member in 1957.
In 1964, he was among the 32 prominent members who broke away from the CPI and formed Communist Party of India (Marxist).
When he was state secretary and a member of the party's politburo, he successfully contested the 1991 Assembly elections and was projected as the chief ministerial candidate during the 1996 Assembly elections. Nevertheless, he lost the election from Mararikulam. In 2001, although he won from Malampuzha, the Left-led coalition could not form the government and he served as Leader of the Opposition.
In 2006, he once again won from the same constituency, and was elected chief minister by the Left-led coalition. Although he served as the chief minister between 2006 and 2011, CPI(M) denied him a ticket in 2011, leading to a statewide protest, forcing the party to field him from Malampuzha and he won.
It was in the 1960s that Achuthanandan first faced heat from the party after he organised a blood donation camp for Army jawans during the Chinese aggression, which went against the party's line of action. He was demoted from the central committee to the district secretariat.
After becoming chief minister in 2006, Achuthanandan publicly criticised fellow cabinet ministers Thomas Isaac and Paloli Mohammed Kutty over the decision to accept a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
However, the CPI(M) central leadership did little beyond issuing him a warning.
In 2007, Achuthanandan was suspended from the CPI(M) politburo along with Pinarayi Vijayan due to factionalism within the Kerala unit of CPI(M). Both were reinstated six months later. Later in 2009, Achuthanandan was removed from the CPI(M)'s politburo again, supposedly due to his vocal opposition to Vijayan.
In 2015, he walked out of the CPI(M) state conference in Alappuzha to protest criticism from party delegates over his feud with Vijayan. He was labeled as a 'comrade with an anti-party mindset' in the resolution passed at the party conference.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
Also Read: A Malayalee from Gujarat is shaking up Kerala BJP. Rajeev Chandrasekhar's un-Sangh poll campaign
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
Look at your own country: Bombay High Court raps CPI(M) over Gaza protest petition
The Bombay High Court on Friday (July 25, 2025) dismissed a petition filed by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the CPI challenging the Mumbai Police's decision to deny permission for a protest at Azad Maidan against the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The court observed that the Indian political organisations should prioritise domestic issues over international conflicts. A Division Bench comprising Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Gautam Ankhad pulled up the petitioners for focusing on matters outside the country and said, 'Our country has enough issues to deal with. We do not want anything like this. I am sorry to say that you are short-sighted. You are looking at Gaza and Palestine while neglecting what's happening here. Why don't you do something for your own country? Look at your own country. Be patriots. People say they are patriots, but this is not patriotism. Show patriotism for the citizens of our own country first,' the Bench remarked sharply during the hearing. Senior advocate Mihir Desai representing CPI(M), informed the Bench that on June 13, 2025, his clients submitted an application seeking permission from the Azad Maidan police station to hold a peaceful protest and gathering in Azad Maidan to show solidarity with the people of Gaza, who are currently in the midst of a genocide, by calling for a ceasefire. On June 17, denying permission to the All India Peace and Solidarity Foundation (AIPSF) that police informed them that the permission to protest was being denied in exercise of their powers under Section 168 of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and Section 68 of the Maharashtra Police Act, 1951. Mr. Desai informed the Bench that the political parties have time and again taken up several causes that has concerned India and have been conducting health and education camps. The Court noted that the CPI(M), being a registered as Indian political party, should ideally be engaging with local civic concerns. 'You are a registered party in India. Your party could have taken up issues like garbage dumping, pollution, drainage, or flooding. Why are you not protesting on these issues? We are only giving examples. Instead, you want to protest over something happening thousands of miles away and showing concern for Palestine and Gaza,' the Bench observed. The petitioners stated that the Indian government's stance and support of Palestine as a State, has been an integral part of the nation's foreign policy. In 1974, India became the first Non-Arab State to recognize Palestine Liberation Organisation as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. In 1988, India was also one of the first countries to recognize Palestine as a State. In April 2024, India voted in favour of the Human Rights Council Resolution on the Right of the Palestinian people to self-determination. Moreover, India is a State signatory to the Genocide Convention, 1948, and the protest which was held to condemn violence and genocide in Gaza, can in no way termed to be the foreign policy of the India State. Mr. Desai further argued that citizens have a fundamental right to protest at designated places