[Marxistindia] Homage to Comrade V. S. Achuthanandan

[news from the cpi(m)]

July 21, 2025

Press Statement

 

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the
following statement on the death of Com. V. S. Achuthanandan in
Thiruvananthapuram today at 3:20 pm, after prolonged illness.

 

Homage to Comrade V. S. Achuthanandan

 

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) expresses its
profound grief at the death of V. S. Achuthanandan, an outstanding leader
and veteran of the communist movement. V. S. Achuthanandan was a former
member of the Polit Bureau. He was 101 years old.

 

Fondly called VS, Achuthanandan was an able organiser who spearheaded
various struggles in Kerala. His first brush with the trade union movement
was when he organised the coir workers at the Aspinwal Company where he had
started working.

 

In 1940, when he was just seventeen years old, VS joined the Communist
Party. Krishna Pillai assigned him work among agricultural workers in
Kuttanad who were subjected to terrible exploitation by landlords. During
the Punnapra - Vayalar uprising against the Diwan of Travancore, VS had to
go underground. After being arrested, he was subjected to severe custodial
torture. 

 

VS was elected to the State Committee of the united Communist Party in 1956
and to its National Council in 1958. He was the last of the surviving

32 members of the National Council who left to form the Communist Party of
India (Marxist). He served as the Secretary of the Kerala State Committee of
the CPI(M) from 1980 to 1991. He was elected to the Central Committee of the
Party in 1964 and became a member of the Polit Bureau in 1985. He was
relieved from the Central Committee, of which he had become a Special
Invitee, due to age, in 2022.

 

VS was elected to the Kerala assembly for seven terms. He served as Leader
of Opposition for two terms and was the Chief Minister from 2006 to 2011.
His tenure as Chief Minister was marked by several legislative and
administrative measures for the welfare of the working people. 

 

During his eight and a half decade long association with the Party, VS
witnessed the steady growth of communist movement in Kerala. As a public
speaker VS had mastered the art to communicate directly with the audience.
Known for his austere lifestyle and unwavering commitment to social justice,
V. S. Achuthanandan has left an indelible mark on Kerala politics. In his
death, the Party and the communist movement have suffered a grievous loss. 

 

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) dips its red
banner in salute to V. S. Achuthanandan. It conveys its heartfelt
condolences to his wife, son and daughter. 

 

 

(Muralidharan)

For CPI(M) Central Committee Office

 

 

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