Kerala former chief minister VS Achuthaandan dies aged 101

Kerala former chief minister VS Achuthanandan, one of India's most respected Communist leaders and a pivotal figure in Kerala's political history, passed away on Monday at the age of 101. 

The veteran leader had been undergoing treatment for a cardiac arrest and was on ventilator support for nearly a month.

During his time in the intensive care unit, several leaders, including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, visited him in the hospital. 

His Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary, MV Govindan, confirmed Achuthanandan’s death at 3:20pm, stating that his mortal remains would be cremated in his hometown in Alappuzha district on Wednesday.

Achuthanandan was a founding member of the CPI(M) and dedicated his life to advocating for workers' rights, land reforms, and social justice. 

He served as Leader of the opposition from 2001 to 2006, challenging the Congress party-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government led by AK Antony.

As chief minister of Kerala from 2006 to 2011, he was a dynamic force in the state assembly. He was elected seven times and served three terms as Leader of the Opposition. 

In the 2011 elections, he led the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front’s (LDF) campaign again but faced a narrow defeat against the UDF, which won 72 out of 140 assembly seats. 

Returning as leader of the opposition, his leadership played a crucial role in securing a victory for the LDF in the 2016 elections. However, despite winning decisively in Malampuzha, his party rejected his claim for chief minister and instead chose Vijayan. 

Following his active political career, Achuthanandan alternated his residence between his son’s home and his daughter’s house after stepping down from the position of chairman of the Administrative Reforms Committee in January 2021.

Born on Oct.20, 1923, into a family of agricultural workers in Punappara, Alappuzha, Achuthanandan's early life was marked by tragedy. He lost his mother at the age of four and his father when he was eleven. 

These events led him to enter the workforce early, and he dropped out of school after seventh grade to work in a tailoring workshop and a coir mill alongside his elder brother.

Achuthanandan was greatly influenced by senior Communist leaders, particularly P Krishna Pillai, which prompted him to engage in trade union campaigns by 1938. 

By the age of 18, he had become a member of the CPI. During the 1940s, he was imprisoned for his participation in protests advocating for the rights of workers and farmers against the then-princely regimes in Kerala.

In 1964, Achuthanandan and 31 other leaders resigned from the national council of the CPI to establish the CPI(M). 
He began his electoral career in 1965, contesting from the Ambalapuzha assembly constituency in Alappuzha, but lost by 2,327 votes. 

Demonstrating resilience, he convincingly won the same seat two years later, defeating his opponent by over 9,500 votes.

His tenure as the party's state secretary lasted 12 years, from 1980 to 1992, during which he solidified his role as a leading political figure. 

Throughout his political career, he contested the Kerala assembly elections ten times, from 1965 to 2016, winning seven of those contests. Known for his charismatic oratory and engaging rallies, he consistently attracted large crowds.

In 2007, Achuthanandan faced a significant setback when he was removed from the CPI(M) Polit Bureau for defying the authority of the party’s state secretary, highlighting the complex dynamics within the party's leadership.