22-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Thousands pay tribute to VS Achuthanandan at Durbar Hall
THIRUVANTHAPURAM: A sea of people gathered at the Durbar Hall in the Secretariat from the early morning hours of Tuesday to pay their final respects to veteran Communist leader and former Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan. The body of the 101-year-old leader arrived at the premises around 9:10 a.m., greeted by emotional chants of 'Comrade VS never dies; he lives through us.'
The mortal remains were brought in an ambulance accompanied by CPM general secretary M.A. Baby, state secretary M.V. Govindan, MLA Kadakampally Surendran, and other senior leaders. Upon arrival, the police presented a ceremonial guard of honour to the late leader.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, cabinet ministers, senior CPM leaders including Prakash Karat and several MLAs, and Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar were present at the venue to offer their tributes. 'We will be remembering him very fondly every time,' the governor said, reflecting on VS's contributions to Kerala's political and social landscape.
Businessman M.A. Yusuff Ali, who also paid his respects, said, 'He was a visionary who worked not just for Kerala but for the entire country. He even stood for the welfare of Gulf Malayalis.'