and that disagreements with the government's foreign policy cannot be grounds to stifle dissent. He also contended that mere apprehensions of law-and-order issues, without concrete evidence, should not override constitutional freedoms. He also clarified that the protest has nothing to do with Operation Sindoor or India's border relations with neighbouring countries. CPI(M) issues statement Rejecting the petition, the court observed, 'You don't know the dust it could kick up. Whether to take a side for Palestine or Israel is their (Govt of India) work, why do you want to create such a situation that the country has to take sides on this? Why do you want to do this? It's obvious, going by the party you represent, that you don't understand what this could do to the foreign affairs of the country.' The CPI(M) has strongly condemned the Bombay High Court's remarks while dismissing its petition challenging the denial of permission to protest against the Gaza conflict. Calling the Court's comments unconstitutional and politically biased, the CPI(M) criticised the bench for questioning its patriotism and aligning with the Central government's foreign policy stance. 'It is regrettable to say that the Bench appears to be completely unaware of the constitutional provisions that empower political parties or the history of our country and the support and brotherly feelings of the Indian people towards the Palestinian people for their right to a homeland. The statement made by the High Court bench regarding the CPI(M) smacks of the bench aligning itself with the position of the Central Government,' the party said in a statement. The party invoked India's historical support for Palestine and urged citizens to reject what it termed a troubling judicial trend undermining democratic rights. 'We appeal to the freedom and democracy-loving people of the country to stand shoulder to shoulder with us in unequivocally rejecting this objectionable view,' the statement read.
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
Veeragallu at National Military Memorial to be inaugurated in Bengaluru
Bengaluru: After a 16-year wait and continuous delays, the 75-ft-high Veeragallu (hero stone) at the National Military Memorial in the central part of the city will be inaugurated Saturday as part of the 26th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas . The 700-tonne stone was transported from the Koira quarry near Devanahalli to the National Military Memorial in 2019, but wasn't formally unveiled for administrative reasons. Former Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who was behind the project, said: "This memorial stands as Karnataka and Bengaluru's homage to the service and sacrifice of the bravehearts of our armed forces, and the pain and loss borne by their families. " Chandrasekhar also claimed Bengaluru could have had India's first major post-Independence tribute to the armed forces, even before the National War Memorial in New Delhi, if the construction hadn't remained stalled. The construction of the memorial was stuck in a controversy over its location, leading to the Supreme Court, despite the apex judicial body giving the green light back in 2010. Bangalore Development Authority, which took up construction, extended the deadline repeatedly, dragging it on for years. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru
The Hindu
4 hours ago
- The Hindu
Top Maoist leader Narla Sri Vidya arrested in Hyderabad
HYDERABAD Miyapur police arrested one of the most wanted Maoist leaders, Narla Sri Vidya, from New Hafeezpet, on Thursday. She is a State Committee member of the banned CPI (Maoist) party and also part of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) and EDC. According to police, the arrest was made following credible intelligence inputs. Sri Vidya has been underground for years and was actively involved in promoting Maoist ideology across tribal regions of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Originally from Tirumalapuram village in Nagarkurnool district, Sri Vidya completed her from JNTU, Hyderabad. She comes from a family with deep links to the Maoist movement. Her brother Narla Ravi Sharma was arrested in 2009 for Maoist activities, while her sister Narla Sridevi also worked for the outfit. She is married to Takkallapally Vasudeva Rao, alias Ashanna or Satish, a State Committee Member of DKSZC who is the prime accused in the assassination of IPS officer Umesh Chandra and the Alipiri blast case. Sri Vidya joined the then CPI (ML), PWG in 1992, allegedly influenced by her brother. She began her work with Chaitanya Mahila Samakhya, a frontal organisation, and formally joined the banned CPI (Maoist) in 2006. Over the years, she rose through the ranks from Area Committee Member (ACM) to District Committee Member (DCM), and eventually to the position of State Committee Member (SCM). Police said that she played a significant role in spreading Maoist propaganda among tribal children and youth in Vishakapatnam, Malkangiri and Koraput districts. Her activities reportedly led to the recruitment of numerous Adivasi youth from Narayanpur, Kanker, Dantewada, Bijapur and Sukma districts in Chhattisgarh into the banned outfit. She is also named in a criminal conspiracy case registered in 2019 at L.B. Nagar police station. A reward of ₹5 lakh had been announced by the Telangana government for information leading to her arrest. Further investigation is on.
